Merton Laverne Lundquist Jr. (born July 17, 1940) is an American
sportscaster.
Biography
Early life and career
Lundquist was born in
Duluth, Minnesota
, settlement_type = City
, nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior, Wisconsin, Superior), Zenith City
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top: Downtown Dul ...
. He graduated from
Austin High School in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
, before attending
Texas Lutheran University (formerly Texas Lutheran College), where he was one of the founders of the Omega Tau Fraternity in 1958 before graduating in 1962. He is now a member of the Board of Regents for his alma mater.
Lundquist attended Augustana Seminary in
Rock Island, Illinois in 1962. His father was a
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...
pastor and President of the Nebraska Synod of the Augustana Lutheran Church.
Lundquist played basketball and baseball and was a disc jockey at WOC, Davenport, Iowa. His 'Golden Voice' was the highlight of the seminary class on preaching.
He began his broadcasting career as sports anchor for
WFAA
WFAA (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Dallas, Texas, United States, serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex as an affiliate of ABC. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Decatur-licensed Estrella TV affiliate KMPX (channel 29), w ...
in Dallas and in Austin for
KTBC, as well as being the radio voice of the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...
. Lundquist joined the Cowboys Radio Network in 1967 and remained with the team until the 1984 season. He was paired with future (and now current) play-by-play man
Brad Sham
Brad Michael Sham (born August 16, 1949) is an American sportscaster who is known as the "Voice of the Dallas Cowboys". Sham is currently the play-by-play announcer on the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network.
Biography
Sham has been with the Cowboys sin ...
starting with the 1977 season, the year the Cowboys went 12–2 and captured their second NFL title in
Super Bowl XII. He was sportscaster at WFAA during their 6pm news, while his eventual successor
Dale Hansen did the 10pm news.
Before becoming a nationwide sports commentator, from 1970 to 1974, Lundquist was commentator for the sports show, ''
Bowling for Dollars'', in
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
. It aired weekday evenings on the
ABC station, WFAA-TV, from 6:30 to 7:00, in north central Texas. During these four seasons, Lundquist started interviewing Cowboys players and their first head coach,
Tom Landry
Thomas Wade Landry (September 11, 1924 – February 12, 2000) was an American professional football player and coach. He was the first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL), a position he held for 29 seasons. Dur ...
, at their sidelines, during halftimes, practices, pre-season and pre-game warm-ups, in Dallas.
Network assignments
Nationally, Lundquist worked for
ABC Sports from 1974 to 1981, CBS from 1982 to 1995, and
TNT cable from 1995 to 1997 before returning to CBS in 1998. Lundquist's patented belly laugh and his contagious enthusiasm for the events he covers have made him one of the more prominent and recognizable on-air talents in network TV.
He is among the key voices of
NFL Films, and in past years had called regional
NFL games for
CBS,
NBA games for
CBS and
TNT, and
TNT's ''
Sunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football may refer to:
* ''NBC Sunday Night Football'', the Sunday night broadcast of American NFL games by NBC since 2006
* ''ESPN Sunday Night Football'', the Sunday night broadcast of American NFL games from 1987 to 2005 by ESPN
* ...
'' telecasts. He called television play-by-play on
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...
preseason games from 2006 to 2008.
During the
1992,
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...
, and
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in th ...
, whose rights were held by CBS and TNT, Lundquist and
Scott Hamilton served as the announcers for
figure skating
Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...
events. Their performances were parodied by ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...
'' cast members
Phil Hartman and
Darrell Hammond (as Lundquist) with
Dana Carvey,
David Spade, and
Will Ferrell (both as Hamilton): in 1992 with
Jason Priestley and 1994 with
Nancy Kerrigan
Nancy Ann Kerrigan (born October 13, 1969) is an American figure skater and actress. She won bronze medals at the 1991 World Championships and the 1992 Winter Olympics, silver medals at the 1992 World Championships and the 1994 Winter Olympi ...
and
Chris Farley. They did a spoof of the Olympics figure skating events, as both Hartman and Myers went "Oh!" when Priestly or Farley (in a pre-recorded performance) did an on-ice pratfall. Lundquist, after seeing the original footage in 1992, commented that Hartman "nailed it dead on."
Lundquist filled in for
Ernie Johnson Jr.
