Greg Gumbel was the agency of Sunday's choice, and CBS made him pay tribute to him during this year's broadcast months after his death.
The Selection Sunday broadcast began with a Gumbel tribute video. “For over 25 years, Greg Gumbel has been the host of CBS' March Madness. I miss my dear friend and colleague.”
It was followed by a clip of Gumbel talking about why Gumbel loves the NCAA tournament.
“Greg loved March Madness…” reads the second text overlay. “…and the stone.”
The program was then opened with “Start Me Up” by the Rolling Stones, who are being performed in honor of Gumbel.
Adam Zucker, Jay Wright, Clark Kellogg and Seth Davis paid tribute to Gumbel by recalling the memories of their beloved sportscasters.
“He was my colleague and friend and I've been in that seat for over 20 years, so I've changed forever in a positive and important way,” Kellogg said. “And he did it in a great class. Great calm, great humour, and great humility. I remember forever and I'm much better at spending time on his trajectory as a friend and colleague.”
Additionally, all the crew in the studio were wearing rolling stones shirts in honor of Gumbel.
Gambel passed away at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer in late December.
In this post, it is covered with a printable NCAA bracket with a 68-team March Madness 2025 field.
He was the voice of signature for 25 years in the insanity of March every year, pinning the choice between Sunday Television and NCAA Tournament.
Gumbel missed last year's broadcast after what the network said at the time.
It was the first time Gumbel has not been part of a television broadcast since the 1997 tournament.
Gumbel worked at “SportsCenter” early in his career at ESPN, and also served as a backup for Marv Albert for Knicks broadcasts, hosting Yankees Baseball studio coverage on the MSG network.
