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{{Short description|American sportscaster (born 1939)}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2013}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox person
|name        = Brent Musburger
|image       = Musburger.jpg
|image_size  = 
|caption     = Musburger at [[Cassell Coliseum]] in 2007
|birth_name  = Brent Woody Musburger
|birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1939|5|26}}
|birth_place = [[Portland, Oregon]], U.S.
|death_date  =
|death_place =
|death_cause =
| alma_mater = [[Northwestern University]]
| party      =
|occupation  = [[Sportscaster]]
| years_active  = 1968–present 
|spouse      = {{marriage|Arlene Clare Sander|1963}}
|children    = 2
|family      = [[Todd Musburger]] (brother)
}}

'''Brent Woody Musburger''' (born May 26, 1939) is an American [[sportscaster]], currently the lead broadcaster and managing editor at [[Vegas Stats & Information Network|Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSiN)]].

With [[CBS Sports]] from 1973 until 1990, he was the original host of their program ''[[The NFL Today]]'' and is credited with coining the phrase "[[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament#March Madness|March Madness]]" to describe the [[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament]] while covering the [[List of NCAA Men's Final Four broadcasters|Final Four]]. While at CBS, Musburger also covered the [[Super Bowl]], [[NBA Finals]], the [[World Series]], [[US Open (tennis)|U.S. Open tennis]], [[The Masters]] and [[college football]], including [[Hail Flutie]] and [[Catholics vs. Convicts]].

Joining [[ESPN]] and [[ABC Sports]] in 1990, Musburger continued to cover the NBA Finals, as well as hosting [[Monday Night Football]] and providing play-by-play for [[Saturday Night Football]] and the [[SEC Network]]. He covered the [[Indianapolis 500]] motor race, [[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]] and [[The Open Championship|British Open]] golf, the [[FIFA World Cup]] in soccer, the [[Belmont Stakes]] in horse racing, the [[Rose Bowl (game)|Rose Bowl]] and the [[BCS National Championship Game|College Football national championship]] among other big events. In January 2017, he left the [[ESPN]] and [[ESPN on ABC|ABC]] television networks after 27 years, briefly retiring from play-by-play of live sports before returning as the play-by-play voice of the [[Las Vegas Raiders]] from 2018 until 2022.

Raised in [[Billings, Montana]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-01-25 |title=Iconic sportscaster, Billings native Brent Musburger retiring |url=https://www.montanasports.com/more-sports/2017/01/25/iconic-sportscaster-billings-native-brent-musburger-retiring/ |access-date=2025-09-25 |website=MontanaSports.com (MTSPX) |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-08-12 |title=Bill Bighaus: Musburger has fond memories of Billings roots |url=https://billingsgazette.com/sports/more/article_bc673b75-ce9a-59e8-942f-dd544cab1090.html |access-date=2025-09-25 |website=Billings Gazette |language=en}}</ref> he is a member of the Montana Broadcaster's Association Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web|title=Brent Musburger (1939 – )|url=http://www.mtbroadcasters.org/hall-of-fame/brent-musburger/|publisher=Montana Broadcasters Association|access-date=August 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110909042440/http://www.mtbroadcasters.org/hall-of-fame/brent-musburger/|archive-date=September 9, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Early life and career==
Musburger was born in [[Portland, Oregon]], and raised in [[Billings, Montana]], the son of Beryl Ruth (Woody) and Cec Musburger.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/55/Brent-Musburger.html|title=Brent Musburger Biography (1939-)|website=www.filmreference.com}}</ref><ref name=sicabin>{{cite magazine|title=Not Just A Pretty Face|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1121647/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104170551/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1121647/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 4, 2012|magazine=Sports Illustrated|publisher=Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network|access-date=August 1, 2011|date=January 16, 1984}}</ref> His brother, [[Todd Musburger]], is a prominent sports agent.

