On Wednesday, Nov. 9, legendary play-by-play commentator Brent Musburger recieved the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award. ESPN honored his recognition with a Scully-style tribute: he would call his SEC Saturday Night game from the booth alone for the first half (SEC Network: Ole Miss vs. Texas A&M; Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m. ET).

“Brent has had one of the most illustrious careers in sports broadcasting, and his distinctive voice has illuminated the biggest sporting events for more than 40 years,” ESPN Senior Vice President Stephanie Druley said on ESPN Front Row. “It is our honor, at ESPN, to spotlight this week’s recognition by putting his talent on full display during tonight’s first half.” 

This week’s SEC Saturday Night game opened with a Musburger voiced tribute to sportscasting legends he grew up idolizing.

Always one that prefers shining his spotlight on others, Musburger had this to say when asked about Saturday’s experience:

“You can’t fully appreciate the talent of Vin Scully until you fly solo in the booth, regardless of what sport it is.And I had the full support of Jesse Palmer and Kaylee Hartung on the sidelines and our experienced and talented hands in the truck.”

Musburger knows that talent first-hand, as he called MLB All-Star games with Scully in the late 1970s and early 80s. He paid personal tribute to Scully earlier this year upon his retirement.

Musburger’s career began in 1968 and he has provided play-by-play for the NCAA Final Fours, NBA Finals, The Masters, the US Open, college football National Championships, an innumerable number of college football and basketball season games as well as NASCAR races. Musburger has been with ESPN since 1992.

He is an alumni of Northwestern University’ Medill School of Journalism.

ESPN Bio – Brent Musburger
ESPN Images – Brent Musburger

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