Jim Nantz called his first NFL game with CBS on Oct. 16, 1988. On Sunday, when the Buffalo Bills host the Denver Broncos in the AFC wild-card round, Nantz will call his 500th came with CBS, an incredible milestone that is a testament to Nantz’s continued excellence and tireless dedication to his craft.
The Colts‘ 35-31 win over the Buccaneers in Week 7 of the 1988 season was the start of a legendary run for Nantz, who is believed to be the first person at CBS to reach 500 games as a play-by-play announcer. The network’s lead play-by-play announcer for the last 21 years, Nantz has called 431 regular season games, 69 playoff games and seven Super Bowls. He will work his 21st AFC Championship Game later this month.
“Little did I know back then that I would someday reach a half-thousand games and have all these opportunities to call Super Bowls and playoff games,” Nantz said on CBS Sports HQ. “It’s been a thrill.”
Nantz called games for CBS from 1988-93 before serving as the host of “The NFL Today” when CBS regained its NFL rights in 1998. Nantz, who hosted the network’s coverage of Super Bowls XXXV and XXXVIII, served in that role through 2003 before resuming his play-by-play duties the following season.
His first Super Bowl as a play-by-play announcer was the Colts’ victory over the Bears in Super Bowl XLI. Two weeks before that game, the Peyton Manning-led Colts defeated the Tom Brady-led Patriots in a game that Nantz included among his favorites during his time in the broadcast booth.
Nantz also included the three games he has called that ended on walk-off Hail Mary throws — including Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels‘ game-winning Hail Mary against the Bears earlier this season — among his career highlights. Nantz also referenced his most recent Super Bowl broadcast, which was the Chiefs‘ overtime win over the 49ers in last year’s Super Bowl.
That game, along with being the most-watched telecast in history, was historic in that it was just the second Super Bowl to be decided in overtime. It was also a culmination of the first successful defense of a Super Bowl title since the Patriots won back-to-back Super Bowls in 2004, Nantz’s first year back in the broadcast booth. That year, Nantz was on the call when then-rookie Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers ended the Patriots’ NFL record 21-game winning streak in Week 7.
“But every game has is its own highlight in its own story,” Nantz said, “and I feel blessed to have been at so many of them.”
Nantz has shared the broadcast booth with eight different color analysts. That list includes several former NFL quarterbacks, such as Pat Haden, Ken Stabler, Dan Fouts, Phil Simms (his partner for 13 years) and Tony Romo, whom Nantz currently shares the booth with. Nantz also shared the broadcast booth with Hall of Fame coach Hank Stram, three-time Super Bowl champion offensive lineman Randy Cross and broadcast veteran Tim Brandt.
This season is Nantz’s 11th working with Tracy Wolfson, CBS Sports’ lead sideline reporter. Nantz and Wolfson have worked five Super Bowls together, starting with the Ravens‘ victory over the 49ers in the first Super Bowl that featured dueling brothers as head coaches (John and Jim Harbaugh).
It’s fitting that Nantz’s 500th game will take place between the Broncos and Bills, two teams trying to make history this postseason. The Broncos are attempting to get their first playoff win since defeating the Panthers in Super Bowl 50, which Nantz called for CBS. That was the final game of a legendary career for Manning, and Nantz conducted Manning’s final on-field interview as a player following Denver’s 24-10 triumph.
The Bills are in pursuit of their first Super Bowl title after coming up just short in recent years. One of Buffalo’s most heartbreaking losses over that span — an instant classic against the Chiefs in the 2021 divisional round — was also called by Nantz, who is surely hoping to be on the call for a similarly entertaining game this weekend in Buffalo.
