Brent Musburger, an iconic play-by-play announcer, will call his final game on January 31.
The sports broadcaster, who started his career with CBS before moving to ESPN, announced Wednesday he’s retiring at the age of 77.
“What a wonderful journey I have traveled with CBS and the Disney company,” Musburger said in a statement. “A love of sports allows me to live a life of endless pleasure. And make no mistake, I will miss the arenas and stadiums dearly. Most of all, I will miss the folks I have met along the trail.”
According to ESPN, one of the most recognizable voices in televised sports will end his career calling this coming Tuesday’s college basketball game between the Kentucky Wildcats and Georgia Bulldogs, which the Wildcats will host at Rupp Arena at 9 p.m. ET.
Initially a sportswriter, Musburger began talking sports on TV for CBS’s football pregame show “NFL Today,” and called plays for the network’s broadcasts of the NBA, college basketball, golf and tennis. He was dropped by CBS in 1990, and went to work for Disney’s ESPN.
In 2011, Musburger was honored with the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Outstanding Contributor to Amateur Football Award, and received the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting this past November.
“Brent made every event feel larger,” Stephanie Druley, ESPN senior vice president for events and studio production, told the Associated Press. “To me, there is probably not a greater storyteller as a play-by-play person. He can spin a yarn like nobody else, and it made games definitely more enjoyable to watch.”
“Brent’s presence and delivery have come to symbolize big time sports for multiple generations of fans,” ESPN president John Skipper said in a statement. “When he opens with his signature ‘You are looking live,’ you sit up straight in your chair because you know something important is about to happen.”