His love of sports began as a boy, where he played [[Little League Baseball]] and was a boyhood friend of former [[Major League Baseball|Major League]] pitcher [[Dave McNally]]. He also sold programs at [[Billings Mustangs]] games in the late 1940s and early 50s.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bighaus |first1=Bill |title=Musburger has fond memories of Billings roots |url=https://billingsgazette.com/sports/more/bill-bighaus-musburger-has-fond-memories-of-billings-roots/article_bc673b75-ce9a-59e8-942f-dd544cab1090.html |access-date=25 February 2025 |publisher=The Billings Gazette |date=August 26, 2011}}</ref>

Musburger's youth included some brushes with trouble: when he was 12, he and his brother stole a car belonging to their mother's cleaning lady and took it for a joy ride. His parents sent him to the [[Shattuck-St. Mary's]] School in [[Faribault, Minnesota]].<ref name=sicabin/> Educated at [[Northwestern University]]'s [[Medill School of Journalism]], he was kicked out for a year for owning and operating a car without a license.<ref name=sicabin/>

Around this time, Musburger was a [[minor league baseball]] umpire in the Class-D [[Midwest League]] for the 1959 season. While previously reported that Musburger was the home plate umpire when future MLB All-Star and [[Ford C. Frick Award]] winner [[Tim McCarver]] made his professional baseball debut that summer for the [[Keokuk Cardinals]], the story is apocryphal. However, Musburger did umpire games of McCarver's later in that season.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Steve |title=Keokuk baseball has a long and illustrious history |url=http://chapters.sabr.org/fieldofdreams/images/pdf/KeokukCardinals.pdf |publisher=Society of American Baseball Research |access-date=25 February 2025}}</ref>

Musburger began his career as a [[sportswriter]] for the now-defunct ''[[Chicago American]]'' newspaper, where his editor was sportswriter [[Warren Brown (sportswriter)|Warren Brown]]. In 1968, Musburger penned a column regarding [[Tommie Smith]] and [[John Carlos]]'s protest of [[Racism in the United States|racial injustice in the United States]] with [[1968 Olympics Black Power salute|a Black Power salute]] on the medal stand during the [[1968 Summer Olympics]]. In it he stated "Smith and Carlos looked like a couple of black-skinned storm troopers" who were "ignoble," "juvenile," and "unimaginative". In a 1999 article in ''[[The New York Times]]'', Musburger stated that comparing the two to the [[Nazis]] was "harsh", but he stood by his criticism of the pair's action:

{{blockquote|text=Did [Smith and Carlos' action] improve anything? ... Smith and Carlos aside, I object to using the Olympic awards stand to make a political statement.<ref name=NYT1999>Richard Sandomir, [https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/06/sports/tv-sports-now-on-film-raised-fists-and-the-yogi-love-letters.html Now on Film: Raised Fists And the Yogi Love Letters], ''The New York Times'', August 6, 1999, accessed September 10, 2012.</ref>|sign=<!-- Musburger, as quoted by ''[[The New York Times]]'' in 1999 -->}}

According to Carlos, Musburger never apologized:
{{blockquote|text=We are talking about someone who compared us to Nazis. Think about that. Here we are standing up to apartheid and to a man in Avery Brundage who delivered the Olympics to Hitler's Germany. And here's Musburger calling us Nazis. That got around. It followed us. It hurt us. It hurt my wife, my kids. I've never been able to confront him about why he did this. Every time I've been at a function or an event with Brent Musburger and I walk towards him, he heads the other way.<ref name=NationJune2012>Dave Zirin, [http://www.thenation.com/blog/168209/after-forty-four-years-its-time-brent-musburger-apologized-john-carlos-and-tommie-smith After Forty-four Years, It's Time Brent Musburger Apologized to John Carlos and Tommie Smith], ''The Nation'', June 4, 2012, Accessed September 10, 2012.</ref>}}

Carlos later told [[Jemele Hill]] during a 2019 discussion that "Brent Musburger doesn't even exist in my mind. He didn't mean anything to me 51 years ago. He doesn't mean anything to me today. Because he's been proven to be wrong."<ref name=jemelehill>Tom Schad, [https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2019/05/30/john-carlos-discusses-brent-musburger-1968-column-criticizing-olympic-protest/1288617001/ Olympian John Carlos on 1968 Brent Musburger criticism: He 'doesn't even exist in my mind'], ''USA Today'', May 30, 2019, Accessed June 1, 2019.</ref>

In 1968, Musburger began a 22-year association with [[CBS]], first as a sports anchor for [[WBBM (AM)|WBBM radio]] and later for [[WBBM-TV]]. In the mid-1970s, Musburger moved to [[Los Angeles]] and anchored news and sports for KNXT (now [[KCBS-TV]]); there he worked alongside [[Connie Chung]] as a co-anchor on KNXT's evening newscasts from 1978 until 1980, when he joined [[CBS Sports]] full-time.

