l
Promoting Honor,
Responsibility and Intellect by Carolina L. Saucedo
T
he skillful and quick to think news host, Bryant ed Negro College Fund, I thought I could combine
Gumbel has been a big name in the media for my two interests of golf and education into a way
over 35 years. Best known as one of the most to raise funds. I partnered with Walt Disney World
accomplished sports broadcasters of all time, and for 14 years we probably raised close to $10
Bryant Gumbel has left a mark not only on televi- million.” As part of the scholarship fund, two
sion but on the promotion of higher education. scholarships are given to each of the Historically
Once a college athlete at Bates College, Gumbel Black Colleges and Universities every year.
turned his passion for sports into a life long career Bryant Gumbel considers education to be one of
that inevitably helped him develop projects that the first and foremost responsibilities that people
would assist hopeful college students. can have for themselves. Gumbel believes that
The New Orleans born broadcaster was raised maximizing intellect and talents gives honor to
in Chicago and attended Bates College where he oneself, to family and to the people with whom one
studied Russian history, played baseball and foot- is associated. “I’ve always been a big believer in
ball and hoped to one day become a professional education; in an imperfect world and in a world
athlete. Upon graduation, he took on a number of where race matters, you can arm yourself from
jobs until he began working for Black Sports being the last hired and first fired by being educat-
Magazine where he was quickly promoted to Edi- ed. If you are educated, you take greater control of
tor in Chief. By the age of 23, Bryant Gumbel had your own life. It is how my father taught me and it
landed his first television job and at the age of 25, is how I always felt was the first step to true inde-
he began working for Network television. pendence. True independence is independence of
Bryant Gumbel worked for NBC for nearly 25 your mind, independence of your intellect and of
years before joining CBS and HBO. During Gum- your pocketbook.”
bel’s time with NBC he co-anchored The Today Many opportunities have been presented and
Show for 15-years, hosted NBC’s primetime cov- accepted by Gumbel. He’s made money, won
erage of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, awards, assisted college students, traveled the
South Korea, hosted the PGA Tour in 1990 and world, met many celebrities and world leaders and
anchored the 1992 presidential election. In 1997, has still made time to play a good old game of golf.
Gumbel joined CBS as a host of a variety of shows Looking back, Gumbel says that one of his great-
before becoming co-host of the network’s The est achievements has been, “finding my way
Early Show. Gumbel anchored the CBS News toward happiness. I think with each day I am a lit-
magazine Public Eye with Bryant Gumbel, and tle more happy and I don’t mean to sound naïve or
hosted the 49
th
Annual Emmy Awards. One of simplistic. What I have is realistic and I’ve been
Gumbel’s most concentrated projects of his career very fortunate in my life.”
has been Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on HBO, Always willing to share his thoughts, the good,
which he has hosted since April 1995. the bad or the indifferent, Bryant Gumbel shares
Working in the public eye, personal and politi- some personal intellect on life matters with the
cal views are often the center of scrutiny. But even Black EOE Journal:
after more than 35 years in the industry, Gumbel
has stayed grounded and continues to work on On life lessons:
projects that are true to his values. The passionate “With age come certain things and when you
sports and education enthusiast used his celebrity certainly realize that there is more to life then
status to create celebrity golf tournaments that ben- hopefully you will broaden your scope at that
efits college students’ financial needs. “Some years point. I’ve always said that money isn’t a business
ago when I was a member of the board at the Unit- only for the best or the brightest, it is for those who
Paul Schrialdi/HBO
Edition IV/Fall 2009
www.blackeoejournal.com 64
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