For the better part of the last half-century, sports fans have had the pleasure of watching or listening to some of the greatest athletic events with the soundtrack of Verne Lundquist on the call. Sunday’s telecast of The Masters on CBS marked his final broadcast assignment – a well-earned retirement for an industry legend.
Whether it was SEC football, March Madness or golf majors such as The Masters or the U.S. Open, “Uncle Verne” made the big moments feel that much bigger. He was the voice of a generation, spanning multiple generations.
Lundquist called numerous sports during his 50 years as a national broadcaster, primarily for CBS, but he was best known in the Howell household for being the voice of the SEC. Those weekly 2:30 p.m. telecasts, which will no longer feature the Southeastern Conference in favor of the Big Ten in 2024, were appointment viewing no matter who was on tap. Rivalries such as Florida vs. Tennessee, The Iron Bowl and Alabama vs. LSU were already appointment television, but games featuring Vanderbilt, South Carolina or Kentucky also yielded excitement due to the prestige of it all.
Admittedly, Gary Danielson hasn’t been my favorite TV analyst in college football. I don’t loathe him or anything, but there have been plenty of times where my dad and I would watch a game and wonder aloud, “What on Earth is he talking about?” We used to unfairly lump Lundquist into that criticism, which we later realized was completely unfair.
Brad Nessler is a fantastic commentator. He was one of my favorites in the sport during his time at ESPN and even at CBS backing up Lundquist. But when he took over calling SEC games after Lundquist stepped down in 2016, it just wasn’t the same. The quality dipped. That’s not a slight against Nessler – it just shows how great Lundquist was in the spot.
Uncle Verne was there for some of golf’s greatest moments – Jack Nicklaus’ record 18th major championship at the 1986 Masters, Tiger Woods’ chip-in on Hole 16 in the 2005 Masters and Happy Gilmore’s miraculous match-winning putt on Hole 18 in the Tour Championship after a crazed fan knocked over a television tower with his car.
Below are just a few of the remarkable calls he’s made over the years. He’s sure made an impression on this sports fan, and he retires as one of the all-time greats.
“There's the pass to Laettner...puts it up...YES!”
“By George, the dream is alive!”
“Oh, my goodness!...Oh, Wow! In your life, have you seen anything like that?”
“Blocked again! Cody again! Alabama wins!”
"...Let's it go... Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh no! Ricardo Louis! Talk about a Hail Mary!"
“I am compelled to say… Oh my goodness.”
After Scottie Scheffler hit a birdie on Hole 16 – Lundquist’s longtime perch at Augusta National – to allow him to cruise to a four-stroke Masters victory, Lundquist signed off for the final time.
“It’s my honor. My privilege,” he said.
No, Verne. The honor and privilege was all ours.