In 2020, Musburger told the ''Sports Illustrated Media Podcast'' that he has always won while betting the length of the Super Bowl national anthem by having his friends attend the rehearsal the day before the game and time it: "Some people have lip-synched it and that was an easy win because that recording is automatic."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tunein.com/podcasts/Sports--Recreation-Podcasts/Sports-Illustrated-Media-Podcast-p880945/?topicId=137550055 |title=Sports Illustrated Media Podcast |website=Sports Illustrated Media Podcast |publisher=Sports Illustrated |access-date=January 22, 2020}}</ref>

==CBS Sports (1973–1990)==
Beginning in late 1973, Musburger was doing play-by-play for [[CBS Sports]]. He started out doing regular season [[National Football League]] games (future ''The NFL Today'' co-host [[Irv Cross]] was also doing NFL games at that time as well). Musburger was paired with [[Tommy Mason]] or [[Bart Starr]], who provided the color commentary. A year later, [[Wayne Walker (linebacker)|Wayne Walker]] would be paired with Musburger in the booth.

By [[1975 NFL season|1975]] at [[CBS]], Musburger went from doing NFL play-by-play (and other items, mostly on CBS' ''Sports Saturday/Sunday'' programs) to rising to prominence as the host of the network's [[National Football League]] studio show, ''[[The NFL Today]]''. Suddenly, Musburger began to cover many assignments for CBS Sports. Among the other events he covered, either as studio host or [[play-by-play]] announcer, were [[SEC on CBS|college football]] and [[College Basketball on CBS|basketball]], the [[NBA on CBS|National Basketball Association]], [[horse racing]], the [[U.S. Open (tennis)]] tournament, and [[Masters Tournament|The Masters]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.golfdigest.com/story/remembering-brent-musburgers-infamous-stint-with-the-masters-and-golf-coverage|title=Remembering Brent Musburger's infamous stint with the Masters and golf coverage|last=Beall|first=Joel |date=January 25, 2017|website=Golf Digest}}</ref> golf tournament. He would even lend his talents to weekend afternoon fare such as [[The World's Strongest Man]] contests and the like. Musburger also called [[Major League Baseball]] games for [[Major League Baseball on CBS Radio|CBS Radio]].

===''The NFL Today''===
But it was Musburger's association with ''[[The NFL Today]]'' that made him famous. During his tenure, [[NFL on CBS|CBS' NFL]] pregame show was consistently the #1 [[Nielsen ratings|rated]] pregame show. One of the signatures of the program was Musburger's show-opening teases to the various games CBS would cover, along with live images from the various stadiums. Musburger's accompanying intro to each visual, ''"You are looking live at ..."'' became one of his catch phrases.  In promoting the network, his voice often tailed off on the last letter of "CBS" (''"C.B. eeezz"''), creating another catch phrase.
[[File:Brent Musberger crop.jpg|thumb]]

Musburger made headlines when he got into a fist-fight with ''The NFL Today{{'}}''s betting analyst [[Jimmy Snyder (sports commentator)|Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder]] in a Manhattan bar on October 27, [[1980 NFL season|1980]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Jimmy 'The Greek' Snyder Dies Vegas Oddsmaker Became Fixture On Cbs Sports, But Was Fired In 1988 For Controversial Remarks |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/apr/22/jimmy-the-greek-snyder-dies-vegas-oddsmaker/ |website=spokesman.com |date=April 22, 1996 |publisher=The Spokesman-Review |access-date=December 18, 2019}}</ref> However, the fist-fight incident was quickly regarded as water under the bridge as the two cheerfully appeared on ''The NFL Today'' the following week wearing boxing gloves on camera.<ref>{{cite news |title=NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1984/01/16/540973/not-just-a-pretty-face |newspaper=Sports Illustrated Vault &#124; Si.com |publisher=2019 TI Gotham Inc., a subsidiary of Meredith Corporation. Sports Illustrated Group |access-date=December 18, 2019}}</ref>

