One of college football's iconic voices will be stepping away from the broadcast booth.
Verne Lundquist, the longtime play-by-play man for college football broadcasts on CBS Sports, most notably the SEC on CBS, will be stepping down as the network's voice for college football at the conclusion of the 2016 season. A press release confirmed the news on Tuesday that Lundquist, who turns 76 in July, will finish out what will be his 17th season calling the SEC on CBS after starting in the year 2000.
The news that tags along with this announcement revolves around Lundquist's replacement. The man who will step in for the broadcasting legend in Lundquist is a familiar voice to the sport and a very good one in his own right. Brad Nessler, who has spent 24 years with ESPN, is set to be the play-by-play man to take over for Uncle Verne after he departs the booth in 2016. Nessler is a familiar face at CBS Sports as he worked there prior to joining ESPN back in 1992. Nessler called college football and basketball games as well as NFL games and did play-by-play for the Winter Olympics, too.
Per the press release from CBS Sports, Lundquist's colleagues are scheduled to remain there. Gary Danielson is set to continue doing color commentary alongside Nessler, while sideline reporter Allie LaForce is set to continue her duties as well.
Lundquist isn't giving it up completely though as he will still continue to do college basketball and golf, but in any event this marks the end of a wild road littered with signature calls over the years.
This is a sad but expected announcement as many thought that Lundquist was, essentially, on borrowed time with him not getting any younger. While some have critiqued Lundquist for diminishes in quality, when he's on, few are better and you can get the vibe that he always has fun doing what he's doing. His voice is iconic with college football and the SEC, and he will most certainly be missed on Saturday afternoons.
With that in mind, CBS couldn't have picked many better options out there than Brad Nessler. Nessler is an excellent play-by-play commentator no matter the sport and that should no doubt continue on when he joins Gary and Allie in 2017. With Nessler turning 60 in just a few days (June 3), it should be expected that CBS will likely have a premier voice for their main SEC broadcasts for at least a decade if not longer.
If you have yet to, be sure to check out SB Nation's Spencer Hall's interview with Verne that took place back in December 2014.
We'll miss ya, Verne. My gosh.