Television sports commentator and presenter, born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Editor of Black Sports magazine after college, he worked as sportscaster for KNBC in Los Angeles (197280). He also covered professional sports for the National Broadcasting Company, winning an Emmy for his 1976 Olympic coverage. Hired by the Today show (1980) to do sports commentary, he then became co-presenter (1981).
Bryant Charles Gumbel (born September 29, 1948), is an American television personality for news and sports programs. He is the younger brother of veteran sports broadcaster Greg Gumbel.
Early life
Gumbel was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the second child of parents Dunbar Gumbel and Rhea Alice LeCesne.
Gumbel earned a liberal arts degree from Bates College and has honorary doctorates from Bates, Xavier University, College of the Holy Cross, Providence College and Clark Atlanta University.
Career
Early career
Gumbel began his television career in October 1972, when he was named a sportscaster for KNBC-TV out of Los Angeles.
NBC Sports
He first worked for NBC Sports in the fall of 1975 as co-host of its National Football League pre-game show GrandStand with Jack Buck.
From 1975 until January 1982 (when Gumbel left to do The Today Show) Gumbel hosted numerous sporting events for NBC including of Major League Baseball, NCAA basketball, and the National Football League. Gumbel returned to sportscasting for NBC when he hosted the prime time coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics from Seoul and the PGA tour in 1990.
One of Bryant Gumbel's more memorable moments during his stint at NBC Sports occurred in 1982, when he was on site for the now legendary "Epic in Miami" NFL playoff game between the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins. When the game was said and done, Gumbel told the viewing audience "If you didn't like this football game then you didn't like football!"
The Today Show
He spent 15 years on The Today Show with three co-hosts (Jane Pauley, Deborah Norville, and Katie Couric).
The Early Show
After stepping down from the Today Show and Dateline NBC in 1997, Gumbel moved on to CBS, where he hosted various shows before becoming the co-host of the network's morning show The Early Show on November 1, 1999. Gumbel left The Early Show in 2002.
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
Gumbel has concentrated most of his energy recently on his duties as host of HBO's acclaimed investigative series Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (a show that he has hosted since 1995).
The Weather Man
Gumbel had a cameo appearance opposite Nicolas Cage and Michael Caine in The Weather Man, a film directed by Gore Verbinski. In the film, Gumbel co-hosts a morning show entitled Hello America which Cage's character, a depressed weatherman, auditions for.
The NFL Network
In April 2006, The NFL Network announced that Gumbel along with Cris Collinsworth would call its new package of NFL games. This is despite the fact that Gumbel unlike his brother Greg, has never called play-by-play for live sporting events before in his career. Even before he called his first game for the network his status was brought into question after Gumbel stirred up controversy in his closing remarks on his HBO program on August 15 2006, in which he criticized NFL Player's Association head Gene Upshaw and outgoing NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. Gumbel would later reconcile with the NFL and will retain his play-by-play job with the NFL Network.
Live with Regis and Kelly
In June 2006 Gumbel performed as substitute anchor for Live with Regis and Kelly, replacing Regis Philbin and co-hosting with Kelly Ripa.
Controversies
Gumbel memo
In 1989, Gumbel wrote a memo to Today Show executive producer Marty Ryan, which was critical of other Today Show personalities. In the memo, Gumbel commented that Willard Scott "holds the show hostage to his assortment of whims, wishes, birthdays and bad taste...This guy is killing us and no one's even trying to rein him in." He commented that Gene Shalit's movie reviews "are often late and his interviews aren't very good."
There was enough negative backlash in regard to Gumbel's comments toward Scott, that Gumbel was shown making up with Scott on The Today Show.
Remarks
During coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel he made the following remarks,
Gumbel's remarks about the lack of black athletes in the Winter Olympics oddly enough came immediately following a piece he did on the 1966 Texas Western University basketball team, which had five all black starters.
A CBS camera caught a disgusted Bryant Gumbel blurting out "What a fucking idiot" just after he wrapped up a hostile interview with Robert Knight of the Family Research Council (FRC).
Real Video of incident Salon Article on this incident E Channel Article on this incidentOn the August 15, 2006 episode of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Gumbel made the following remarks about former NFL commisioner Paul Tagliabue and Player Union president Gene Upshaw and directed these comments to new commisioner Roger Goodell.
In response, Tagliabue said
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What Gumbel said about Gene Upshaw and our owners is about as irresponsible as anything I've heard in a long time. Gumbel's response was that: "It's a lot like covering any story," he said. DuPont-Columbia University Award for outstanding broadcast journalism for Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO), December 2005 Reportedly, Gumbel has raised over $8 million for the United Negro College Fund. TriviaHaving grown up in Chicago, Gumbel has acknowledged being a diehard Chicago Cubs fan. During the second season of Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show, Gumbel was referenced by comedian Paul Mooney. In a skit, Mooney was playing a psychic named Negrodamus when he was asked the question, "Why do white people like Wayne Brady so much?" Negrodamus responded "White people love Wayne Brady because he makes Bryant Gumbel look like Malcolm X." This became one of the most famous lines from the show, and eventually led to an episode where Wayne Brady retaliates for the comment. Both Bryant and Greg Gumbel are contained within the Family Guy episode "If I'm Dyin', I'm Lyin'" as 'Bike Cops' in a fictional television show, Gumbel 2 Gumbel. |
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