===CBS departure===
By the late 1980s, Musburger was CBS's top sportscaster. He was the main host and play-by-play announcer for the [[NBA Finals]], [[college basketball]], [[college football]], the [[Belmont Stakes]], and the [[College World Series on CBS|College World Series]]. He also hosted a [[Happy New Year, America|New Year's Eve countdown for CBS]]. Musburger is regarded as the first broadcaster to apply the term ''[[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship|March Madness]]'' to the annual [[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship]] tournament.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/news/ncaa-tournament-2016-march-madness-brent-musberger-selection-sunday/1id6ghi2pd5sk1ahfrj5bw204h|title=Brent Musburger explains history of 'March Madness' name|date=March 15, 2016|newspaper=Sporting News|access-date=January 26, 2017}}</ref>

Early in 1990, [[CBS]] underwent a significant management change. During the early morning hours of April 1, 1990, Musburger was fired from CBS. His final assignment for CBS came the following evening, doing play-by-play for the [[1990 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament#Final Four|1990 NCAA men's basketball final]], which was [[Duke Blue Devils basketball|Duke]] versus [[UNLV Runnin' Rebels|UNLV]]. When the game was completed, Musburger thanked the audience and CBS Sports, and the analysts that he had worked with through the years like [[Billy Packer]], who was standing next to him.<ref>{{YouTube|title=Brent Musburger's Final CBS Appearance 1990|id=YN821-bEBFo}}</ref>

At the time of his firing (which he originally thought was an [[April Fools]] joke), Musburger had been set to handle play-by-play duties for [[Major League Baseball on CBS|CBS's television coverage of Major League Baseball]] later that month; he was replaced by [[Jack Buck]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Rusnak|first=Jeff|date=April 6, 1990|title=Buck In Brent At Cbs|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1990-04-06/sports/9001010646_1_ted-shaker-two-cbs-executives-brent-musburger|newspaper=Sun Sentinel|access-date=January 26, 2017|archive-date=February 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202025751/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1990-04-06/sports/9001010646_1_ted-shaker-two-cbs-executives-brent-musburger|url-status=dead}}</ref> in that capacity. His position at ''The NFL Today'' was filled by [[Greg Gumbel]]. His position as the lead play-by-play announcer for college basketball was filled by [[Jim Nantz]].

==ABC Sports and ESPN (1990–2017)==
Following his dismissal from CBS, Musburger considered several offers, including one to return to Chicago and work at [[WGN-TV]], ultimately settling at [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. With [[Al Michaels]] entrenched as ABC's top broadcaster, Musburger focused on [[ESPN College Football on ABC|college football]] and [[ESPN College Basketball on ABC|basketball]]. After his hiring, ABC's merger with [[ESPN]] under the [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] umbrella allowed him<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1990/06/01/brent-bounces-back/|title=Brent bounces back|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=June 1, 1990}}</ref> to work on ESPN as well (increasingly since 2006), including [[ESPN Major League Baseball|Major League Baseball]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sportingnews.com/au/mlb/news/brent-musburger-baseball-announcer-retiring-video-mariners-yankees-1995-alds/14arlwzwhwtlg1mhrb8osn2bos|title=Remember when Brent Musburger called baseball games?|last=Foster|first=Jason|date=January 25, 2017|website=Sporting News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/news/brent-musburgers-greatest-baseball-call-was-one-for-the-ages-021440813.html|title=Brent Musburger's greatest baseball call was one for the ages|last=Townsend|first=Mark|date=January 25, 2017|website=Big League Stew}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Sandomir|first=Richard|date=October 10, 1995|title=PLAYOFFS 95: TV SPORTS;The Wrong Man in the Baseball Booth|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/10/sports/playoffs-95-tv-sports-the-wrong-man-in-the-baseball-booth.html|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseballessential.com/news/2015/10/07/revisiting-the-1995-division-series/|title=Revisiting the 1995 Division Series|last=Rabinowitz|first=Gershon|date=October 7, 2015|website=Baseball Essential}}</ref> [[NBA on ESPN|NBA games]], [[ESPN Radio]], golf tournaments, [[horse racing]], the [[Indianapolis 500]], [[Little League World Series]], soccer games, [[college football]], and even some NFL games (including hosting halftime duties for ''[[Monday Night Football]]'' and Wild Card round games). Musburger was also the main studio host during ABC's coverage of the [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998 World Cup]] and the [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006 World Cup]], was briefly the studio host for [[NASCAR on ESPN|ESPN and ABC's NASCAR coverage]] and has hosted [[Tour de France]] [[Cycling on ABC|coverage]] for ABC.

