Verne Lundquist To Leave ‘SEC On CBS’ After 2016 Season; ESPN’s Brad Nessler To Replace Him

Legendary broadcaster Verne Lundquist will reportedly step down from his role as play-by-play announcer for SEC football on CBS Sports following the end of the 2016 season.

Verne Lundquist To Leave ‘SEC On CBS’ After 2016 Season

“[He’s] one of the iconic voices in our industry and has been for decades,” CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus told the Orlando Sentinel about Lundquist’s decision. “I really do believe he’s inherited the mantle left by Keith Jackson as the preeminent college football broadcaster in the country.

Lundquist, 75, has worked as the voice of the network’s SEC football coverage alongside analyst analyst Gary Danielson since 2000, and boasts a 53-year career in broadcasting.

Longtime ESPN announcer Brad Nessler, who has become one of the lead play-by-play voices for college football and college basketball coverage since joining ESPN in 1992, will replace Lundquist and join Danielson in the booth, as well as reporter Allie LaForce, starting in 2017. Nessler also served as play-by-play announcer for the NFL’s Thursday Night Football package on NFL Network from 2011-13.

“Verne has set the standard for college football broadcasting,” McManus added. “Together with Gary Danielson, he has played a key role in making the SEC on CBS the highest-rated college football package in America. After an incredible 17 years, he will be handing the reigns off to Brad, who in his own right is highly acclaimed and respected as one of the premier play-by-play broadcasters in the business. I am very pleased that Verne will still have a prominent role in our college basketball and major championship golf coverage. We are fortunate to have one more football season to appreciate Verne’s one-of-a-kind storytelling as we pave the way for a seamless and smooth transition to Brad.”

Lundquist will continue to call college basketball, including the NCAA Tournament as well as the network’s coverage of major golf tournaments like the Masters and the PGA Championship.

“Being a part of the ‘SEC on CBS’ since 2000 has been the most significant assignment I’ve been given in my more than five decades in this business,” Lundquist said in a statement.  “Now, it’s time to step back and take in the aroma of those tulips, those roses, and those daffodils that friends have been telling me about for years. In 2017, I’ll happily step aside from college football and welcome Brad to the booth.”

In total, Lundquist has broadcast over 20 sports including track and field, swimming and diving, boxing, volleyball, gymnastics, soccer, weightlifting, freestyle skiing, archery, and horse racing, and was a regular member of the Network’s golf team (1983-95). Earlier this month, he was honored with the Sports Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 2007, he was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame.

PHOTO: WASHINGTON – JANUARY 30: President of the United States Barack Obama talks to CBS annoucers Clark Kellogg and Verne Lundquist (right) during a college basketball game between Georgetown Hoyas and the Duke Blue Devils on January 30, 2010 at the Verizon Center in Washington DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)