Thursday, 07 May 2026

Brent Musburger

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Commentators 2026
Embed from Getty Images
Sport(s): Football, Basketball, Baseball, Golf, Horse Racing & Studio Host
Statistics & Accolades: National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame
Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame
Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award
Sports Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award
There was a time when it felt like Brent Musburger was the host for everything sports, and depending on the network, he was!

Musburger rose to prominence with CBS in the 1970s, calling NFL games for the network before becoming the lead studio host for NFL Today, the gold standard that all pre-game studio shows were based on. Along with Irv Cross, Phyllis George, and Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder, Musburger became a national figure, and the network used him to host its other prominent sporting events. He is credited with coining the term “March Madness”, which coincidentally was the last event he called for the network, as he was shockingly fired the day before he did his last assignment, the Duke vs UNLV 1990 NCAA Championship game.

Musburger joined ABC/ESPN from 1990 to 2017, where he focused on college football and called seven National Championship Games. He may not have been the lead dog for a network, but his contributions were undeniable.

In later years, Musberger got into sports gambling, and if you listened to his sly references decades before about his “friends in the desert”, it was a natural conclusion to his career.

We are proud to nominate Brent Musburger for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.

Back to List