===Major League Baseball===
In [[1995 Major League Baseball season|1995]], Musburger called Games 3-5 of the [[1995 American League Division Series|American League Division Series]] between the [[1995 Seattle Mariners season|Seattle Mariners]] and [[1995 New York Yankees season|New York Yankees]] alongside [[Jim Kaat]] for [[Major League Baseball on ABC|ABC]] in association with [[The Baseball Network]]. The fifth and decisive game went into the bottom of the 11th inning before [[Edgar Martínez]] won it for Seattle with a [[The Double (Seattle Mariners)|double]] that scored both [[Joey Cora]] and [[Ken Griffey Jr.]], sending them to the [[1995 American League Championship Series|League Championship Series]] for the first time in their franchise's history.

{{cquote|No balls and a strike to [[Edgar Martínez|Martínez]]. Line drive, we are tied! [[Ken Griffey Jr.|Griffey]] is coming around! In the corner is [[Bernie Williams|Bernie]]. He's going to try to score! Here's the division championship! Mariners win it! Mariners win it!}}

Musberger's call, dramatic as it was, incorrectly implied that Bernie Williams fielded the double in left. Bernie was playing center field at the time. [[Gerald Williams (baseball)|Gerald Williams]] was in left field playing the ball and making the late throw back to the infield.

Musburger and Jim Kaat later called Games 1-2 of the 1995 American League Championship Series, while the rest of the games were called by [[Bob Costas]] and [[Bob Uecker]] on [[Major League Baseball on NBC|NBC]].

===College football===
[[Image:College Gameday Bus 2006 Austin Texas crop.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Brent Musburger departs the ''[[College GameDay (football)|College GameDay]]'' bus in [[Austin, Texas]], in 2006]] 
Musburger's college football duties for ESPN and ABC included calling seven BCS National Championship games ([[2000 Sugar Bowl|2000]], [[2004 Sugar Bowl|2004]], [[2010 BCS National Championship Game|2010]], [[2011 BCS National Championship Game|2011]], [[2012 BCS National Championship Game|2012]], [[2013 BCS National Championship Game|2013]], and [[2014 BCS National Championship Game|2014]]).

Beginning in 2006, Musburger called ABC Sports' college football [[Saturday Night Football|prime time series]], along with analysts [[Bob Davie (American football)|Bob Davie]] and [[Kirk Herbstreit]]. Musburger called the [[2007 Rose Bowl]], taking over for the retired [[Keith Jackson]]. He also called games on [[College Football on ESPN|ESPN]] during his time at ABC.

During the [[2013 BCS National Championship Game]] between Alabama and Notre Dame, a camera turned to [[Katherine Webb]], who was in the stands cheering for her boyfriend, Alabama quarterback, [[A. J. McCarron]]. Musburger remarked, "I'm telling you, you quarterbacks get all the good-looking women. What a beautiful woman. Wow!" and continued commenting in a similar fashion.<ref>{{YouTube|rPdjX4Kya7o}}</ref> The next day, ESPN apologized for his comments, saying they "went too far".<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2013/01/08/espn-bcs-championship-brent-musburger/1818455/ | work=USA Today | first1=Michael | last1=Hiestand | title=ESPN apologizes for remarks about McCarron's girlfriend | date=January 8, 2013}}</ref> The controversy died down quickly afterwards, largely due to Webb stating that she was not bothered at all by Musburger's comments. As the Raiders' new radio broadcaster in 2018, Musburger jokingly revisited the incident with a Twitter post welcoming the now-married McCarrons to Oakland after the Raiders acquired AJ from the [[Buffalo Bills]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/raiders/2018/09/03/brent-musburger-aj-mccarron-katherine-webb-raiders/1184323002/ | work=USA Today | first1=Scott | last1=Gleeson | title=Brent Musburger, now Raiders play-by-play voice, welcomes AJ McCarron's 'beautiful' wife | date=September 3, 2018}}</ref>

