Longtime sports broadcaster Brent Musburger will be honored at the Sports Emmy Awards in May, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences said Thursday.
Musburger will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the May 9 ceremony, set to take place at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P Rose Hall in New York.
Musburger, who got his start in local TV in 1968, served as CBS Sports’ primary host and play-by-play commentator from 1975-90. There, he was host or called play-by-play on NFL games, the NCAA Final Four, tennis’ U.S. Open, the NBA, the Masters, the Belmont Stakes and the College World Series and also hosted the pregame show The NFL Today.
In 1990, Musburger moved to ABC. During his career at ABC and ESPN, he has hosted or called play-by-play for college football (including seven BCS Championship Games) and basketball, golf, the NBA, NASCAR and IRL races and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He also hosted Super Bowl XXV’s pregame and halftime shows as well as the 1991 Pan Am Games from Cuba.
In November, Musburger received the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting, presented by Fordham University’s WFUV radio station. He also was named to the 2011 National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame.
He ended his play-by-play career after 50 years in January.
“What a wonderful journey I have traveled with CBS and the Disney company,” Musburger said at the time. “A love of sports allows me to live a life of endless pleasure. And make no mistake, I will miss the arenas and stadiums dearly. Most of all, I will miss the folks I have met along the trail.”
In making the announcement, NATAS president Bob Mauro hailed Musburger as a “guiding force” in sports broadcasting.
“As a sports fanatic, I have followed Brent Musburger from when we were both starting at CBS and throughout his illustrious career at ESPN,” said Mauro. “From his iconic call of Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary pass to his work on The NFL Today to his coverage of the Rose Bowl and many other championship games, he has been a guiding force and a constant staple in the sports broadcast field for nearly 50 years. It is with great pleasure that we honor him at the 38th Annual Sports Emmy Awards with our Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Added ESPN president John Skipper: “Brent”s presence and delivery have come to symbolize big-time sports for multiple generations of fans. When he opens with his signature ‘You are looking live,’ you sit up straight in your chair because you know something important is about to happen. Brent’s catalog of big events is unmatched, and he has skillfully guided us through some of the most dramatic and memorable moments in sports with his authentic and distinctive style. He is one of the best storytellers to ever grace a sports booth.”
