Have You Seen This? Former KSL broadcaster Jim Nantz nails his One Shining Moment

ONE SHINING MOMENT — The win was about UConn's fifth national championship since 1999, but Monday night's March Madness conclusion was always going to be — at least in part — about legendary CBS play-by-play voice Jim Nantz.

After 37 years living out his dream, the former KSL-TV broadcaster who played golf at the nearby University of Houston called his final national championship men's basketball game at NRG Stadium, the Huskies' 76-59 victory over San Diego State.

All that was left after confetti showered on Dan Hurley's team and ushered the Aztecs off as the first-ever national championship contenders from the Mountain West was one final signoff.

And Nantz, much like he has done for his entire career, epically delivered.

"One thing I learned through all of this," he said, "is everybody has a dream and everybody has a story to tell. I just tried to find that story. Be kind."

"Can I tell you one other thing?" Nantz added. "I mean this: I have to try to play off 'hello, friends.' But to you, everybody in the college game, my CBS family, my family, all the viewers: thank you for being my friend."

Nantz worked his first college basketball game when the joyful 26 year old boarded a flight to Seattle to call USC-Washington in January 1986, and he hasn't stopped since right up until his 354th NCAA Tournament broadcast, according to CBS Sports.

Along the way, the former broadcast partner of legendary Utah Jazz voice "Hot Rod" Hundley did the occasional BYU football play-by-play rounds during his stint in Salt Lake City before joining CBS full-time in 1985 to call tennis, the Olympics, the NFL, college football and PGA Tour golf — including the Masters, where he jetted to Augusta, Georgia, immediately after his stay in Houston.

He'll continue to do most of those things for CBS as his career winds down, most notably golf and the NFL. But the network confirmed in October that this year's NCAA Tournament would be his last, with longtime college basketball broadcaster Ian Eagle to take over.

"I got to live out my dream because of college basketball," Nantz told colleague Matt Norlander before the title game. "Sure, I was a golfer and I went to Houston to be on the golf team. But, really, went to Houston to study communications and try to figure out a way to get trained to hopefully one day be noticed by CBS. That was what the goal was: to work for CBS."

It's only fitting, then, that he got to see out one last Shining Moment — in the city where it all began.

Yesterday's Have You Seen This?

Crikey! Irwin siblings poke fun at one another

Irwin's children are now all grown up and have carried out the legacy of their father, operating the Australia Zoo. Robert Irwin is the spitting image of his father in more ways than one.

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