Musburger's involvement with ''Saturday Night Football'' concluded when he and [[Jesse Palmer]] were named ESPN's lead game commentators for college football coverage on the [[SEC Network]] in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/10594632/brent-musburger-jesse-palmer-lead-announcing-team-sec-network,|title=Musburger, Palmer lead SEC team|date=March 12, 2014 }}</ref>  Musburger nevertheless called some games on ESPN and ABC after that time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2016/10/espnabc-college-football-week-8-slate-no-2-ohio-state-abcs-saturday-night-football-two-top-25-sec-matchups-prime-time/|title=ESPN/ABC College Football Week 8 Slate: No. 2 Ohio State on ABC's Saturday Night Football and Two Top 25 SEC Matchups in Prime Time - ESPN MediaZone|website=espnmediazone.com|date=October 17, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcall.com/sports/groller-blog/mc-ncaa-football-bowl-tv-schedule-with-announcers-musburger-back-at-the-rose-bowl-20151231-story.html|title=NCAA Football Bowl TV Schedule with announcers: Brent Musburger back at the Rose Bowl|first=Keith|last=Groller|work=themorningcall.com }}</ref>

== VSIN, Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders (2018–2021) ==
At the [[2017 Sugar Bowl]], held in early January, Musburger made controversial comments about then-[[University of Oklahoma]] [[running back]] [[Joe Mixon]]. Mixon had previously punched and broken a woman's jaw.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Mather|first=Victor|date=January 3, 2017|title=Brent Musburger's Praise of Joe Mixon, Who Punched Woman in '14, Stirs Outrage|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/03/sports/ncaafootball/brent-musburger-joe-mixon-sugar-bowl.html|access-date=November 23, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|agency=Associated Press|date=January 25, 2017|title=Brent Musburger to Retire From ESPN Next Week|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/sports/ncaabasketball/brent-musburger-to-retire-from-broadcasting-next-week.html|access-date=November 23, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Later in the same month, Musburger announced that he would retire from play-by-play broadcasting<ref>{{cite web |url=http://awfulannouncing.com/2017/the-brent-musburger-timeline.html|title=THE BRENT MUSBURGER TIMELINE|last=Fang|first=Ken|date=January 25, 2017|website=Awful Announcing}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://awfulannouncing.com/2017/brent-musburgers-agent-brother-brent-not-forced-out-at-abcespn-mysterious-new-venture-to-be-fully-disclosed-on-monday.html|title=FORCED OUT AT ABC/ESPN, MYSTERIOUS NEW VENTURE TO BE FULLY DISCLOSED ON MONDAY|last=Weber|first=Jim|date=January 25, 2017|website=Awful Announcing}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://awfulannouncing.com/2017/brent-musburger-is-retiring-next-week.html|title=BRENT MUSBURGER IS RETIRING NEXT WEEK|last=Lucia|first=Joe|date=January 25, 2017|website=Awful Announcing}}</ref> and would call his final game at [[Rupp Arena]] in [[Lexington, Kentucky]], on January 31, 2017.<ref name="WAPO0125172">Cindy Boren, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/01/25/sportscasting-icon-brent-musburger-will-retire-after-jan-31-game/ ESPN official says the network learned that Musburger was thinking of retiring 10 days], ''The Washington Post'', January 25, 2017.</ref>

Musburger stated he planned to help his family get a [[Handicapping|sports handicapping]] business started in Las Vegas, have a sports gambling show on [[Sirius XM]] Radio, and enjoy personal travel.<ref name="WAPO0125172"/><ref name="NYT2">[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/sports/ncaabasketball/brent-musburger-to-retire-from-broadcasting-next-week.html Brent Musburger to Retire From ESPN Next Week], ''Associated Press'', January 25, 2017.</ref> The new venture, [[Vegas Stats & Information Network]] (VSiN) is the first multichannel network dedicated to [[sports gambling]] information and is broadcast from a custom-built studio at the [[South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.si.com/tech-media/2017/01/30/brent-musburger-espn-sports-gambling-las-vegas-vsin|title=Brent Musburger talks ESPN career, new Las Vegas venture|last=Deitsch|first=Richard|newspaper=SI.com|access-date=January 30, 2017}}</ref> Musburger serves as managing editor of the network, and hosts its program ''My Guys in the Desert'' (a reference to his sly mentions of events of interest to bookmakers during his play-by-play).<ref name="musburger-fs1">{{Cite news|url=http://www.sportingnews.com/other-sports/news/fox-sports-betting-gambling-fs1-charissa-thompson-brent-musburger-clay-travis-todd-fuhrman/f5me5ojvipp51cabalm10i1gb|title=SN exclusive: Fox planning sports betting show featuring Charissa Thompson, Brent Musburger, Clay Travis|date=July 19, 2018|work=Sporting News|access-date=July 20, 2018}}</ref> Musburger and his sons sold VSiN to [[DraftKings]] in March 2021 while remaining executives and on-air personalities with the network;<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bumbaca|first=Chris|title=Expanding into content space, DraftKings acquires sports betting broadcast company VSiN|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/gaming/2021/03/30/draftkings-buys-sports-betting-company-started-brent-musberger-vsin/7059084002/|access-date=March 31, 2021|website=USA Today|language=en-US}}</ref> DraftKings sold VSiN back to the Musburgers in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-22 |title=Musburger buys VSiN back from DraftKings |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/betting/musburger-buys-vsin-back-from-draftkings-3099881/ |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=Las Vegas Review-Journal |language=en-US}}</ref>

