Miles Bennett
Jim Nantz is a celebrated sports commentator and anchor, known for his work in golf and football broadcasting. He has been in the industry for nearly 40 years and is known as the voice of American sports. While Nantz did play Division I college golf at the University of Houston, he has always been better at talking sports than playing them. He was even inducted into the PGA of America Hall of Fame in 2023.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Profession | Sports commentator |
| Career | Nearly 40 years |
| Awards | Emmy Awards, Multi-time winner of the National Sportscaster of the Year award |
| Net worth | $15 million |
| University | University of Houston |
| Course | Bachelor of Arts in Radio and Television Broadcasting |
| Year of Graduation | 1981 |
| First job | Paper route |
| First real job | Tony Bruno at the Battleground Country Club in Freehold, New Jersey |
| First book | Always By My Side – A Father's Grace and a Sports Journey Unlike Any Other |
| Year of publishing first book | May 2008 |
| Sports | Basketball, Football, and Golf |
| First on-air appearance | 1987 |
| First play-by-play assignments | 1988 |
| Year of joining CBS | 1985 or 1986 |
| First year covering the Masters Tournament | 1986 |
| Hobbies | Playing golf |
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What You'll Learn
Jim Nantz's career as a sports commentator
James William Nantz III, born on May 17, 1959, is an American sportscaster. He has been commentating and anchoring sports events for decades and is one of the most recognisable announcers globally. His voice is synonymous with golf and the NFL in particular.
Nantz's career in sports commentary began when he was a student athlete at the University of Houston. He played on the Cougars men's golf team, rooming with future professional golfers Fred Couples and Blaine McCallister. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Radio and Television Broadcasting in 1981. During his time at the university, Nantz got his first experience in sports broadcasting with the CBS Radio Network. He transmitted taped interviews to Win Elliot for the latter's Sports Central USA weekend reports.
Nantz started as an anchor and sportscaster for KHOU in Houston, Texas, in the early 1980s. He then became a weekend sports anchor on KSL-TV in Salt Lake City from 1982 to 1985, where he called BYU football games and Utah Jazz games alongside Hot Rod Hundley.
In 1985, Nantz joined CBS Sports, initially working as a studio host for CBS's college football and basketball coverage and as an on-course reporter for PGA Tour golf. He also called NFL games on Westwood One from 1988 to 1990 before moving to television. On October 4, 1987, Nantz made his first on-air appearance during an NFL game, serving as a reporter during a game featuring the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets. In 1989, he became the anchor for CBS's coverage of the Masters Tournament.
Over the years, Nantz has become CBS's No. 1 voice for football and golf. He has called several Super Bowls, including Super Bowl XLI in 2007, and is one of only four play-by-play announcers to have called both a Super Bowl and an NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Game. He has also won two Sports Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sports Personality, Play-by-Play (in 2009 and 2010).
In addition to his broadcasting career, Nantz has authored a book titled "Always By My Side – A Father's Grace and a Sports Journey Unlike Any Other", released in May 2008. The book tells personal stories from football, basketball, and golf and how the people he met along the way reminded him of the virtues his father instilled in him.
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![Always by My Side (08) by Nantz, Jim [Hardcover (2008)]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/21DsWbhn4DL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Nantz's college golf career
While Jim Nantz is best known as a sports commentator, his career began as a student athlete at the University of Houston, where he played on the Cougars men's golf team. Nantz enrolled at the University of Houston in 1977, joining the golf team at a time when they were coming off a national title—their 13th in just 30 seasons.
Nantz's journey to the Cougars golf team began when a golf pro he knew, Ron Weber, called Dave Williams, the legendary Cougars golf coach. Weber told Williams that Nantz had some game, but Nantz himself wanted to study sports broadcasting. After watching Nantz play a nine-hole round, Williams invited him to join the team, an invitation that Nantz described as one of the greatest gifts he had ever received. Nantz himself admitted that he was the worst player on the team, but he cherished the opportunity to be around a group of competitors and winners.
During his time at the University of Houston, Nantz roomed with future professional golfers Fred Couples and Blaine McCallister. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Radio and Television Broadcasting in 1981. It was during his time at university that Nantz got his first experience in sports broadcasting with the CBS Radio Network, transmitting taped interviews to Win Elliot for the latter's Sports Central USA weekend reports.
Nantz also began working professionally in Houston while still in school. A year after graduating, he moved to Salt Lake City to pursue play-by-play commentary. He worked as a studio host for CBS's college football and basketball coverage and as an on-course reporter for PGA Tour golf. He also called NFL games on Westwood One from 1988 to 1990 before moving to television.
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Nantz's work as a broadcaster
Jim Nantz is one of the most recognisable sports announcers in the world, with a celebrated broadcasting career spanning nearly 40 years. He is particularly known for his work in golf and NFL broadcasting.
