jim nantz

This is one of my favorite pieces, from Ashworth Collections 2002 Catalog. He's a great guy, I got to spend a weekend in NYC and get a behind the scenes look at the NFL Today, meet Mike Ditka, Deion Sanders, Randy Cross and Jerry Glanville...

Jim Nantz once said, "Never, ever, underestimate the importance of a dream." A little time spent with Nantz makes it clear that this is the guiding principle for his life. Blessed with innate skill and insight, Nantz has dominated his field in broadcasting, accomplishing precisely what he aspired to from an early age.

As a young boy, "Jimmy" would spend hours "listening to any game on the AM dial." However, he kept his radio hidden (under the covers at night) from his parents, who worried about his apparent obsession with sports. Craving sports information, Jimmy even devised a clever plan to gain access to the daily sports page in the local paper. Colts Neck, New Jersey was a very rural area, and there was no paper route-therefore, no sports page in the Nantz home. Always industrious, young Jim signed up his neighbors for the paper, contacted the Asbury Park Press, and started a paper route. Problem solved - he could now devour the Press' sports coverage on a daily basis.

To get his son interested in more than just sports, Jim's father encouraged him to invest some money and track the investment using the business section of the paper. Nantz placed his money with Chrysler, and he followed the company's progress through the financials. He has kept his commitment to his father and to the Chrysler stock, checking the financial pages every day, always reminded of his dad.

Jim's particular obsession with sports as a boy was not his love for the events, as much as a fascination for the voices behind the games: the announcers and broadcasters who told the stories of the games. He spent hours listening to tapes he made from broadcasts in the early 60's, studying style, technique, and nuances of his early idols: Pat Summerall, Chris Shemmel, Jack Whitaker and Jim McCay. McCay was a favorite, who would eventually be directly involved with Jim's life and career: "I always wanted to be Jim McCay...to do what Jim McCay did. He did golf, he did the Olympics!"

Golf was always an important pastime for the Nantz family, and Jim remembers walking the course with his parents when he was four. He started playing at a young age, and his mother would drop him off at the Bamm Hollow Country Club for the day, with some money for food. Jim worked at his game, spending time with older members of the club who taught him golf and important social skills he would use throughout life.

Jim continued to golf throughout high school. After graduation, his parents moved to Houston, Texas, and one day while golfing, he met Ron Webber, All American at University of Houston and former PGA Tour player. After seeing Nantz play, Webber felt strongly that he should play golf in college. He introduced Nantz to Dave Williams, coach of the U. of H. golf team, and after playing a round, Williams announced that there would be a spot on the team if Nantz decided to attend Houston. Although Jim had plans to attend University of Texas, this was all the encouragement he needed to change his agenda.

Williams' devotion to coaching and helping his athletes improve was invaluable to Jim and his teammates. He placed Jim in the dorm with two fellow freshman golf team members, Fred Couples and Blaine McAllister. The three bonded quickly, working on their game anytime, anywhere, even in the hallway of their dorm. However, slicing golf balls inside became expensive at $25 per broken window, so they eventually learned to put a mean spin on ping-pong balls for dorm practice. Nantz, Couples and McAllister still get together every year for their "Three Amigos Charity Golf Tournament."

By his junior year, Nantz was spending as much time in the broadcast booth as on the course, if not more. He started in campus radio at KUHF and quickly moved on to KTRH, the local CBS radio affiliate. By the end of the same year, he was working as the fill-in weekend sports anchor at the local CBS Television affiliate. This early experience proved invaluable to Nantz, and he soon perfected and mastered the conversational tone and ad lib qualities that are the hallmarks of one of broadcasting's most distinguished voices.

Nantz was often up by 3:45 AM in order to do his radio show and to get to his morning classes on time, also working as a stringer for CBS radio. Irwin "Winn" Elliot ran a show out of New York called "Sports Central USA," to which Jim submitted taped interviews and clips. These taped segments helped pay his way through college. A late night interview at a coffee shop with the infamous Muhammad Ali stands out as most memorable to Jim. Appreciative of Winn's support to his career, Jim taps Winn's studio door four times for luck every time he passes by it in the CBS studios.

