CBS Sports began televising National Football League games in 1960. From 1960-1967, CBS assigned their commentating crews to one team each for the entire season. Beginning in 1968, CBS instituted a semi-merit system for their commentating crews. Following the 1993 season, the NFL on CBS television program went on a four-season hiatus. CBS lost the rights to cover the National Football Conference to the Fox Broadcasting Company. However, CBS gained the American Football Conference package from NBC beginning in 1998. The names of the play-by-play men are listed first while the color commentators are listed second.
In 1964, CBS experimented with a half & half format for their announcers. The first half would be called by the home teams' commentators while the second half would be done by the visitors' commentators.
Going into the 1981 NFL season, CBS Sports executives decided that John Madden was going to be their star NFL color commentator. But they had trouble figuring out who was going to be his play-by-play partner. So in September (for the first four games of the season), they paired Vin Scully with Madden while Pat Summerall was busy covering the U.S. Open tournament for CBS. For the next four games of the season in October, they paired Summerall with Madden while Scully called Major League Baseball's National League Championship Series and World Series for CBS Radio. After the eighth week of the NFL season, CBS Sports executives decided that the laconic, baritone-voiced Summerall's style was more in tuned with the lively, verbose Madden than the elegant, poetic Scully. As a consolation prize, CBS Sports gave Scully the "B" team assignment and the right to call the NFC Championship Game on CBS Television with Hank Stram. Meanwhile, Pat Summerall called that game on CBS Radio with Jack Buck while John Madden prepared to do the Super Bowl with Summerall in Pontiac, Michigan. Vin Scully reportedly wasn't happy about the demotion, the perception being that his intelligence had been insulted. As a result, Scully bolted to NBC (where he started a memorable seven year run as their lead Major League Baseball announcer) as soon as his contract with CBS was up.
Tim Ryan/Johnny Morris (called mostly Bears games on CBS)
Dick Stockton/Wayne Walker (called mostly 49ers games on CBS)
Tom Brookshier/Dick Vermeil
Verne Lundquist/Terry Bradshaw
Dan Dierdorf/Jean Fugett
Jim Hill/John Dockery
Jim Kelly/Dan Jiggetts
In May 1985, shortly after calling the 17th hole at the Masters, play-by-play announcer Frank Glieber died of a heart attack. Tom Brookshier replaced Glieber in the NFL on CBS broadcast booth.
This would be Terry Bradshaw's last year as a game commentator for CBS. The following season, he would be promoted to a co-hosting role alongside Greg Gumbel on The NFL Today. Gumbel and Bradshaw replaced Brent Musburger and Irv Cross respectively.
During the 1990 season, Pat Summerall was hospitalised after vomiting on a plane during a flight after a Bears-Redskins game, and was out for a considerable amount of time. While Verne Lundquist replaced Summerall on games with John Madden, Jack Buck (who was at CBS during the time as the network's lead Major League Baseball announcer) was added as a regular NFL broadcaster to fill-in.
After being dropped from The NFL Today, Irv Cross returned to the broadcast booth for the 1990 season.
This was CBS' last year as the National Football Conference television provider. The following year, Pat Summerall, John Madden, James Brown, Dick Stockton, Matt Millen, and Terry Bradshaw of The NFL Today would move over to FOX. CBS would resume their NFL coverage in 1998.
Verne Lundquist and Dan Fouts were the #2 team for much of the 1993 season. However, Jim Nantz and Randy Cross would call the second round playoff game for CBS (Dallas vs. Green Bay) not called by Pat Summerall and John Madden.Meanwhile, Tim Ryan and Matt Millen were the #3 team for much of the 1993 season.
From 1999 to 2004, the duo of Don Criqui and Steve Tasker were almost always assigned to games featuring the Buffalo Bills. Both Criqui (a Buffalo native) and Tasker (a former Bill) have connections to western New York, and the Criqui-Tasker pairing is one of the last examples of an NFL team having its own network TV announcing crew.
Dick Enberg/Dan Dierdorf/Bonnie Bernstein (sideline reporter)
Kevin Harlan/Daryl Johnston/Beasley Reece (sideline reporter)
Ian Eagle/Mark May
Gus Johnson/Brent Jones
Don Criqui/Steve Tasker
Craig Bolerjack or Bill Macatee/Todd Blackledge or Charles Mann or Sam Wyche
Tim Brando/Spencer Tillman
Dick Enberg was hired from NBC to replace Verne Lundquist on the broadcasts. Lundquist was subsequently moved over to the SEC on CBS college football program to replace Sean McDonough (who would leave CBS Sports altogether).
Dick Enberg/Dan Dierdorf/Bonnie Bernstein (sideline reporter) (In Week 12, Enberg and Dierdorf also did that year's Army/Navy game, because they were booked for the Chargers/Eagles game that week)
Kevin Harlan/Craig James/Beasley Reece (sideline reporter)
Beginning this season, James Brown replaced Greg Gumbel as the host of The NFL Today. Gumbel returned to play-by-play duties, replacing Dick Enberg as the #2 play-by-play man. As compensation for being demoted, CBS allowed Enberg to call Thursday Night Football games on Westwood One Radio.Greg Gumbel wound up calling the Pro Bowl (alongside Phil Simms and Dan Dierdorf) instead of Jim Nantz.
