Years before graduating in 1981 with a degree in Radio and Television Broadcasting, Nantz received a golf scholarship from the University of Houston. According to him, “It just so happened I was the worst player on the golf team.” But golf was secondary, sports broadcasting was first. Nantz remembers, “When I was the guy on the end of the bench for the golf team, our golf coach, the legendary Dave Williams sent me over to (basketball head coach) Guy Lewis and said, ‘Guy take care of him, he wants to work for CBS one day.’”

On the spot, Nantz became a public address announcer and later found himself hosting Lewis’ weekly TV show from 1979-1981. Upon graduation, he found himself working for Houston’s KHOU-TV, KTRH radio, an anchor gig in Salt Lake City, Utah, and calling Utah Jazz games. Finally, in 1985, as a 26-year-old, he finally got a call from the CBS office for an audition which he killed. Now, at 65, he is still with them, and for the next 10 years too, according to his latest take on retirement.

“Hello, friends.” This is not just a greeting, to many sports enthusiasts, it’s the beginning of every game that has given them goosebumps. It’s how Jim Nantz always starts his broadcasting duties. And even though he retired from the NCAA basketball commentator crew in 2023, he has kept his ties with one where it all began– the Houston Cougars. However, with the Cougs in the Finals at Alamodome after almost four decades, but ultimately losing 65-63, it has him in sour mood.

Talking to Marty Smith ahead of the Masters, Nantz explained his feelings. “I am a late arrivee having coming in from San Antonio, heartbroken. I think I’m gonna be able to handle the defeat. I am not just a fan. My career was channeled through that basketball program.”

Houston lost to the Florida Gators by two points in the Finals, their third appearance in the Championship Game but are yet to win the title. The Masters commentator was following the team across the country for the matches, along with his family, and was understandably sad that his team fell short so close to the end.

Especially after their turnaround win over the Duke Blue Devils in Final Four where they made a comeback in the last 8 minutes of the game, with the last 35 seconds being the most crucial of them all in disengaging Jon Scheyer’s squad completely. Then, camera showed Nantz wiping his tears, experiencing the thrill of his alma mater’s unlikely win. And it only shows how deeply rooted his love for Houston is.

“When I was the guy on the end of the bench for the golf team, our golf coach, the legendary Dave Williams, sent me over to (basketball head coach) Guy Lewis and said, ‘Guy take care of him, he wants to work for CBS one day.

“So, guy made me, right on the spot, the public address announcer and the host of his television show, the first time I was ever on the TV and it ran on the NBC affiliate. I was just a kid living in the dorms. So, that evolved into a lot of different ways of being invlved with the basketball program for now almost 50 years. So, it’s personal. We’ll move on from it, in this conversation. It hurts.’” Nantz stated.

The basketball coach made the right moves with Nantz, embarking him on a career path that is legendary in all regards. That move was the precursor to a lot of amazing calls in the world of sports, especially golf and college basketball.

Despite the tough loss, Nantz did not forget to give flowers to the opposition, who turned out to be better on the day. “Congrats to the Florida Gators. They did what they had to do to win it.” Nantz’s arrival in Augusta was anticipated by all golfing fans. He recently claimed that he would be part of the golf broadcast for several years to come, making the golfing world jubilant.

Jim Nantz wants to call the Masters for 10 more years

While talking with Bunkered, Nantz made his goal very clear. Previously, he had mentioned, “I would like to work 50 Masters Tournaments. That would be the thing that keeps me going. I want to work 50 Masters. Knowing that the Masters always ends on the second Sunday in April every year, I looked it up: My 50th Masters would be April 8, 2035. So I thought that would be the day I would retire.”

As it turns out, while this was his plan before, he had a friendly voice advise him to do something even more extraordinary. Call the 100th Masters, his 51st. The friend? Jack Whitaker. “He said I heard what you said up there about doing 50 Masters. I said, ‘What do you think?’ He said, ‘Well, you have to do 51.’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He said, ‘Well, 2036, that will be the 100th playing of the Masters, and you need to be there.’” But of course, there’s a challenge there too.

“First off, my health would have to hold up. Secondly, CBS and Augusta National would have to want me to come back. But if all the stars aligned, right now, it feels like a pretty good exit point. April 14, 2036,” the broadcaster explained his intentions candidly.

2036 will be the 100th Masters tournament, an iconic way to exit one of the biggest stages in the sport. To hear his calls for 10 more years on the iconic stage will be an incredible experience for current and future patrons of the sport. Maybe, after he stops making the calls, he will follow his favorite players around the country just like he does with his basketball team. Here’s to hearing more iconic calls from you, Jim Nantz!