Jim Nantz’ career as a college basketball broadcaster is officially over.
UConn’s 76-59 win over San Diego State Monday night’s national championship game was Nantz’s final college basketball broadcast for CBS. And when the face and voice of CBS Sports loomed on his final college basketball show, he referred to the phrase he made famous at the start of so many CBS Sports television shows.
“One thing I’ve learned through all of this is that everyone has a dream,” Nantz said. “And everyone has a story to tell. Just try to find this story. Be friendly.”
“You told it better than most, I can tell you that,” analyst Bill Raftery said.
Nantz continued, “Is there anything else I can tell you? I don’t mean this to try and play off ‘hello friends,’ but to you, everyone in the college game, my CBS family, my family, all viewers, thank you for being my friend.
After the game, he recorded “One Shining Moment” for the last time as a member of the CBS NCAA broadcast team.
Monday night’s national championship game was Jim Nantz’s final college basketball broadcast. (Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports)
The national title game was held in Houston, Nantz’s hometown, on Monday. As the seconds ticked by in UConn’s win, Raftery began paying tribute to Nantz, but the play-by-play announcer downplayed it, saying he wanted to keep his focus on the game.
Nantz, 63, has been involved with CBS’s Final Four since 1986, and in 1991 took over as the network’s college basketball executive. Since then, his portfolio has grown with golf – he’ll be on the call-up for the Masters starting Thursday – and the NFL. He made the decision two years ago that the 2023 Final Four in Houston would be an appropriate venue for his final college basketball broadcast. And his sign-off was incredibly fitting, too.