Longtime CBS Sports college football analyst Gary Danielson wasn’t able to get his entire farewell into a tight window after the Sun Bowl last week, getting cut off when the network moved to the next program.
Fortunately for Danielson, he talked through most of his planned sign-off following a montage honoring his prolific career as a player and broadcaster. But he was disappointed not to get to finish his thoughts as he heads into retirement.
“Our end was not exactly the way we planned it, and a lot of people put a lot of work into it,” Danielson said Monday on The Dan Patrick Show. “Just like any person, I was very focused on what I wanted to say at the end, and we got squished a little bit in time. It was really nobody’s fault. Probably me, I was the last one that had the mic and I could’ve gotten it.”
In an appearance with Patrick, Danielson took responsibility for the miscue before getting his chance to deliver the full message as intended.
The former quarterback said he was hoping to to thank each of his “football families” at Purdue, the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns as well as at ESPN and CBS.
And Danielson also wanted to tie together the lineage of the lead game analyst’s chair at CBS Sports.
“I also wanted to tell Charles Davis, who’s taking my spot, that this crew turned head over heels for making my last year great and my last day great,” Danielson told Patrick. “And that Todd Blackledge sat in the seat before me, I’ve been lucky enough for 20 years, and these people will all do the same work for you. Good luck Charles, it’s a great seat to have.”
As the longtime commentator for top SEC games and a six-time Emmy winner, Danielson truly is one of the most accomplished and memorable game analysts in the history of the sport. CBS gave him a wonderful send-off, and now his career has a proper bow tied atop it as he got to send this one last message.
Joking that he panicked and lost focus in the final moments of the Sun Bowl broadcast, Danielson compared the flub to getting pressured in the pocket.
“You know what they do to a quarterback. If you rush them, they throw interceptions. And I threw an interception.”
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.