Bob Costas has officially passed the Olympic torch to Mike Tirico.

Mike Tirico Replacing Bob Costas for 2018 winter olympics

Tirico, the former ESPN anchor who joined NBC last July, will be leading the primetime coverage for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, NBC announced early Thursday.

Costas has served as NBC’s prime-time Olympic host since 1992. “It has been both a privilege and an incredible personal and professional experience to have been part of NBC’s Olympic coverage all these years,” said Costas, who has the longest tenure of NBC’s sports announcers — an incredible 37 years. “I’m especially appreciative of all the talented and dedicated people I worked for and with on those broadcasts. I always felt that, in a certain sense, I was carrying the ball for them. It’s been a wonderful run, but I just felt now was the right time to step away and I’m grateful that NBC left that decision to me.”

Tirico made his Olympic debut in Rio last summer, by hosting an NBC daytime show and also serving as host of the Closing Ceremony. Tirico first rose to fame more than 25 years ago as a SportsCenter anchor, then began calling and covering a wide variety of sports. At NBC, he’s covered The Open, The Ryder Cup, and the Breeder’s Cup World Championships, among others. He has also handled play-by-play duties for Sunday Night Football, Thursday Night Football, and Notre Dame football.

“Bob Costas and the Olympics has been one of greatest pairings in sports broadcasting history, and there isn’t anyone better suited to inherit his mantle than Mike Tirico,” said Jim Bell, president of NBC Olympics Production and Programming. “Mike’s natural gifts as a broadcaster and passion for storytelling are just two reasons he is the perfect choice to host the biggest, most distinguished sports event in the world.”

The two anchors also have a special connection through their alma mater. Thirty years ago, Tirico was the first recipient of the annual scholarship in Costas’ name at Syracuse University.

Tirico said on TODAY Thursday that he “grew up idolizing” Costas, who hosted 11 Olympics between the Summer and Winter games during his 25-year tenure.

Costas has won 27 Emmy Awards, more than any other sportscaster in history.

He recalled one particularly unforgettable moment in his tenure: “I always go with Muhammad Ali lighting the torch in 1996 in Atlanta because it stands alone,” Costas told Matt Lauer on TODAY. “When he stepped out of the shadows and Janet Evans handed him that torch and you saw him trembling that way, somehow even in that condition, he was just as charismatic and magnetic as he’d ever been.”

Costas will continue to serve in several roles with NBC Sports and NBC News.

DALLAS – FEBRUARY 05: ESPN’s Mike Tirico moderates the Bing World Champion Quarterback Panel at the ESPN NEXT Experience on February 5, 2011 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Bing)

Bob Costas apologized for his “harsh” comments about Cubs relief pitcher Pedro Strop.

During Fridays Cubs versus Cards matchup, Strop took over for Jake Arrieta, who pitched a seven inning gem. And the reliever, who came in during the eighth, proceeded to blow the lead, giving up the game-tying home run and a walk before being taken out.

And when Strop was removed by Cubs manager Joe Madden, the reliever pointed to the sky. This resulted in Costas stating, “We can only ask, or wonder, that he is asking some departed relative for forgiveness for this atrocious performance.”

 Bob Costas Apologizes

The comment was instantly criticized on the Internet for being insensitive. Since then, Costas has backtracked, apologizing directly to Pedro Strop for the “harsh” nature of his words.

“The tone of it was not what I intended. I intended it as a kind of sarcastic comment about this overall thing where everybody seems to be pointing toward the heavens for every accomplishment, large and small, or even for no accomplishment at all,” Costas told the New York Daily News over the weekend. “I inadvertently appeared harsh toward Strop. That wasn’t my intention. And so I owe him an apology. And I will apologize to him [on Sunday].”

And it appears Strop has forgiven the announcer and was not as outraged as the Internet. “He just apologized to me. And there are more people upset because of what he said, but we’ve all made mistakes,” Strop told the Chicago Tribune. “I’m not going to judge him just because he made a mistake.”

With his apology, Costas also commented on the Internet and its “faux outrage:” “Everything is shocking, over the top. ‘He savaged Pedro Strop’ — I mean, come on, come on. Let’s get a handle on this.”