CBS Announcer Jim Nantz To Deliver UH Commencement Address
4/2/2001 12:00:00 AM | General
Houston, TX--April 2, 2001 -- Jim Nantz, the principal voice for CBS Sports, will deliver the 2001 Commencement address for the University of Houston main campus, announced Arthur K. Smith, Chancellor of the UH System and President of the University of Houston.
Smith also announced that the University proposes to confer upon Nantz an honorary doctorate of humane letters degree in recognition of his contributions to his profession and to the university. The award will be formally approved by the UH System Board of Regents at their April meeting.
The general commencement will recognize more than 6,500 students at the baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral level who will receive their degrees this year. General Commencement will be held in Hofheinz Pavilion beginning at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 11.
"Graduation from college is one of the most important benchmarks in a person's life, and the academic community celebrates that each year through our commencement ceremony. We are very pleased that our own graduate Jim Nantz, who has become one of the most successful people in the broadcast field, will be able to bring his experiences and his thoughts on leadership and success to the 2001 graduating class," said Smith.
"When receiving my degree in 1981, I never imagined that I would return on the 20th anniversary to address the next generation of Houston graduates. Not a day goes by that I am not approached about my Houston ties. I am extremely proud of this honor and to be a representative of this great university," said Nantz.
Nantz graduated from the University of Houston in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in radio and television. He was recruited to UH as a member of the golf team, but found his strength in reporting and in his junior year he began his lifetime passion for sports broadcasting. Those early golfing connections and friends have remained with Nantz, who along with great UH golfing alums Fred Couples and Blaine McCallister, make up the "Three Amigos" a foundation benefiting a number of charities, including the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Assoc., Inc., cancer research, and the National Association for Pseudoxanthoma Elasticam. In addition, the Three Amigos Foundation established the first endowed golf and basketball scholarships in school history.
Nantz began his sportscasting career at KHOU-TV and KTRH radio in Houston, later serving as an anchor on KSL-TV in Salt Lake City. He joined CBS Sports as an anchor in 1985. His role at CBS includes serving as the lead anchor for The NFL Today, the PGA Tour, and the Masters golf tournament, and he is the lead play-by-play announcer for NCAA basketball. He also served as the primetime host of the 1998 Olympic Winter Games. That same year he was named National Sportscaster of the Year. In 1992 the Houston Alumni Organization presented Nantz with the UH Distinguished Alumnus award.
Nantz was born May 17, 1959, in Charlotte, N.C. and grew up in Colts Neck, N.J. He lives in Fairfield County, Conn., with his wife, Lorrie, and daughter.