Ernest Thorwald Johnson Jr. (born August 7, 1956) is an American sportscaster for Turner Sports. Johnson is currently the television voice and a studio host for Major League Baseball on TBS, hosts ''Inside the NBA'' for TNT, and NBA TV and co ...
as host of
TNT's coverage of the PGA Championship twice, in
2006 as Johnson was battling cancer, and in
2011 when Johnson left after the second round following the death of
his father on that Friday night.
After his return to CBS, Lundquist served as the long-time lead play-by-play announcer for CBS Sports' coverage of college football on the ''
SEC on CBS'' from 2000–2016.
Lundquist retired from broadcasting college football games after calling the
Army–Navy Game on December 10, 2016. He planned to contribute to other CBS Sports programs, including its college basketball and golf coverage, for the foreseeable future.
In March 2018, Lundquist announced he would not work the
2018 NCAA men's basketball tournament, as he was still recovering from back surgery he had in November 2017 and would retire from calling college basketball.
Despite his retirement from calling college football and basketball, Lundquist remains active as an announcer, continuing to call
The Masters and the
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...
for
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W ...
since 2018.
Currently, Lundquist resides in
Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Appearances in other media
Lundquist played himself commentating on golf tournaments in the 1996
motion picture ''
Happy Gilmore
''Happy Gilmore'' is a 1996 American sports comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and produced by Robert Simonds. It stars Adam Sandler as the title character, an unsuccessful ice hockey player who discovers a newfound talent for golf. The scr ...
''.
Lundquist was a play-by-play announcer in the ''
NBA Live 98
''NBA Live 98'' is a basketball video game based on the National Basketball Association and the fourth installment of the '' NBA Live'' series. Its cover art features Tim Hardaway of the Miami Heat. The game was developed by EA Sports and relea ...
'' video game and was also the play-by-play announcer in the ''
College Hoops 2K8'' video game.
Memorable calls
A famous pet phrase Lundquist used on occasion is ''"How do you DO!"''; on a huge offensive or defensive play, a phrase he took from
USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
** South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
football broadcaster
Pete Arbogast (who in turn took the phrase from venerable broadcaster
Vin Scully).
* January 21, 1979: While calling the Dallas Cowboys' radio broadcast of
Super Bowl XIII against the
Pittsburgh Steelers, Lundquist famously described Cowboys
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...
Jackie Smith dropping a third quarter
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...
pass, which would have put the Cowboys an extra point away from tying the game:
* April 13, 1986: While calling the final round of the
50th Masters Tournament in 1986,
Jack Nicklaus made a birdie putt on the 17th hole for the outright lead:
*
March 28, 1992: While calling play-by-play for the
1992 NCAA Men's Basketball East Region Finals between
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
and
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...
,
Christian Laettner hit a 17-foot turnaround jumper at the buzzer to win the game by a score of 104–103 in overtime:
* February 25, 1994: While calling figure skating at the Winter Olympics, Lundquist called one of the most watched sports events in history. The ladies free skate portion of the 1994 Olympics drew Super Bowl type television ratings because of the hyped
Tonya Harding
Tonya Maxene Price (née Harding; born November 12, 1970) is an American former figure skater, retired boxer and a reality television personality. Born in Portland, Oregon, Harding was raised primarily by her mother, who enrolled her in ice s ...
and
Nancy Kerrigan
Nancy Ann Kerrigan (born October 13, 1969) is an American figure skater and actress. She won bronze medals at the 1991 World Championships and the 1992 Winter Olympics, silver medals at the 1992 World Championships and the 1994 Winter Olympi ...
debacle. The drama unfolded that evening as
Tonya Harding
Tonya Maxene Price (née Harding; born November 12, 1970) is an American former figure skater, retired boxer and a reality television personality. Born in Portland, Oregon, Harding was raised primarily by her mother, who enrolled her in ice s ...
begin her free skate, then quit 45 seconds into her program, and went crying to the judges table of a broken skate lace. She was granted permission to fix her skate and start her free skate later in the evening. During the ordeal, he said:
* April 10, 2005: While calling the final round of the
2005 Masters Tournament
The 2005 Masters Tournament was the 69th Masters Tournament, played from April 7–10 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.