Following graduation from Houston, Jim was enlisted by the CBS affiliate KSL in Salt Lake City to be their weekend sports anchor, covering BYU basketball, football and Utah Jazz games. He had set a goal of becoming a full time network sportscaster by the age of 30; however, Nantz met his goal four years early. The big network break came with a call for an audition in New York as one of four finalists to host the Prudential College Football Report. The audition consisted of hosting three unscripted, half time segments, which Nantz managed with characteristic comfort and confidence. After a follow-up interview, Jim became the youngest broadcaster hired full-time in CBS history.

Jim Nantz achieved his goal four years and one day after meeting his idol, Jim McKay. "He made me believe I could get there," remembers Nantz. "Little did I know as a young boy when I wrote him fan mail, that one day I would have the good fortune of getting to know him." In the early 90's, Jim had the honor of presenting McKay with the "Lifetime Achievement in Sports" Emmy. Ironically, years later McKay's son, Sean McManus presented Jim Nantz with the "National Sportscaster of the Year" award. At that time, McManus read a 3-page letter from McKay, remembering "the kid who used to write him" - a touching acknowledgement from the man little Jimmy emulated while hidden under the covers listening to AM radio.

Jim Nantz is currently the top voice in the CBS sports enclave. Those who don't know his name will recognize his face or perfect baritone voice. His reverence and thankfulness towards those who inspired and helped him achieve his dreams is one of his most endearing qualities. From McKay to Elliot, to Ron Webber, to Dave Williams, to golf peers Paul Marchand and Ken Venturi, to his father, Nantz remembers them all.

Nantz has surpassed his own expectations. He has called more Final Four and championship basketball games than any other announcer. He has covered the Masters since '89 with Venturi, as well as the PGA Championships. He hosted primetime coverage of the 1992, 1994, and 1998 Winter Olympics. He provided play-by-play coverage of U.S. Open tennis championships, NCAA track and field, skiing, speed skating, baseball, swimming, diving, gymnastics and college and NFL football. Jim hosted College Football Today, and is the current host of The NFL Today. After their Super bowl victory in January 2001, he awarded the Lombardi Trophy to the Baltimore Ravens. In addition, he hosted the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades in 1994, 1995, and 2000, and will do so again in 2001.

Of all Nantz's broadcasting accomplishments, he thinks of himself "first and foremost as a golf announcer," and refers to his coverage of the Masters as "the most important thing I do professionally." Nantz remembers Fred Couples' 1992 Masters victory as his most rewarding experience. It seems that while the two were in college, Nantz informed Couples that he was sure Fred would one day win the Masters. At Nantz's insistence, the two role-played the Master's victory interview so that they would both be prepared. It must have been overwhelming years later when Couples won the Masters and Nantz interviewed him.

Jim has expanded his role in the world of sports. He has written the forwards to three books: Fred Couples, Golf's Reluctant Superstar, Ken Venturi's Stroke Savers, and Stories from the Final Four. He played a prominent role in the golf film, "Tin Cup," with Kevin Costner, and at the family's request, he provided narration to "Son, Hero, Companion," a documentary on the life of Tiger Woods.

Nantz is a member of the Ashworth Board of Directors and a corporate spokesman for the Brand. Seen weekly by millions of television viewers, Jim's appearance is crucial to him, and he has insisted on wearing Ashworth at such events as The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Awards. He says that he treasures his relationship with Ashworth, " ...because it exudes class."

"The core Ashworth philosophy, the knowledge that every day is a brand new game, a new chance to be your best - that feels right to a growing audience," says Jim. "The message seems to have transcended golf - Ashworth is now a lifestyle decision."

Getting to know Jim Nantz away from the microphones, cameras, and lights, you realize he is a man of impeccable class and professionalism. He gives the best and demands the best from his performance to his appearance. He treats everyone he encounters with consideration and respect, like the mentors throughout his life. Jim Nantz lives his dream, and he is a true champion of ideals and aspiration.