Jim Nantz doesn’t take his role lightly.
As the voice of the NFL on CBS and the lead announcer for some of the most iconic football games in history, Nantz stands on the cusp of an extraordinary milestone: calling his 500th game for the network, spanning both the regular season and postseason.
Looking back to 1988, when he made his NFL play-by-play debut, Nantz reflects on how far he’s come. At the time, he was already in his fourth year at CBS but still had plenty to prove.
“I was comfortable being a broadcaster,” Nantz told Awful Announcing in a phone interview Friday. “The game was probably going point to point; it was a Tampa Bay at Indianapolis game. And I’m sure it was the lowest percentage audience on the totem pole for a CBS Sunday that day—might’ve been a two or three percent audience. Not that that’s how you look at it, but this was not like a full-blown national exposure at the time.”
Even then, the nerves were real.
“Having said that, I’m sure there was anxiety and concern about getting all the mechanics right and doing a good enough job to earn a Game No. 2. I wanted to show that I belonged in that realm,” Nantz said. “I did the game on a Sunday, having hosted the studio show for college football on Saturday… For reasons I can’t quite recall now, CBS needed someone for an extra game that weekend—probably a seven-game schedule—so they summoned me and Pat Haden. I flew in super late after being in the studio all day Saturday. It felt like parachuting into the assignment.”
The game? Tampa Bay vs. Indianapolis.
The quarterbacks? Vinny Testaverde and Chris Chandler.
The result? A 35–31 victory for the Buccaneers.
It was October 1988, and that modest matchup became Nantz’s first step in a journey to legendary status. Now, nearly 36 years later, he prepares for Game No. 500 when he calls the Wild Card Game between the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos.
“Does this feel a lot different than Game 1?” Nantz reflected. “Well, 500 is a playoff game. Game 500 is here in Buffalo, and we’re about to embark on what promises to be an exciting stretch over the next three weeks. Man, I’m just grateful. I’ve had so many experiences, firsts, and incredible moments in that window.”
That “window” spans an extraordinary career: 431 regular-season games, 69 playoff matchups, seven Super Bowls, and 20 AFC Championship Games.
Jim Nantz is set to call his 500th NFL game this Sunday.
We put him to the test to see just how well he knows his own calls 🎙️🔊 pic.twitter.com/N35P1xs1FK
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 8, 2025
Nantz doesn’t need a reminder of how far the NFL has come — he’s lived it.
“It was gigantic when I was a kid, watching and falling in love with the game,” Nantz said. “Then suddenly, you’re in your 20s, and you’re part of it. You just can’t believe you’re calling a game, part of this incredible atmosphere and the whole experience.
“But it’s bigger now—way bigger than it ever was. And it was gigantic back then. It has just expanded in popularity. Even in the ’80s, people held onto the idea that baseball was America’s favorite pastime, with the NFL close behind. Well, it’s zoomed past everything.
“It is the sport. It’s the king of American sports. And I love being right in the middle of it as the league’s popularity has soared.”
Nantz has witnessed monumental moments and rule-changing events. In 2012, for example, the NFL introduced a postseason rule that guaranteed each team’s possession in overtime unless a touchdown was scored on the first drive.
The first game under this rule, a playoff matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos, changed the course of NFL history. During a production meeting, Nantz recalled asking Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin whether he would kick or receive if the game went to overtime.
And Nantz didn’t know what went into his decision-making, but Tomlin said that the Steelers would kick the football, would like to see what they needed to do and have confidence they could keep them out of the end zone.
That decision became pivotal.
“Denver received the kickoff in overtime,” Nantz explained. “And on the first play of overtime, Tim Tebow hit a streaking Demaryius Thomas across the field on a slant, and he ran through the secondary and went 80 yards for the walk-off touchdown. So, that was a first. And I’m sure there was confusion. We tried our best to educate the audience that this was going to be the first time there has been an overtime game with this new set of rules.”
OTD in 2013, Tim Tebow found Demariyus Thomas for a 75-yard TD on the FIRST play of overtime to defeat the Steelers in the playoffs. 😱
🎥 @NFLThrowback, CBS pic.twitter.com/bhCXPp049k
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 8, 2025
Fast forward to the Buffalo Bills-Kansas City Chiefs Divisional Round game in 2022, another overtime thriller that ended with a Chiefs victory.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs orchestrated a game-tying drive with just 13 seconds left, but the game ended in overtime when the Chiefs scored on their first possession, leaving the Bills without a chance to respond.
“But the game ended with Kansas City with a first possession touchdown,” Nantz said. “And now, those same rules that I had basically introduced because I had the first game up in 2012… That game ended without Josh Allen and the Bills having a chance to match. And I said on the air right on the spot, ‘This needs to be reexamined.’ … You don’t get a chance to match? How unfair is that? And so I called for it on the air, ‘This has to be reexamined,’ and you know what? They changed the rules that offseason.”
The change resonated quickly.
“It did pick up steam. I have to tell you, that whole mantra that ‘This has to be reexamined,’ the next day there were a ton of columns about it,” he added. “So, now, of course, there are different rules for the regular season and postseason. And now, you get a chance to match. So what happens? I have Super Bowl 58 this past February in Las Vegas.”
We all know how that turned out.
THE CHIEFS WIN THE SUPER BOWL pic.twitter.com/0YTNIiX6RU
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) February 12, 2024
But another Super Bowl resonates deeply with Jim Nantz — Super Bowl 41.
