America’s Game has been blessed with America’s best announcers from its very inception with the first Super Bowl Game in January of 1967. In fact, both CBS and NBC broadcast the first Super Bowl game, with two of the all-time greats calling the action. Curt Gowdy handled the play-by-play for NBC while Ray Scott called the action for CBS. With superstar talent like that, the standard was set at the highest possible level. Let’s take a look at the best of the best and rank the greatest voices in Super Bowl history.
5. Dick Enberg
Nobody exuded class the way Enberg did. His calls were steady and understated but with perfect delivery and with a grace and professionalism that will always be remembered fondly. When color man Merlin Olsen was his partner in the booth it ranked as one of the best tandems of all time.
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4. Ray Scott
“Starr. Dale. Touchdown.”
That is how Scott would call a Green Bay touchdown. It is a style that is still revered with longtime fans. The inimitable Scott knew that a picture said a thousand words and was the master of word economy. Scott oozed presence with his calm professionalism and class. Scott set the stage for color man and one-time partner Pat Summerall, who would go on to replace him as the top man for the NFL on CBS.
3. Al Michaels
A pro’s pro, Michaels has proven to be a versatile announcer that transcends generations while aging like a fine win. He gets the play by play call on Sunday for his tenth Super Bowl.
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2. Curt Gowdy
Gowdy was Michaels’ hero and mentor. He called the memorable Super Bowl III upset of the Jets over the Colts to perfection. His best days were when he was paired with Al DeRogatis to make for one of the greatest broadcast teams of any sport.
1. Pat Summerall
Best known for his days with John Madden, Summerall was known to be as cool as they come. Scott was his mentor, and Summerall adopted Scott’s understated style with a voice that was the most distinctive and captivating of all time. Like Scott, Summerall never let the game be about him. Instead, Summerall let the game speak for itself and simply enhanced it with class and professionalism. Summerall must rank as the greatest Super Bowl announcer of all time.
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Honorable Mention – Joe Buck
There are a lot of cutting critics that bash Buck, but not here. Buck, in fact, is a generational voice of the current era of sports. Buck has a cool delivery and saves his most exciting calls with perfect timing. History will eventually give Buck his due as one of the best.
Honorable Mention – The Unfortunate Jim Nantz
The Voice of the Masters Golf tournament ranks with the best football announcers of all time. The problem is that Nantz has been paired with the annoying Phil Simms as his color commentator partner, which takes away from Nantz’s talent and makes the broadcast watchable only with a mute button.
