For more than a quarter century, I was fortunate to visit and play golf with President George H.W. Bush dozens of times, usually while paying a visit to the Bush compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. Jim Nantz Read Quote
People say ‘dream big,’ that’s kind of one of those motivational sayings, but I would dream hard, meaning I just wanted it so badly, I could feel it. Jim Nantz Read Quote
No matter the event, a Super Bowl, an NFL game, a rank-and-file golf tournament, there is a demand when you are live and exposed to try to get it right and do justice to the event. That’s the way I have always approached it. Jim Nantz Read Quote
The late, great ABC golf anchor Jim McKay once advised me, ‘When you look into the camera, imagine you are talking to one person on the other end.’ The next time you hear ‘Hello, friends’ at the start of a broadcast, just know that I’m channeling my father at that very moment. I see him on the other side of that camera, smiling right back. Jim Nantz Read Quote
My father was very athletic. He was a life-of-the-party kind of guy – walked into the room and there was a presence about him. He was a great storyteller, just a terrific sense of humor. Having said that, he never put all of those talents or abilities into some public arena. He was never interviewed, never on television. His family was everything. Jim Nantz Read Quote
The Masters is the one tournament with a timeless quality, where legends are celebrated. Jim Nantz Read Quote
I can’t imagine anybody who showed up at Firestone for the first time who felt like they knew it better than I did. For me to travel to Akron the first time, ‘Oh, my gosh, I can’t wait, I know every hole on this golf course. I know the big water tower with the Firestone ball on top, I grew up with this. Here it is! It’s real!’ Jim Nantz Read Quote
If you want to say that I am vanilla, then I can give you a long list of broadcasting giants who fall into that same category because all of them always had the same goal that is my goal to this day: It is not about me. Jim Nantz Read Quote
The Super Bowl is the biggest event in America, the biggest event in television. The preparation and all of the behind-the-scenes detail is immense. The Final Four is just a fraction behind that in terms of the preparation. Jim Nantz Read Quote
Far and away, the question I’m asked most often is, ‘What’s your favorite sporting event to call?’ I can’t say I’ve ever answered the question well, simply because the three biggest events I broadcast for CBS Sports – the Super Bowl, the NCAA Men’s Final Four and the Masters – each are incomparable. Jim Nantz Read Quote