“In that game, I had the first opening kickoff return — in a Super Bowl — for a touchdown,” explained Nantz. “Devin Hester, who just went into the Hall of Fame. It still remains the only opening kickoff return for a touchdown in Super Bowl history — and I got to call it. And I felt really ready for it.”
Nantz credits his readiness for that moment to a memorable meeting with Jack Whitaker, one of his broadcasting idols.
“I had been given this gift of a meeting and with it, advice from Jack Whitaker, one of the icons of my youth; one of the voices of my youth who I loved and trusted so much,” Nantz explained. “And I had dinner with him the week before the game. He implored me to be ready for every play. ‘Be ready for the opening kickoff,’ he said, because in his words, ‘Every play is a new chapter.’ And it’s a book. And you never know which chapter is going to be the most important one.”
That advice echoed in Nantz’s mind as Super Bowl 41 unfolded.
“Now, that wasn’t the most important play of the game — the Hester kick return for a touchdown — but it was historically significant,” Nantz said. “And Jack said, ‘Just be ready for the opening kickoff.'”
As Adam Vinatieri set the ball on the tee to start the game, Nantz remembers repeating Whitaker’s advice to himself, preparing for anything.
Moments later, history unfolded.
“Lo and behold, he kicks it to Devin Hester,” Nantz recalled. “And I was just mentally channeling Whitaker as Hester broke free, and I exclaimed, ‘He gets past the first wave, and here he goes.'”
Of course Devin Hester took the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl to the house.
(Super Bowl XLI: Feb. 4, 2007) @D_Hest23 @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/gUaO6WflCc
— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) January 22, 2019
While that call might resonate with the masses, Nantz wanted to remind us that he’s not ever looking for the game to be isolating on him. He wants the audience at home to feel like they have been told all the pertinent stories and analysis that goes into the game.
“I’m just part of a tapestry of a team,” he added.
And over the years, that team has included Phil Simms and Tony Romo.
“In the end, I really want my analysts to shine, and I want to have chemistry with my fellow broadcasters in the booth,” Nantz said. “I’m fortunate. I’ve worked with some great people, primarily Phil Simms and Tony Romo, and the great majority of my games are with these two great guys. Their styles are different, but they’re both great family guys. That’s the thing I would say is the common bond — and I relate to that.
“In both cases, Phil for 13 years; this is year 8 with Tony, I have a bond and a chemistry because our friendship goes beyond just calling a three-hour game. It goes into what our lives look like away from the weekend broadcasting a game from all these different stadiums. There’s a friendship there. Phil was just magnificent to work with. We did four Super Bowls together in 13 years. Tony and I have done three Super Bowls together. Their styles are different, but I’m really proud of the work I’ve had with both of them.”
Right now, Jim Nantz feels like with Romo, they’re in Year 8 and he feels like its their best year they’ve ever had.
“It blossoms. It evolves. It’s not the same every year,” he says. “And maybe it’s subtle things the viewer at home can’t recognize, but I can certainly feel it after all these years. Things are clicking, and the dance step is working to perfection. The dance step, meaning the chemistry and the back and forth. The repeating of the next play, analysis, next play and how they weave together as one — two people telling a story together.
“It is rewarding, man. And this has been, I could argue, our most rewarding season of all.”
And plenty more seasons will come, even after 500, 501 and 502.
“They’re all gift, every one of them,” he says. “And now that you’ve reached a threshold. I mean, it’s not going to feel any different than it did last week. It’s not. And I certainly hope that they don’t make a big to do about it on the air. I want to go call the game. The game’s the thing… They’re not tuning in to watch me. And I think some broadcasters maybe get lost with that reality and don’t appreciate.
“But, I’m just trying to make the experience a little bit better for people. And if they think that you’re enjoying being there, which I undoubtedly am. And they think the voices that they’re hearing, in this case, Tony and Tracy [Wolfson]. If they think that group has fun, they’re happy to be there. And if they make it a little more entreating and informative, all the better.”
For Nantz, it’s the greatest gig in the world. It was something he was born to do.
“Storytelling is what I feel like what my calling is in life — professional calling,” Nantz says. “… This is what I feel like I was born to do, is to tell other people’s stories. I’m an observer. I tell people what I see. If time allows, I’ll get a chance to tell you what makes these people special. That is a responsibility that I’ve been given. I don’t take it lightly. I love being in that role, making it about them, telling their stories — whatever the sport may be.
“Now, the greatest vehicles in telling people’s stories because of time pacing is golf. So, as much as people may not recognize it, it probably is the biggest challenge I have of all the sports I call because you actually get to go at some points to longer form storytelling without drowning your audience. But in football, or in basketball, man, there’s that accelerated pace and intensity and it’s onto the next possession, it’s onto the next down. And you have to be very smart and snappy. You can’t linger it. You can’t run over plays.”
As Nantz says, it’s the gift “the good Lord” has given him.
That is the gift of storytelling — and he’s still trying to fine-tune it.
It was born in his head as a young boy, sitting in church with his parents on Sunday and listening to a pastor who inspired him.
He was enraptured.
And now, Nantz carries the responsibility of ensuring millions feel that same sense of connection through his storytelling.
“It’s a great responsibility,” Nantz adds. You’re always learning ways to be snappier, more on point, succinct, but it’s got to make; it’s got to be cogent. And I’m working on it, man. I’ve gotten to 500; I’m working on it.”
