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Seth Davis pays tribute to his friend and CBS colleague Greg Gumbel

Seth Davis pays tribute to his friend and CBS colleague Greg Gumbel

Greg Gumbel didn’t like parades. I’m not sure why. Maybe it was the artificiality of it all, the way people gathered together and cheered on all the silly things that walked by. I think it was mostly an affectation, a touchstone of humor, that made Greg come across as grouchy when everyone knew he was actually the sweetest man in the world.

Greg didn’t like golf either. He tried it a few times, hated it, gave up, and then spent the rest of his life making fun of the game and those who enjoyed it. This was a constant source of entertainment because Clark Kellogg and I love golf almost as much as we love college basketball. On the CBS set, when we would wax poetic about our respective games and the courses we played, Greg would lean back in his chair and roll his eyes. He made us laugh with the overly serious tone he took while reading a promo for CBS’ golf coverage. When things came to a head and a player was seen about to make a putt, Greg would say, “I bet it goes in.”

Seth Davis Kirby Lee Imagn Images

Greg had a strong aversion to eggs and a Constanza-like ability to act incredibly annoyed over little things. But he also loved a lot of things, like stand-up comedy and slapstick films and Howard Stern. Every now and then I would throw in a reference to “Baba Booey” during a highlight to see if I could throw him off on live TV. Greg and I both spoke fluently trading venues. There was literally no situation where a line from the movie couldn’t be inserted and make us both laugh. He had a very high batting average when it came to forwarding jokes via email. He loved classic rock, especially the Rolling Stones. He sent me photos from all sorts of shows he attended throughout the year.

The only thing Greg loved more than laughter was making other people laugh. When you were around him, you usually did that.

Most of all, Greg loved his family, especially his granddaughter Riley. There wasn’t a conversation that he didn’t immediately steer in her direction. I can scroll through years of text messages with him and watch her transform from infant to young lady. Here Riley learns to walk, Riley cuddles a puppy, Riley plays the violin, Riley sings, Riley smiles with her grandpa. She was the center of his universe.

Today is an extremely sad day, not only for me, of course, but also for the countless people who knew Greg and worked with him over the years. When people die, you always hear praises about how great they were and how much everyone liked them. But I’ll tell you, in all the years I’ve been in this business, I’ve never heard anyone say anything negative about Greg Gumbel. As far as I could tell, his only character flaw was his disdain for Bruce Springsteen, but I loved him for that too. That’s what Greg did, Greg.

Greg Gumbel died on Friday. CBS

You see, there are some people we work with and are very close to. They are wonderful relationships that are professional yet intimate. Then there are the few who are our closest friends. We know everything about each other, even the really unpleasant secrets. It’s rare to find someone who populates both lists, but Greg Gumbel fit the bill for me. The same goes for Clark Kellogg. The three of us sat at that desk in Studio 43 for two decades and became brothers. I’d like to think viewers could tell.

I know there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people in the broadcast industry today who say the same thing. You don’t understand, not only did I work with Greg Gumbel, we were really good friends. I’m not just talking about on-air people either. Greg was one of those really special people who achieve great fame and success, but never look at other people and see “levels.” When Greg walked into a studio, he was good to everyone. It’s not that he was modest, he saw no reason to be Be modest. He was just one of them and was happy to be there, just please don’t bring him a plate of eggs.

Chris Berman and Greg Gumbel on ESPN Everett Collection

Even when Greg got grumpy, he couldn’t stay that way. He was a masterful broadcaster, to say the least. He could handle complicated traffic better than anyone I’ve ever seen. This was particularly evident in the days when CBS owned the rights to all games in the NCAA Tournament. We were constantly moving the audience from one site to another, which could become particularly awkward when the games were coming to an end. Greg had to direct the whole chaos while Clark and I watched in awe, never quite sure what was going on.

In all the years we’ve worked on the tournament together, I’ve only seen Greg mess up once. He had told the audience that they were going somewhere, but the producer sent them somewhere else. He got frustrated and threw his pen in the air. It was my first year working for CBS and the moment felt uncomfortable. Uh oh, now Mr. Gumbel is really getting angry.