Tiger Woods, 29, won his fourth green jacket on the first hole of a playoff with Chris DiMarco. Rain was a f ...
on
CBS,
Tiger Woods sunk a dramatic chip-in birdie on the 16th hole:
* March 26, 2006: While calling play-by-play for the
2006 NCAA Men's Basketball Washington, D.C. Regional Finals, a stunning upset was crafted by #11-seed
George Mason over #1-seed
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...
in the Elite 8. :
* November 11, 2006: While calling a college football game on
CBS between the #6-ranked
Florida Gators and the unranked
South Carolina Gamecocks, Florida defensive end Jarvis Moss blocked a game-winning 48-yard field goal attempt by South Carolina kicker
Ryan Succop. The Gators would go on to win the national championship:
* October 24, 2009: While calling a college football
rivalry game on
CBS between the #1-ranked
Alabama Crimson Tide
The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...
and the unranked
Tennessee Volunteers, Alabama defensive tackle
Terrence Cody
Terrence Bernard Cody, Jr. (born June 28, 1988) is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football for the University of Alabama.. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft and pl ...
blocked a game-winning 44-yard field goal attempt by Tennessee kicker Daniel Lincoln to help Alabama win the national championship:
* November 10, 2012: While calling the college football game on
CBS between the #1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide and the #15-ranked
Texas A&M Aggies, A&M quarterback
Johnny Manziel
Johnathan Paul Manziel ( ; born December 6, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the FCF Zappers of Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) and was also a me ...
threw a touchdown pass to receiver
Ryan Swope
Ryan Swope (born September 20, 1990) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2013 NFL Draft.
College career
As a sophomore at Texas A&M in 2010, Swope and Jeff Fuller both broke Rod Bernstin ...
after nearly getting sacked and fumbling the football, all but cementing Manziel's
Heisman Trophy that year.
* November 16, 2013: While calling a college football
rivalry game on
CBS between #7-ranked
Auburn and #25-ranked
Georgia, Auburn quarterback
Nick Marshall
Nicholas Deshawn Marshall Sr. (born June 30, 1992) is an American football cornerback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Fo ...
threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to Ricardo Louis known as "
The Prayer at Jordan–Hare," a
Hail Mary pass that propelled Auburn past Georgia in the final seconds of the game. :
* November 30, 2013: While calling a college football game on
CBS between #1-ranked
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = " Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...
and #4-ranked
Auburn, a fierce in-state rivalry known as "
The Iron Bowl," Auburn cornerback
Chris Davis returned a missed 57-yard field goal attempt by Alabama placekicker Adam Griffith with 0:01 remaining 100 yards for a game-winning touchdown on the game's final play. Known as the
Kick Six, the play gave Auburn a 34–28 victory and a spot in the
2013 SEC Championship Game. :
* October 1, 2016: While calling a college football
rivalry game on
CBS between #11-ranked
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...
and #25-ranked
Georgia at
Sanford Stadium, Tennessee quarterback
Joshua Dobbs
Robert Joshua Dobbs (born January 26, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tennessee, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth rou ...
completed a
Hail Mary
The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary' ...
pass to wide receiver
Jauan Jennings
Bennie Jauan Jennings ( ; born July 10, 1997) is an American football wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tennessee, and was selected by the 49ers in the seventh round ...
with no time remaining in regulation play to give Tennessee a 34–31 victory, only 10 clock seconds after Georgia had scored a 47-yard touchdown to secure the lead and presumably the win:
* April 14, 2019: While calling the 16th hole at the
2019 Masters Tournament
The 2019 Masters Tournament was the 83rd edition of the Masters Tournament and the first of golf's four major championships in 2019, held between April 11 and 14 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.
Tiger Woods won his fifth G ...
, where
Tiger Woods hit a remarkable tee shot and made a birdie to increase his lead in the final round. Woods would go on to win the tournament (his first win at Augusta in 14 years) capping an amazing comeback to the top of the golfing world:
* May 23, 2021: While calling the 5th hole in the final round of the
2021 PGA Championship, where
Phil Mickelson electrified the crowd by holing a bunker shot for birdie on his way to becoming the oldest major champion in golf history:
Honors
At the
2005 Sun Bowl
The 2005 Sun Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 30, 2005, in El Paso, Texas. Sponsored by the Vitalis brand of hair tonic made by Bristol-Myers, the game was officially known as the Vitalis Sun Bowl. It was the 72nd Sun Bowl. ...
, Lundquist was inducted into the
Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played since 1935 in the southwestern United States at El Paso, Texas. Along with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl, it is the second-oldest bowl game in the country, behind the Rose ...
Hall of Fame along with former
UCLA Bruins football coach
Terry Donahue.
