Jim Nantz is preparing to call his final NCAA men’s Final Four this weekend.
The legendary broadcaster has called a staggering 37 NCAA Tournaments. And his last has proven to be a March Madness to remember, with a myriad of Cinderella stories and upsets.
“We’re so used to this being a gathering of the heavyweights,” Nantz told CBS News. “They’re not here. What we do have here is a collection of underdogs, teams of dreamers.”
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According to CBS Sports, this marks the first-ever Final Four without a top-three seed.
“Cinderella would show up, maybe in the first round, maybe they would steal a second game. But to make it all the way to the promised land as we call it, the Final Four, it’s unprecedented,” Nantz said.
Nantz gave CBS News a window into how he prepares for each game with his signature research board.
“I have notes, pages after pages after pages,” Nantz said. “Ultimately, I just scratch out a few things on a board that resides in front of me when I call a game.”
Nantz said that although he is calling his last Final Four, he is not retiring from broadcasting.
“I’m not retiring in any capacity,” Nantz said. “It’s just I want to be home a little more often. My kids need daddy at home, and daddy needs to be with them more, too. So something had to give. It was a difficult decision, but I don’t regret it.”
Nantz will be calling the Final Four this weekend in the city where it all began for him, Houston. Nantz graduated from the University of Houston and started his broadcasting career there.
I’m very grateful that the city gave me that chance,” Nantz said.
“I have just a huge heart-filled measure of thanks for being able to have this seat for that long, to be able to tell so many stories and document so many great events,” Nantz said. “And no regrets. I’m just looking forward to one last celebration of college basketball. Not me.”
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