On July 17, 2018, it was reported that Musburger would be making his return to the broadcast booth, this time as the new [[List of Las Vegas Raiders broadcasters|radio voice]] for the [[Las Vegas Raiders|Oakland Raiders]] under a three-year contract (which included its [[Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas|inaugural season in Las Vegas in 2020]]), succeeding [[Greg Papa]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://awfulannouncing.com/local-networks/brent-musburger-reportedly-making-return-to-the-announcing-booth.html|title=Brent Musburger reportedly making return to the announcing booth|last=Koo|first=Ben|date=July 17, 2018 |website=Awful Announcing}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2018/07/18/you-are-looking-live-at-brent-musburgers-return-to-the-booth-with-the-raiders/|title=You are looking live … at Brent Musburger's return to the booth with the Raiders|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en|access-date=July 20, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/raiders-nfl/raiders/brent-musburger-agrees-to-3-year-deal-to-be-raiders-radio-voice/|title=Brent Musburger agrees to 3-year deal to be Raiders' radio voice|date=July 17, 2018|work=Las Vegas Review-Journal|access-date=July 20, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> Musburger continued as announcer through the [[2021 Las Vegas Raiders season|2021 season]].<ref name="Preseason Raiders 2021">{{cite news |last1=Kudo |first1=Hikaru |title=How to Watch Preseason Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Rams |url=https://www.si.com/nfl/raiders/news/las-vegas-raiders-los-angeles-rams-preseason-how-to-watch-tv-radio |newspaper=Sports Illustrated |access-date=September 4, 2021}}</ref>

Musburger made a special appearance at the [[2025 NFL season|2025]] [[Pro Football Hall of Fame Game]] as part of the [[NBC Sunday Night Football|NBC]] broadcast team, to commemorate Musburger's receiving the [[Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award]] from the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] that year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-31 |title=Brent Musburger will join NBC's Hall of Fame Game broadcast |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/brent-musburger-will-join-nbcs-hall-of-fame-game-broadcast |access-date=2025-08-01 |website=NBC Sports |language=en-US}}</ref> On September 21, 2025, Musburger made a guest appearance on ''The NFL Today'' as part of a special edition commemorating the program's 50th anniversary.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Deitsch |first=Richard |date=2025-09-20 |title=‘You are looking live’: On Sunday, CBS throwing back to origins of ‘The NFL Today’ |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6631333/2025/09/19/cbs-nfl-today-brent-musberger-anniversary/ |access-date=2025-09-21 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Neumann |first=Sam |date=2025-09-21 |title=CBS’s ‘NFL Today’ 50th anniversary throwback was a retro touchdown |url=https://awfulannouncing.com/cbs/nfl-today-50th-anniversary-throwback.html |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=Awful Announcing |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=McKessy |first=Jack |title=CBS Sports' Week 3 broadcast celebrates 50 years of NFL coverage |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2025/09/21/cbs-sports-week-3-broadcast-nfl/86279263007/ |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Style==
Musburger has a down-to-earth manner of speaking, often addressing his viewers as "folks".  In a ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' profile done on Musburger in January 1984, he stressed his hesitance to "pontificate" during his broadcasts. In 2004, [[CNN Sports Illustrated]]'s [[Stewart Mandel]] selected him as the second-best college football announcer, behind [[Ron Franklin]]. Mandel said of Musburger, "His voice will always be associated with some of the sport's most memorable, modern moments."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mandel|first1=Stuart|title=College Football Masters of the Mic |url=https://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writers/stewart_mandel/07/21/announcers/index.html |website=sportsillustrated.cnn.com|access-date=February 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040821155914/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writers/stewart_mandel/07/21/announcers/index.html|archive-date=August 21, 2004|date=July 21, 2004}}</ref>

