Tim Brant (born February 26, 1949) is a retired American
sportscaster. Brant most recently worked for
Raycom Sports
Raycom Sports is an American producer of sports television programs. It is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and owned and operated by Gray Television.
It was founded in 1979 by husband and wife, Rick and Dee Ray. In the 1980s, Raycom ...
and was formerly Vice President, Sports for
WJLA-TV
WJLA-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Washington, D.C., affiliated with ABC. It is one of two flagship stations of Sinclair Broadcast Group (alongside dual Fox/MyNetworkTV affiliate WBFF hannel 45in Baltimore), and is also sister to ...
in Washington, DC. He has spent more than forty years covering sports nationally, including for
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
and
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
.
Early life
A 1973 graduate of the
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
with a degree in journalism, Brant was a defensive captain and outstanding linebacker for the
Terrapins
Terrapins are one of several small species of turtle (order Testudines) living in fresh or brackish water. Terrapins do not form a taxonomic unit and may not be closely related. Many belong to the families Geoemydidae and Emydidae.
The name " ...
.
He played for the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
before a career-ending knee injury.
Broadcasting career
Raycom Sports
Between 2008 and 2016, Brant handled play-by-play duties for both
Raycom Sports
Raycom Sports is an American producer of sports television programs. It is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and owned and operated by Gray Television.
It was founded in 1979 by husband and wife, Rick and Dee Ray. In the 1980s, Raycom ...
ACC football and basketball telecasts.
ABC Sports
Brant has served many roles at ABC Sports, including host, sideline reporter, expert analyst and play-by-play. He first joined ABC Sports as a
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
commentator in 1982. Brant would leave ABC for CBS in 1987. In 1991, Brant returned to ABC in the booth as an analyst and play-by-play man for college football, a role he held until 2007.
Brant is often best known for his coverage of college football with
Keith Jackson
Keith Max Jackson (October 18, 1928 – January 12, 2018) was an American sports commentator, journalist, author, and radio personality, known for his career with ABC Sports (1966–2006). While he covered a variety of sports over his career ...
. While with ABC, Brant announced three National Championship games. And while working with Keith Jackson, he was listed as college football's top analyst by numerous publications, including ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
''.
In addition to his college football duties for ABC, Brant has also done play-by-play for ''
College Basketball on ABC
''ESPN College Basketball on ABC'' is the branding used for broadcasts of NCAA Division I college basketball games produced by ESPN, and televised on ABC. Originally ''College Basketball on ABC'', the ESPN branding has been used since 2006 when ...
'', ''
Wide World of Sports'', the
1984 Winter and
Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
, the
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
,
USFL
The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...
and the
Pro Bowlers Tour
The Professional Bowlers Tour, also known as Pro Bowlers Tour, is a broadcast of the Professional Bowlers Association that aired on ABC from 1962 to 1997. In the telecasts, sportscaster Chris Schenkel and the graphics displayed during the show w ...
. Brant also had a sideline stint on ABC's ''
Monday Night Football
''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, AB ...
''.
CBS Sports
Brant spent four years at CBS Sports (1987–90) and worked a variety of broadcasts, including the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
, the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
and the
NCAA basketball tournament. He served as host of ''
CBS Sports Saturday'', ''Winter-Fest'', the ''
NCAA basketball tournament Selection Show'' and the Emmy Award-winning Tour de France coverage. Tim also mentored and worked with childhood friend
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...
. Tim and James grew up together in the Washington, DC area.
In
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
and
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
, Brant was paired with analyst
Hank Stram
Henry Louis Stram (; January 3, 1923 – July 4, 2005) was an American football coach. He is best known for his 15-year tenure with the Dallas Texans / Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (N ...
on NFL broadcasts. In
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
, he served as the #4 NFL play-by-play man alongside
Dan Jiggetts
Danny Marcellus Jiggetts (born March 10, 1954) is a retired American football offensive lineman. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 1976 NFL Draft.
Early life
Jiggetts was born in Brooklyn, but grew up on Long Island when his paren ...
. One year later, Brant teamed with
Jim Nantz
James William Nantz III (born May 17, 1959) is an American sportscaster who has worked on telecasts of the National Football League (NFL), NCAA Division I men's basketball, the NBA and the PGA Tour for CBS Sports since the 1980s. He has anchor ...
on NFL broadcasts. In Nantz's
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
best-selling book, Jim says that he never forged a friendship as quickly with anyone as he did with Tim Brant.
Washington, D.C.
Locally, he has hosted sport pre-game specials such as ''Are You Ready'' for
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
games.
Brant hosted the ''Brant & Parks'' morning show on
WMAL radio in Washington, D.C. for over ten years. His first sportscasting job was at WMAL calling Maryland Terrapins football & basketball games.
He served as vice president, Sports at
WJLA-TV
WJLA-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Washington, D.C., affiliated with ABC. It is one of two flagship stations of Sinclair Broadcast Group (alongside dual Fox/MyNetworkTV affiliate WBFF hannel 45in Baltimore), and is also sister to ...
in Washington through May 2015. He previously served as the station's sports director from 1978 until 1982.
Personal life
Brant resides in
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase () is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place (Chevy Chase (CDP), Maryland) that straddle the northwest border of Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Several settlements in th ...
, with his wife Janet. Brant is active in local charitable programs. He has four grown children, Jason, Kevin, Lindsay and Julie. His son, Kevin Brant, was a high school All American football player and a safety at
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
from 1999 to 2003.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brant, Tim
1949 births
Living people
American television sports announcers
Arena football announcers
Bowling broadcasters
College basketball announcers in the United States
College football announcers
Major League Baseball broadcasters
Women's college basketball announcers in the United States
Maryland Terrapins football players
National Basketball Association broadcasters
National Football League announcers
Olympic Games broadcasters
People from Washington, D.C.
United States Football League announcers
Television anchors from Washington, D.C.
Cycling announcers
ArenaBowl broadcasters