Ernie Johnson left March Madness fans in tears at the start of the opening show on CBS on Thursday with a sincere tribute to the late Greg Gumbel.
The legendary broadcast Gumbel, synonymous with the NCAA tournament, died of cancer at the age of 78 in December.
Johnson herself fought against the tears while talking about his former colleague.
A gloomy Johnson said to viewers: 'A year ago we waited for a friend to return. We knew he missed March Madness for personal reasons.
Johnson's voice broke when he said: “Just after Christmas we learned that cancer had taken his life. We were crushed. A void has been left that will never be filled.
“We wear his pin on our coats and we wear his memory in our hearts.”
The CBS March Madness broadcast started with a sincere tribute to Greg Gumbel
An emotional Ernie Johnson was praised by fans for his sincere words about Gumbel
Charles Barkley added: 'It is surreal. We had sent back and forth and he was “goodbye next year”. From nowhere you get a text he had passed.
“Of course he wanted to keep his illness private. Man, it's just sad. I'm going to miss those nerdy dad jokes. '
It led to an enormous outpouring of emotion from fans on social media, both praised Johnson's delivery while they mourn to mourn the loss of Gumbel and to think about his absence.
“Oh man Ernie Johnson is full of Greg Gumbel … Geez. A man who really left his mark, without a doubt, “wrote a fan on X.
Another said: “My heart is so completely looking and listening to CBS brings such a beautiful tribute to Greg Gumbel, and nobody is better to run on that than Ernie Johnson.”
The death of Gumbel was announced on December 27, in which his family announced: 'He died peacefully surrounded by a lot of love after a brave fight against cancer.
“Greg approached his illness as someone would expect that he would be with stoicism, grace and positivity.
“He leaves a legacy of love inspiration and dedication to more than 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; And his iconic voice will never be forgotten. '
Oh man Ernie Johnson suffocates Greg Gumbel … Geez. A man who really left his mark, no doubt about it
– Pierre Noujaim (@Thenoujfox9) March 20, 2025
Beautiful tribute to Greg Gumbel of the boys. Pure class. March will not be the same without Greg, but we will continue.
– JC Hoops (@JacksonCollier) March 20, 2025
Man, I didn't expect to cry to look at the start of the Madness of March. A beautiful tribute to Greg Gumbel by Ernie Johnson.
– DJ (@Indycardj32) March 20, 2025
Gumbel spent most of his broadcasting career at CBS and mainly worked on the NFL and College Basketball.
He became the first black play-by-play broadcaster for a super bowl in 2001, when he was in the stand for the victory of the Baltimore Ravens on the New York Giants.
Gumbel had two stints at CBS, so that the network was abandoned for NBC when football lost in 1994 and returned when it regained the contract in 1998.
He organized the CBS 'reports of the Winter Winter Games of 1992 and 1994 and called Major League Baseball competitions during the four-year Run that broadcast the national pastime.
But it was football and basketball where he was best known and had his biggest impact. Gumbel organized CBS 'NFL Studio Show,' The NFL Today 'from 1990 to 1993 and again in 2004.
He also mentioned NFL games as the lead of the Network-Play-by-Play broadcaster from 1998 to 2003, including Super Bowl XXXV and XXXVIII. He returned to the NFL position in 2005 and left that role after the 2022 season.