Musburger has a reputation for pointing out attractive women in the crowds of the games he calls; among those who later rose to fame include [[Busty Heart|Susan “Busty Heart” Sykes]],<ref name=bostonbio>{{cite web|url=http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2012/12/03/busty-heart-boston-super-fan/|title=The Ballad of Busty Heart, Boston's Super Fan - Boston Magazine|date=December 3, 2012 }}</ref> [[CJ Perry]],<ref name="LostLettermen">{{cite web|url=http://www.lostlettermen.com/article/florida-state-cowgirls-where-are-they-now|title=Florida St.'s Cowgirls: Where Are They Now?|work=[[Lost Lettermen]]|date=September 11, 2013|access-date=December 30, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231115025/http://www.lostlettermen.com/article/florida-state-cowgirls-where-are-they-now|archive-date=December 31, 2013}}</ref> [[Jenn Sterger]],<ref name="Hoppes">{{cite news | first = Lynn | last = Hoppes | title = Catching up with: Jenn Sterger | date = November 17, 2009 | url = https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=hoppes/091117 | work = [[ESPN.com]] | access-date = October 12, 2010}}</ref> and [[Katherine Webb|Katherine Webb McCarron]].<ref name="Pilon">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/sports/ncaafootball/brent-musburger-criticized-for-remarks-about-miss-alabama.html|title=Musburger Criticized for Remarks About Star's Girlfriend During Title Game|last=Pilon|first=Mary|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 8, 2013|access-date=January 9, 2013}}</ref>

==Other media==
Musburger was a reporter in ''[[Rocky II]]'' and had his role immortalized in a 2006 action figure.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espnfrontrow.com/2011/06/musburger-animates-cars-2/|title=Musburger animates Cars 2 - ESPN Front Row|date=June 24, 2011}}</ref> He also played the right leg of the fictional monster Scuzzlebutt on an [[City on the Edge of Forever (South Park)|episode]] of ''[[South Park]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://southpark.cc.com/video-clips/1euah4/south-park-scuzzlebutt|title=Scuzzlebutt|date=June 18, 1998 }}</ref> He also made cameo appearances in ''[[The Main Event (1979 film)|The Main Event]]'' and ''[[The Waterboy]]''. In ''[[Cars 2]]'' and ''[[Planes (film)|Planes]],'' he played Brent Mustangburger, a fictionalized version of himself. He appeared as himself in the episode "[[Happy Endings (season 2)#ep6|Lying Around]]" on the ABC sitcom ''[[Happy Endings (TV series)|Happy Endings]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Brent Musburger makes cameo on ABC's 'Happy Endings' |url=http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_college/2011/11/brent-musburger-make-cameo-on-abcs-happy-endings.html |work=[[Orlando Sentinel]] |date=November 3, 2011 |first=Matt |last=Murschel |access-date=December 14, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127162507/http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_college/2011/11/brent-musburger-make-cameo-on-abcs-happy-endings.html |archive-date=November 27, 2012 }}</ref>

Musburger is portrayed by John Dellaporta and has a voice cameo as himself in the HBO series ''[[Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10244600/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm|title=Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty - Full Cast & Crew - IMDB|website=[[IMDb]] |date=April 18, 2022}}</ref> He was also parodied by [[Kevin Nealon]] on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theringer.com/sports/2021/2/18/22288881/jim-nantz-cbs-contract-brent-musburger-tony-romo|title=Jim Nantz Knows What Life After CBS Looks Like|date=February 18, 2021}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
* Sandomir, Richard, [https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/06/sports/tv-sports-now-on-film-raised-fists-and-the-yogi-love-letters.html "TV Sports: Now on Film: Raised Fists and the Yogi Love Letters"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', August 6, 1999

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100706141132/http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2009/11/musburger_brent/ ESPN profile]
* {{IMDb name|0615554}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Musburger, Brent}}
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