At that moment, a cameraman named Claus, who was one of Greg’s best friends, told him, “Hey, if you’re tired, let someone know.” The whole studio dissolved and Greg laughed louder than anyone else.

With so many changes between ongoing games, it was inevitable that some spectators would be upset. CBS received many angry calls. Greg was often the focus of her anger. I lost count of how many times he played the voicemail of the man screaming, “That Greg Gumbel, he’s terrible!” He should be fired!” It was one of many inside jokes we mentioned at every future tournament .

Seth Davis (left) and play-by-play announcer JB Long (JB Long) during a game between the Texas-Arlington Mavericks and the Southern California Trojans at the Galen Center. Kirby Lee Imagn Images

My first appearance for CBS was at the 2003 Final Four. They invited me to appear on their Sunday studio show to talk about the upcoming coaching carousel. I sat in the production meeting and went over what I wanted to say. When it was time for rehearsal, I was nervous and excited and gave away my information way too quickly. Greg interrupted me. “No, no, no, just talk like you talked during the meeting,” he said. “Just relax.” The words had the intended effect and the segment flowed smoothly. From then on he always knew exactly what to say to me and when to say it.

In December I started my first full season at the station. My oldest son was born the following May. Over the next five years I had two more boys. They always visited me in the studio. I have all sorts of photos of the three of them with Greg and Clark, which get bigger and bigger every year. The producers recorded videos from the studio cameras during these visits, so I have those recordings too. Greg teases them, Greg helps them into his chair, Greg is nice to my wife while he pokes me. My boys are now 20, 18 and 15. Greg watched them all grow up. Damn, he was watching Me grow up.

Above all, Greg was kind and considerate. We did 19 Selection shows together and after each show he sent me a text before boarding his flight praising me for my work. He liked good company, offbeat jokes, smart suits, hot food and the odd tasty cocktail. When Greg, Clark and I met for our annual dinner at the Final Four, it was always a valuable experience. We talked about everything and laughed so hard we had to dab our eyes.

I will remember Greg as someone who kept my confidence high and my reserve in check. I wanted to be just like him, someone who took his work seriously, but never himself. Greg caused a stir a few years ago when he said in a radio interview that the broadcasters were being overpaid because no one was turning on the games just to watch us to see. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one in the industry who gently suggested that the next time he had thoughts like that, he should keep them to himself.

Greg Gumbel with CBS partner Phil Simms CBS

And of course there was the classic moment when Clark, Wally Szczerbiak and I danced with the emojis on camera during the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Greg refused to participate. We recorded the dance and when the camera cut back to a live shot of Greg, he sat there in silence with a stone cold expression on his face that said, “Can you believe how ridiculous these guys looked?” I have a screenshot of that face Used as my Twitter avatar for a while. Not that Greg understood what that meant. The last thing he would ever do was join social media, which seemed like one big loud parade.

When Greg received difficult medical news late last year, the only thing he knew for sure was that he wanted to keep it secret. He didn’t want the attention, the excitement, the distraction of everyone knowing. “I have no illusions about it,” he told me as he began treatment. “We’ll try. Either it will work or it won’t.” For those who knew and loved him – and there are so many of us – his death leaves a void too great to contemplate. I hope my life will always be good, but it will never be as good without Greg.

I’ve known for some time that this day would probably come, but now that it’s here, I can hardly believe it. Greg leaves behind a legacy that is virtually unparalleled in the sports broadcasting industry. He has worked at multiple positions at the highest level, officiating Super Bowls and Final Fours and countless games in between. If you saw him on TV and thought, “He seems like a great guy,” then I’m here to tell you that you were right. You can’t stand in front of the camera for so many hours over so many years and hide who you really are. And even if you could, Greg would never have tried.

Because he knew that life is short and laughter is vital. He concluded that if you show up, do your best and treat people well, nothing else matters. He was a unique talent, a valued friend and the kindest man I have ever known.

May his memory be a blessing.

Seth Davis is the editor-in-chief of Hoops HQ, a new digital media company covering men’s and women’s college basketball. Davis is an award-winning author and broadcaster and has hosted CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ March Madness basketball tournament since 2004 – where he worked alongside Greg Gumbel.

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