From 1977–1983, the
National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association named Lundquist as Texas Sportscaster of the Year for his accomplishments from his time in Dallas. The organization later inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2007.
In broadcasting circles, Lundquist is affectionately known as "The Golden Throat".
In May 2012, Lundquist delivered the commencement address at
Hampden–Sydney College, an honor he calls "one of the true achievements of my lifetime."
Lundquist is on the board of directors of the summer music festival,
Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
On October 22, 2016, Lundquist was a Celebrity Guest Picker on ''
College GameDay'' on
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
.
Broadcasting partners
Lundquist has had many broadcasting partners over his long career, including:
*
Clark Kellogg
*
Steve Davis
*
Lee Grosscup
{{Infobox NFL biography
, name = Lee Grosscup
, image = Lee Grosscup 1958.jpeg
, alt =
, caption = Grosscup, circa 1958
, birth_date = {{Birth date, 1936, 12, 27, mf=y
, birth_place = Santa Monica, California
, death_date = {{Death date an ...
*
Gary Danielson
*
Tracy Wolfson
*
Bill Raftery
*
Terry Bradshaw
*
John Madden
John Earl Madden (April 10, 1936 – December 28, 2021) was an American football coach and sports commentator in the National Football League (NFL). He served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978, who he led to eight pl ...
*
Billy Packer
*
Dan Fouts
*
Randy Cross
*
Jim Spanarkel
James Gerard Spanarkel (born June 28, 1957) is an American television analyst for College Basketball on CBS and a former professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Dallas Mavericks. He played college basketball for Duke Un ...
*
Dan Dierdorf
*
Pat Haden
*
Lesley Visser
Lesley Candace Visser (born September 11, 1953) is an American sportscaster, television and radio personality, and sportswriter. Visser is the first female NFL analyst on TV, and the only sportscaster in history who has worked on Final Four, ...
*
Brad Sham
Brad Michael Sham (born August 16, 1949) is an American sportscaster who is known as the "Voice of the Dallas Cowboys". Sham is currently the play-by-play announcer on the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network.
Biography
Sham has been with the Cowboys sin ...
*
Todd Blackledge
*
Jill Arrington
Tiffany "Jill" Arrington (born July 27, 1972) is an American sportscaster and reporter. She previously was a sports anchor at KCBS and KCAL in Los Angeles for three years. Before that, she was in the same position at Fox Sports 1 and Fox Spor ...
*
Allie LaForce
*
Greg Anthony
Gregory Carlton Anthony (born November 15, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst for NBA TV and Turner Sports. He played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Anthony also cont ...
*
Frank Broyles
*
Frank Glieber
*
Charlie Waters
*
Pat Summerall
George Allen "Pat" Summerall (May 10, 1930 – April 16, 2013) was an American football player and television sportscaster who worked for CBS, Fox, and ESPN. In addition to football, he announced major golf and tennis events. Summerall ann ...
*
Jim Nantz
*
Brent Musburger
Brent Woody Musburger (born May 26, 1939) is an American sportscaster, currently the lead broadcaster and managing editor at Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSiN).
With CBS Sports from 1973 until 1990, he was one of the original members ...
*
Gary McCord
Gary Dennis McCord (born May 23, 1948) is an American professional golfer, commentator and author.
Early life and career
McCord was born in San Gabriel, California, and raised in southern California, graduating from Ramona High School in Riversi ...
*
David Feherty
*
Scott Hamilton
*
Tommy Heinsohn
Thomas William Heinsohn (August 26, 1934 – November 9, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. He was associated with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for six decades as a player, coach and broadcast ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lundquist, Verne
1940 births
Living people
American Basketball Association announcers
American horse racing announcers
American Lutherans
American people of Swedish descent
American radio sports announcers
American television sports announcers
Austin High School (Austin, Texas) alumni
Association football commentators
Bowling broadcasters
Boxing commentators
College basketball announcers in the United States
College football announcers
Dallas Cowboys announcers
Gymnastics broadcasters
Figure skating commentators
Golf writers and broadcasters
National Basketball Association broadcasters
National Football League announcers
North American Soccer League (1968–1984) commentators
Olympic Games broadcasters
Track and field broadcasters
People from Austin, Texas
Seattle Seahawks announcers
Sportspeople from Duluth, Minnesota
Texas Lutheran University alumni
Volleyball commentators