Nantz's career in sports broadcasting began when he was a student athlete at the University of Houston, where he played on the Cougars men's golf team. He got his first experience in broadcasting with the CBS Radio Network, transmitting taped interviews to Win Elliot for the latter's Sports Central USA weekend reports. He also worked professionally in Houston while still in school, becoming the public address announcer for the Houston Astros (baseball) and Houston Cougars (American football).
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Radio and Television Broadcasting in 1981, Nantz started as an anchor and sportscaster for KHOU in Houston, Texas, and then became a weekend sports anchor on KSL-TV in Salt Lake City from 1982 to 1985, where he called BYU football games and Utah Jazz NBA games.
In 1985, Nantz joined CBS Sports, initially working as a studio host for CBS's college football and basketball coverage, and as an on-course reporter for PGA Tour golf. He made his first on-air appearance during an NFL game in 1987, serving as a reporter during a game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets. In 1988, he worked his first NFL play-by-play assignments, covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Indianapolis Colts game and the Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns game.
Nantz has since become one of the most prominent broadcasters in American sports, known for his ability to manipulate time on TV and his iconic "Hello friends" opener. He has won Emmy Awards and is a multi-time winner of the National Sportscaster of the Year award. In 2023, he stepped down from calling games during the NCAA Tournament but remains CBS’ No. 1 voice for football and golf.
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Nantz's Masters Tournament coverage
Jim Nantz is an iconic sports commentator and announcer, known for his coverage of the Masters Tournament. In 2023, he stepped down from calling games during the NCAA Tournament, but he remains CBS' top commentator for football and golf.
Nantz's career in broadcasting spans nearly 40 years, and he has become synonymous with the Masters Tournament, celebrating his 40th year as the "voice of the Masters" in 2020. He first covered the Masters in 1986, anchoring coverage for CBS and has since become an integral part of the tournament's broadcasting team. Nantz's distinctive style includes providing historical facts and statistics during his commentary, and he is known for his ability to manipulate time, punctuating events and navigating silences effectively.
Nantz's journey to becoming a sports commentator began with his passion for golf. He played on the Cougars men's golf team at the University of Houston, where he roomed with future professional golfers Fred Couples and Blaine McCallister. Nantz's golf coach, Dave Williams, recognised his people skills and predicted that Nantz would become President one day. However, Nantz's dream was to work in television, and he pursued a degree in Radio and Television Broadcasting, graduating in 1981.
While still a student, Nantz gained experience in sports broadcasting with the CBS Radio Network and worked as an anchor and sportscaster for KHOU in Houston, Texas. He joined CBS Sports in 1985 and has since covered a range of sports, including football, basketball, and golf. In addition to his broadcasting career, Nantz is also an author, releasing his first book, "Always By My Side", in 2008, which includes personal stories from his broadcasting journey.
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Nantz's personal life
James William Nantz III, better known as Jim Nantz, was born on May 17, 1959, in Charlotte, North Carolina, and grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana, Colts Neck Township, New Jersey, and Marlboro Township, New Jersey. He is the son of Jim Nantz Jr., who suffered from Alzheimer's disease and passed away in 2008.
Nantz attended the University of Houston, where he played on the Cougars men's golf team with future professional golfers Fred Couples and Blaine McCallister. He began his career in sports broadcasting in the early 1980s, working as a sportscaster and anchor for KHOU Houston, a CBS-affiliated television station in Houston, Texas. He later joined CBS Sports, where he has worked on telecasts of the National Football League (NFL), NCAA Division I men's basketball, the NBA, and the PGA Tour.
In addition to his career in sports broadcasting, Nantz has a personal life that includes two marriages. His first marriage was to Ann-Lorraine Carlsen Nantz, which lasted from 1983 until their divorce in 2008. They had a daughter together named Caroline. Nantz's second marriage is to Courtney Richards, whom he met while going through his first divorce. They began dating in 2010 and married in 2012 at the Pebble Beach golf course in California. They have two children together, a daughter named Finley and a son named Jameson.
Nantz has also authored a book titled "Always By My Side – A Father's Grace and a Sports Journey Unlike Any Other," which was released in May 2008. In the book, he shares personal stories from his experiences in sports and how they have reminded him of the virtues his father instilled in him. Nantz has also re-launched a private wine label called "The Calling," with its first vintage released in 2012.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Jim Nantz was not a professional golfer. He was a Division I college golfer at the University of Houston, where he played on the Cougars men's golf team. He was recruited for the team mostly for his people skills and was the worst player.
Jim Nantz is an iconic sports commentator and announcer. He is particularly known for his work in golf and American football. He has been working in broadcasting for nearly 40 years and has won multiple Emmy Awards and National Sportscaster of the Year awards.
Jim Nantz's net worth is estimated to be around $15 million.
