Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame Inducts 10 Industry Icons in Emotional Ceremony The Class of 2024: Hubie Brown, Charlie Carlucci, Jim Delaney, Phil Garvin, Steve Gorsuch, Bryant Gumbel, Andrea Kremer; Mark Lazarus, Chris Mortensen, and Tommy Roy By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. Wednesday, December 18, 2024 - 10:28 am
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The 17th class of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame was honored on Tuesday night in an unforgettable, emotional ceremony at the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel. Ten industry legends from in front of and behind the camera were inducted during the ceremony, which was hosted by Mary Carillo, a Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer herself. All table sales from the event were once again donated to the Sports Broadcasting Fund, which supports industry members in times of need.
This year's inductees comprised longtime NBA analyst Hubie Brown; graphics-production guru Charlie Carlucci; former Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney; late Mobile TV Group founder Phil Garvin; the late Steve Gorsuch, who helped take U.S. Open and golf coverage into the HDTV era; Bryant Gumbel, one of the most respected hosts and broadcasters ever; fearless and legendary reporter Andrea Kremer; Mark Lazarus, former chairman of the NBCUniversal Media Group; the late Chris Mortensen, who transformed the nature of NFL reporting; and NBC Sports producer and golf-production visionary Tommy Roy.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FULL CEREMONY
Bryant Gumbel, Journalism Icon Who Got Real' About Sports The night kicked off with a Hall of Famer known as much for his works in sports as his work beyond the playing field. Over a television career that spanned more than half a century, Bryant Gumbel became one of television's most visible and accomplished broadcasters. After beginning his television career in 1972 at KNBC Los Angeles, he moved on to NBC Sports (1975-1982), where he hosted four Super Bowls, seven World Series, and five NCAA Basketball Championships. In 1982, Gumbel was named host of NBC's flagship Today program and went on to host that show for 15 years, longer than anyone in the program's history.
However, Gumbel is most known within sports for his work on HBO's Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel from 1995 until it ended in 2023. The monthly magazine-style program raised the bar for sports journalism and won more than 30 Sports Emmy Awards. Carillo, a friend and longtime Real Sports colleague of Gumbel accepted on his behalf at the ceremony.
Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Mary Carillo, a friend and longtime Real Sports colleague of inductee Bryant Gumbel accepted on his behalf at the ceremony.
Jim Delany, Daring Leader and Architect of Modern College Athletics Jim Delany's storied career as commissioner of the Big Ten Conference spanned 31 transformative years. He retired in January 2020, having become one of the most influential figures in the history of collegiate athletics. From groundbreaking media ventures to expanding the conference's footprint, his legacy is defined by bold initiatives, strategic foresight, and a steadfast commitment to the values of collegiate sports. During his 41-year tenure, Delany led negotiations on behalf of the Big Ten, NCAA, and CFP with all major television networks, resulting in rights fees totaling more than $30 billion.
Delany's crowning achievement in sports broadcasting is obvious: the 2007 launch - and continued success - of the Big Ten Network (BTN), the first successful dedicated television network for a collegiate conference. More than a financial success, BTN redefined how conferences could control their brand and showcase their institutions.
Former Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany
Steve Gorsuch, Tech Master and Mentor to Many For more than 40 years, Steve Gorsuch transformed coverage of golf events for CBS Sports as well as US Open tennis, where he would spend 15 years taking that event to the next level from a production and operations standpoint. His career ranged from being a great camera operator (capturing Secretariat winning the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths and Dwight Clark's famous The Catch ), to being a technical director, to managing the operations side for some of the biggest events in the country. His ability to handle both technical directing and management for an event blazed a trail for future sports-production professionals.
Gorsuch, who died in March at the age of 74, redefined both tennis and golf operations, oversaw the transition from SD to HD, dabbled in 3D, and was known for having a great understanding not only of how technology works but of people as well.
The HOF statue for the late Steve Gorsuch was accepted by his children Ryan, Becca, and Scott
Hubie Brown, the X's and O's Master of Professional Basketball Longevity in the sports-broadcasting industry can be hard to achieve, but a select few have withstood the test of time. One of those iron horses is NBA on ESPN analyst Hubie Brown, a beloved member of the basketball fraternity who has experienced nearly everything you can in the game: a state champion at the high school level and four-year standout at Niagara University as a player, a coach for more than four decades, and an analyst honored by induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
One of the greatest NBA analysts of all time, he has been involved with the NBA as either a coach or broadcaster for 50 years and will call it a career following the 2024-25 NBA season. He called the NBA Final for ABC in 2005 and 2006 and then for ESPN radio from 2007 to '19. Including television and radio across networks, Brown has called a record 18 NBA Finals.
ESPN President of Content Burke Magnus accepted on behalf of ESPN's Hubie Brown
Charlie Carlucci: Graphics Guru, Mentor, and Comedian Charlie Carlucci spent
