NEW YORK (AP) – Brent Musburger is calling it a career at ESPN after being the play-by-play man in the booth at sporting events enjoyed by millions of Americans, most prominently when he was the lead voice for CBS Sports in the 1980s.
Musburger, who is 77, said he’s leaving active sportscasting to help his family get a sports handicapping business started and to use some of the millions of airline miles he’s earned for some fun travel.
His last game will be the Kentucky-Georgia men’s basketball game on Jan. 31. That takes him back to Rupp Arena, where he called Villanova’s historic NCAA championship upset over Georgetown in 1985.
Both Musburger and ESPN say comments about Oklahoma football player Joe Mixon that were criticized as insensitive during the Sugar Bowl earlier this month had nothing to do with his exit. Musburger said he hoped Mixon, who had been suspended for a year after punching a woman and breaking her jaw, would make the most of his second chance and did not initially talk about his victim.
A former sportswriter, Musburger’s broadcast fame took off through his work on “NFL Today,” the pro football pregame show. He broadcast the NBA, college basketball, the Masters and tennis – most of CBS’ marquee events.