Part of Jim Nantz’s charm are his many quirks. Like the fact he carries around a photo of a piece of burnt toast so he can show his server how he prefers it when ordering breakfast. Or the fact he gives away his game-used tie to a player he chooses at the end of each NCAA Tournament. It’s not weird. It’s just Nantz being Nantz.
This week, Nantz will call his seventh Super Bowl for CBS, his third alongside analyst Tony Romo. The big game is in Las Vegas, just a short flight from Nantz’s home in Pebble Beach, where he just called the rain-shortened AT&T Pro-Am this past weekend.
Legendary Los Angeles Times reporter Sam Farmer stopped by Nantz’s house to chat with the equally legendary broadcaster before he headed to Sin City, and Farmer got some A+ content (check out the full story here). Perhaps the highlight of the article came when Farmer noticed an out-of-place grey metal box in Nantz’s office, inside it a telephone that Nantz used to make a life-changing phone call.
Farmer pulled out his phone and started recording as Nantz retold the story of this incredible piece of Nantz memorabilia as only he can:
Look what Jim Nantz has on his wall. pic.twitter.com/PRUzfNPMwi
— Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) February 6, 2024
At first, it’s hard not to think that this is the most ridiculous memento a human could possibly own. But then when you think about it, this phone call legitimately changed broadcasting forever. Nearly 40 years later, Nantz has called countless sporting events for CBS. Super Bowls, Masters tournaments, Final Fours. You name it, he’s done it. All of them big-time events only. Who knows if any of that happens if Nantz doesn’t plug his credit card number into that very phone in old Giants Stadium.
And to have the wherewithal to keep that phone? He is truly one of a kind.
