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The NCAA Tournament has many traditions, and the Final Four has a lot of things tied to it besides the on-court action, and announcer Jim Nantz has been one of the mainstays surrounding the tournament.
The legendary CBS broadcaster has called NFL games and Super Bowls, March Madness and The Masters golf tournament. He plans to call NFL games through 2033, when his contract ends.
Nantz has called 32 men’s basketball national championships. This year will be his final season calling March Madness. He will continue to call NFL games and The Masters. He is known for his signature opening phrase “Hello, friends."
The national championship will be Jim Nantz’s 354th tournament game as an announcer. Nantz planned to retire from college basketball in 2021 in Indianapolis but did not want to end with a pandemic-affected tournament.
Nantz also has a tradition of giving his tie to the best player in the Final Four after the title game. Nantz will call the game with Grant Hill, Bill Raftery and Tracy Wolfson. The 63-year-old has ties to the host site of the Final Four as he went to the University of Houston, where he played on the golf team with Fred Couples, a PGA great, and Blaine McCallister, also a successful pro.
Jim Nantz’s run as the head announcer of the Final Four spans six U.S. presidencies. He followed legendary broadcasters Brent Musburger, Dick Enberg and Gary Bender.
Current March Madness, Brooklyn Nets and NFL announcer Ian Eagle will take over the lead role for Nantz. There have been no announcements of who will team with Eagle. Raftery and Hill could return alongside him to complete the number-one team.
Jim Nantz's first Final Four
Jim Nantz’s first Final Four was a classic in 1991. Mighty Duke won a 79-77 thriller over defending national champion UNLV to advance to the title game.
Undefeated UNLV was favored in the game. After all, the Runnin' Rebels, 34-0 before the title game, had four 1991 NBA draft picks: Larry Johnson (No. 1), Stacey Augmon (No. 9), Greg Anthony (No. 12) and Greg Ackles (No. 29, second round). Plus, they had obliterated Duke 103-73, setting the record for the largest margin in NCAA championship game history, in 1990.
On the other side, coach Roy Williams and Kansas took out legendary coach Dean Smith and North Carolina 79-73. Williams went on to replace Smith at North Carolina. He was also an assistant for years under Smith at UNC before taking the job at Kansas.
Duke won the 1991 title game 72-65. It was the first of five national championships for iconic coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Jim Nantz has stayed loyal to CBS as many lead announcers in American sports television have changed networks and collected huge contracts to make moves to places like Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and ESPN.
Guess the Lakers players!
