Sports Announcers I Grew Up With: Pat Summerall

There is a special place in my heart for the radio and TV sports announcers I grew up with. From ABC's Wide World of Sports to roller derby and wrestling, and everything in between, sports was a big part of my life growing up. At my house, we watched on TV whatever sport was 'in season,' especially on Saturday's. If there was a sports event on radio, we listened to it. I was very blessed to grow up with many now-legendary voices and characters.

Pat Summerall was born on May 10, 1930 at Lake City, Florida. He died in Dallas Texas on April 16, 2013 at the age of 82. Summerall was a football star at Lake City. His position was place kicker. He played college football at Arkansas and was drafted into the NFL during the 4th round in 1952. He spent one year with the Detroit Lions, four years with the Chicago Cardinals and three years with the New York Giants. He was later named to the Florda High School Athletic Association's All-Century Team.

After retiring from football, Summerall joined CBS as a color commentator. He also worked for Fox and ESPN. In addition to football, he also announced major golf and tennis events. All total, he announced 16 Super Bowls on TV (more than any other announcer), 26 Masters Tournaments and 21 US Opens. He also contributed to 10 Super Bowl broadcasts on CBS Radio as a pregame host or analyst.

Sports Announcers I Grew Up With: Curt Gowdy

There is a special place in my heart for the radio and TV sports announcers I grew up with. From ABC's Wide World of Sports to roller derby and wrestling, and everything in between, sports was a big part of my life growing up. At my house, we watched on TV whatever sport was 'in season,' especially on Saturday's. If there was a sports event on radio, we listened to it. I was very blessed to grow up with many now- legendary voices and characters. Today, I want to pay tribute to Curt Gowdy.

Curt Gowdy made his broadcasting debut in 1943 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, calling a 'six-man' high school football game from atop a wooden grocery crate in subzero weather with 15 people present. He later worked at the radio station and newspaper there. In 1946, he accepted an offer from KOMA radio in Oklahoma City to broadcast Oklahoma college football and Oklahoma State college basketball games.

Gowdy's distinctive play-by-play style earned him a national audition and then an opportunity with the New York Yankees in 1949, working with (and learning from) the legendary Mel Allen for two seasons.

Gowdy began his Major League Baseball broadcasting career working as the No. 2 announcer to Mel Allen for New York Yankees games on radio and television in 1949–50. In 1951, he became the voice of the Boston Red Sox for 15 seasons. It was there that he became America's premier sportscaster. He spent most of his career at NBC, but also broadcast for ABC and CBS Radio. The winner of 13 Emmy Awards, Gowdy was the first sportscaster to win a Peabody Award, a prestigious honor in broadcasting. He broadcast 16 World Series, nine Super Bowls, eight Olympics, 12 Rose Bowls and 24 NCAA Final Fours. He hosted ''The American Sportsman" on ABC for two decades.

Gowdy was present for some of American sports' storied moments, including Ted Williams' home run in his final at-bat in 1960, Super Bowl I and Hank Aaron's 715th home run in 1974.

Curt Gowdy died on February 20, 2006 at the age of aged 86.

Sports Announcers I Grew Up With: Jim Nantz

There is a special place in my heart for the radio and TV sports announcers I grew up with. From ABC's Wide World of Sports to roller derby and wrestling, and everything in between, sports was a big part of my life growing up. At my house, we watched on TV whatever sport was 'in season,' especially on Saturday's. If there was a sports event on radio, we listened to it. I was very blessed to grow up with many now- legendary voices and characters. Today, I want to pay tribute to Jim Nantz.

You could say Jim Nantz and I have grown up together. He is my age. Nantz joined CBS in 1985 and has been an announcer for college football, NFL football and, since 1989, the Masters golf tournament. He began calling the NCAA Final Four men's basketball finals in 1991, working the first 17 years with Billy Packer. He has been the NFL announcer on CBS's top play-by-play since 2004. He has done NBA games, the US Open, Winter Olympics and even the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Nantz, Curt Gowdy, Kevin Harlan and Dick Enberg are the only play-by-play announcers to ever call both a Super Bowl and an NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Game. Nantz is also one of two men to host a Super Bowl, announce an NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game and host coverage of The Masters, with Brent Musburger being the other.

Nantz has twice won an Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality, Play-by-Play. He has been honored with the NSSA's National Sportscaster of the Year award five times. In 2011, he was named as a recipient of the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He also is one of the youngest recipients of the Basketball Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy award for broadcasting.

Nantz, Grant Hill and Bill Raftery will call the 2015 Final Four with Jim Nantz, CBS and Turner Sports announced on Tuesday. Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson will return from last season's broadcast team. Hill and Raftery replace last year's duo of Steve Kerr and Greg Anthony. The 2015 Final Four will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday, April 4, and Monday, April 6.