It was announced Friday afternoon that Greg Gumbel passed away at the age of 78.
Gumbel (1946-2024) was Louisiana-born but would grow up on Chicago’s south side. For high school he attended De La Salle Institute and played baseball. He would head to Dubuque, Iowa to attend Loras College where he graduated in 1967 with a bachelor in English.
Despite selling medical supplies post-grad, his brother Bryant gave him a lead on a job in their hometown. Shortly after, Greg Gumbel landed the job at NBC’s WAMQ-TV and the rest was history.
Fifty years later, he’s done just about everything a sports broadcaster could imagine. He’s done the Super Bowl, Olympics, March Madness and so much more.
While I usually refrain from inserting myself into my stories, I find myself reflecting on his impact on sports and to myself.
When you look up the lists of smaller colleges, there are often not too many names under the notable alumni tab. That is true for Loras College.
Just like Mr. Gumbel., I went to Loras College for undergrad. Currently, he’s probably the most notable under tab on their alumni tab.
For myself and others, we aspire to leave an impact like he has done during his storied lifetime.
I was lucky enough to cross paths with him at an event on campus Spring of my freshman year. He was a speaker on a Sports Business Symposium panel. I enjoyed hearing him share insights on his life and advice for prospective sports business and broadcast leaders.
Afterwards, I caught up with him to chat and have him sign my poster from the event as well as sign his name in a spiral autograph book I recently bought.
Years later, the book has names like Nastia Liukin, Dikembe Mutumbo, Joe Biden, Kendal Coyne-Schofield and so many more but his is just as notable as the rest.
Gumbel was very nice, encouraged me to keep going, and even seemed willing to stay connected.
Which was true.
After I got the Loras College radio station back up, I reached out to Gumbel about being a guest on a show. We had him on our show in April of 2020.
Right now, the link is not working so I can’t attached the 2020 interview but my friends and I did eventually have him on again when we were doing the Sideline Icons Podcast. We spoke with him a year later in 2021 and dove into to some new topics including his interest in space.
Click here to listen.
Sad to see a legend go. Thankful for the opportunity to connect and speak with him as well as share those moments with my college friends. We are so grateful and appreciative of Mr. Gumbel and will never forget those moment.
May he Rest In Peace.
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