Verne Lundquist has never, ever scripted a call.
The 86-year-old Lundquist may have read off a script for his critically acclaimed “Happy Gilmore 2” cameo, but when it came to his day job, he didn’t tempt fate. During an appearance on the Awful Announcing Podcast, Lundquist told host Brandon Contes that broadcasting is a “reactive craft” and you have to react to what’s going on in front of you.
“Now, I do know some guys who will force fit something in,” Lundquist said. “But, no, I never have. I’ve always trusted my instincts.”
Lundquist trusted his instincts when it came to calling Tiger Woods’ legendary chip-in at 16 during the 2005 Masters.
“Now, I’ll say this about Tiger’s call. I was 65 years old. And had I been 35, without a lot of experience, I might’ve totally called it differently,” Verne explained. “I might’ve been screaming at the top of my lungs. But I had, you know, a lot of experience by then. And so, silence is the most overlooked talent a broadcaster can bring. Just shut up. I don’t want to hear you talk at this time.”
That wasn’t a shot at anyone in particular. Lundquist is aware that everyone in the business approaches their craft differently. But scripting out calls works for some people. Take Jim Nantz, for example. The voice of the NFL on CBS has considered calls, predetermined them, and executed them flawlessly.
But there have also been times when he hasn’t executed them well at all, at least in Lundquist’s opinion. And being that they’re close, Verne can punctuate his friendship with Nantz while leaning on the fact that he hated Nantz’s call of UConn winning the 2004 National Championship, particularly because he used Emeka Okafor’s name as a double entendre. Well, sort of.
“When UConn was winning a national championship and they had a wonderfully gifted player named Emeka Okafor,” Lundquist began. “They win the NCAAs, and Jim goes off the air by saying, ‘You must admit that UConn is a mecca for basketball. He hit the wall with that one. And he knows that I tell that story.”
The best part about this is that Lundquist audibly groaned when recalling Nantz’s call, and his disdain for it remains palpable two decades later.
“Listen, Jim Nantz is the greatest golf host we’ve ever had,” Verne admitted. “I so admire his ability.”
He just doesn’t admire the scripted calls. That’s all.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.