Brent Musburger wins the 2025 Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Hall of Fame

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that longtime play-by-play announcer Brent Musburger has won the 2025 Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award.

Musburger will receive his award during the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week, which includes the Enshrinees’ Gold Jacket Dinner on Friday, Aug. 1, and the Class of 2025 enshrinement on Saturday, Aug. 2.

“The Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award recognizes broadcast excellence in pro football, and Brent Musburger certainly measures up to that standard,” Jim Porter, president and CEO of the Hall of Fame, said. “Brent has entertained and informed generations of fans – across not only pro football but college football, basketball, Little League baseball, golf, tennis and other sports – with insights and some signature phrases that became a trademarked style.”

CBS Sports hired Musburger in 1973 as a play-by-play voice. He took over as host of “The NFL Today” in 1975 and held that role until 1990. With Musburger at the helm, the pregame show began an 18-year run as the highest-rated program in its time slot that didn’t end until the program ceased in 1994 with pro football’s move from CBS to FOX.

Former NFL defensive back Irv Cross, winner of the 2009 Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award, was among Musburger’s on-air partners on “The NFL Today.”

Following his departure from CBS in 1990, Musburger joined ABC Sports and stayed with the network family for 27 years. His broadcast credits there included college football and basketball, World Cup soccer and a stint as a halftime reporter for “Monday Night Football.”

After a short hiatus from broadcasting, he returned to the booth as the radio play-by-play voice of the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders for three seasons (2019-21). He also launched his current venture, Vegas Stats & Information Network (VSiN), the first multichannel network dedicated to sports gaming information, where he remains active.

Musburger is a member of the Medill Hall of Achievement at Northwestern University. While still in college, he joined the staff of the Chicago American newspaper as a sports writer. His broadcasting career started shortly thereafter, when he joined WBBM Radio in Chicago as sports director. He later was named sports director for WBBM-TV before moving to Los Angeles to co-anchor the nightly news for KNXT-TV.

Musburger’s 50-year on-air career includes broadcasts of several NCAA men’s national basketball tournaments — he is credited with coining the phrase “March Madness” — Indianapolis 500 races, U.S. Open and British Open golf tournaments, Little League World Series games, Triple Crown horse races and NASCAR events.