CBS is saying goodbye to the SEC on Saturday, and it couldn't do so without legendary broadcaster Verne Lundquist.
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The monster SEC championship matchup between No. 1 Georgia and No. 8 Alabama on Saturday has more than just a spot in the College Football Playoff on the line.
The game is also the last time CBS will be telecasting the SEC championship, as the conference agreed to a new deal with ESPN that will go into effect for the 2024 season and continue for the next decade. CBS first began broadcasting SEC games in 1996 and became the exclusive home for the conference's championship game in 2001.
With that in mind, CBS decided to bring back legendary broadcaster Verne Lundquist for one last hooray. Lundquist narrated the intro for the highly anticipated matchup between the two historic programs.
They brought back Uncle Verne for the final SEC on CBS broadcast. This is fantastic: pic.twitter.com/O1NfF4htCp
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) December 2, 2023
Lundquist, now 83 years old, was the lead SEC play-by-play broadcaster for CBS from 2000 until his retirement from calling football following the 2016 season. He was so beloved by SEC fans across the nation that he earned the nickname "Uncle Verne".
Lundquist arrived on the scene nationally in 1974, working for ABC Sports, a position he held until 1981. The following year would be his first stint at CBS, where he covered regional NFL games and the Winter Olympics. He briefly moved to TNT before returning to the CBS network in 1998.
Lundquist's career also includes calling the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, the Masters and the PGA Championship.
As for the game, the 12-0 Georgia Bulldogs are looking for their second straight SEC championship and third straight national championship. The 11-1 Alabama Crimson Tide is looking to overcome an early season loss to Texas and return to the College Football Playoff for the first time since losing the championship to Georgia back in January of 2022.
