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Everyone's Paying Tribute To Greg Gumbel On Sunday Night

Originally posted on The Spun | By Matt Hladik | Last updated Mar 16, 2025 8:09 PM ET

Tonight is the first NCAA Tournament Selection Show since the passing of longtime host Greg Gumbel.

Gumbel missed last year's show while dealing with health issues, but his colleagues were hoping he could rejoin them this year. Sadly, Gumbel passed away back in December at the age of 78 following a long battle with cancer.

Tonight, his colleagues paid tribute to him with their on-set attire and kicked off the Selection Show with a video of Gumbel speaking about the magic of the Big Dance.

The clip flowed into the opening riff of "Start Me Up" by the Rolling Stones, a Gumbel favorite.

CBS begins the NCAA Tournament Selection Show with a tribute to Greg Gumbel. ️❤️ #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/TLIxRvG9g4
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 16, 2025

On social media, individual fan tributes poured in for Gumbel.

"RIP Greg Gumbel!! Best time of year #MarchMadness let’s lock in," one person wrote.

"CBS March Madness got me all up in my feelings...man it won't be the same...RIP Greg Gumbel. Now LFG!" a second person said.

"Choppin onions to start selection show RIP Greg Gumbel," a third person chimed in.

"Didn't even take a minute into the selection show for CBS to hit the waterworks button. RIP Greg Gumbel. #MarchMadness," a fourth person said.

"Selection show without Greg Gumbel is not the same. RIP to a legend," a fifth person said.

"Whew. Didn’t expect to get choked up listening to The Rolling Stones, yet here we are. #RIP Greg Gumbel," a sixth person said.

It's not going to ever be the same on Selection Sunday without Gumbel leading the broadcast, but it's awesome to see CBS pay homage to his legacy.

If you're done drying your eyes, you can turn on CBS right now and see the rest of the Selection Show. The bracket reveal is halfway over, but there's still more drama on the way.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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