Merton Laverne Lundquist Jr., known professionally as Verne Lundquist (born July 17, 1940), is an American former sportscaster best known for his four-decade run with CBS Sports.
Nicknamed “The Golden Throat” and, more affectionately in later years, “Uncle Verne,” he called some of the most iconic moments in college football, college basketball, and golf before retiring in 2024.
Who is Verne Lundquist?
Verne Lundquist is a retired American sportscaster whose career stretched across roughly six decades and multiple networks, including ABC, CBS, and TNT.
He is remembered for a handful of unmistakable calls, including Jack Nicklaus’s 1986 Masters birdie (“Maybe… YES, SIR!”), Christian Laettner’s 1992 buzzer-beater against Kentucky, and Tiger Woods’s chip-in at the 2005 Masters (“In your life, have you ever seen anything like that?”).
He spent the final and longest stretch of his national career as CBS’s lead voice for the SEC on CBS college football package and as one of the network’s signature voices at the Masters Tournament, a role he held for 40 years before stepping away in April 2024.
Early Life of Verne Lundquist
Lundquist was born on July 17, 1940, in Duluth, Minnesota. His family later moved to Everett, Washington, and then to Austin, Texas, where he grew up and attended Austin High School.
His father was a Lutheran pastor who served as president of the Texas Synod of the Augustana Lutheran Church, and Lundquist has described a Christian upbringing centered on his father’s ministry.
After high school, he enrolled at Texas Lutheran University (then Texas Lutheran College), where he helped found the Omega Tau Fraternity in 1958 and earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1962.
He briefly attended Augustana Seminary in Rock Island, Illinois, that same year, and also worked as a disc jockey at radio station WOC in Davenport, Iowa, during his college years.
He is now a former member of Texas Lutheran’s Board of Regents, having received the school’s Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Verne Lundquist Age
Verne Lundquist is 85 years old as of July 3, 2026, having been born on July 17, 1940. His birthday falls later this month, so he has not yet reached 86.
He has been fully retired from broadcasting since calling his 40th and final Masters Tournament in April 2024.
Verne Lundquist Ethnicity and Nationality
Lundquist is an American, born and raised in the United States. He grew up in a Lutheran household shaped by his father’s work as a pastor and church synod president.
Beyond his nationality and religious upbringing, detailed information about his ethnic background is not publicly documented.
Verne Lundquist Education
Lundquist graduated from Austin High School in Austin, Texas, before attending Texas Lutheran University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology in 1962.
He briefly studied at Augustana Seminary in Rock Island, Illinois, that same year, though he ultimately pursued broadcasting rather than ministry.
Texas Lutheran later honored him with its Distinguished Alumnus Award, and he served for years on the university’s Board of Regents.
Verne Lundquist Career
Breakthrough and Early Career
Lundquist began his broadcasting career as a sports anchor in Austin for KTBC before moving to WFAA-TV in Dallas, where he served as sports director for 16 years.
During this stretch, he also became the radio voice of the Dallas Cowboys, joining the Cowboys Radio Network in 1967 and remaining with the team through the 1984 season, including the franchise’s Super Bowl XII championship run in the 1977 season.
From 1970 to 1974, he hosted the local sports show “Bowling for Dollars” on WFAA-TV, using the platform to interview Cowboys players and head coach Tom Landry at practices and games.
That local visibility helped him move to the national stage. Lundquist joined ABC Sports in 1974, where he worked until 1981, before signing with CBS Sports in 1982.
Notable Broadcasts and Career Highlights
At CBS, and later during a stint at TNT from 1995 to 1997, Lundquist called an unusually wide range of sports, including NFL and NBA games, college football and basketball, golf, and figure skating.
He served as lead figure skating announcer for the 1992, 1994, and 1998 Winter Olympics, work that was later parodied on Saturday Night Live by Darrell Hammond in a recurring sketch.
Some of his calls became permanent parts of sports history. His 1986 Masters call of Jack Nicklaus’s birdie on the 17th hole (“Maybe… YES, SIR!”) and his 1992 call of Christian Laettner’s buzzer-beating shot for Duke against Kentucky are both frequently ranked among the greatest calls in broadcasting.
He is equally well known for his 2005 Masters call of Tiger Woods’s chip-in on the 16th hole at Augusta National.
Lundquist joined the CBS Sports Masters broadcast team in 1983 and called the tournament every year except 1997 and 1998, ultimately covering it 40 times.
He also appeared as himself, commentating on fictional golf action, in the 1996 film “Happy Gilmore” and reprised that role in the 2025 sequel, “Happy Gilmore 2.”
Recent Work and Retirement
Lundquist became the lead play-by-play voice for the SEC on CBS college football package in 2000 and held that role through the 2016 season, retiring from college football after calling the Army-Navy Game on December 10, 2016.
In March 2018, he announced he would step away from calling college basketball as well, citing recovery from back surgery. He continued to call golf for CBS, working the PGA Championship through 2021 and the Masters through 2024.
On February 14, 2024, CBS announced that Lundquist’s 40th Masters, that April, would be his final broadcast, marking his full retirement from the network and from sports broadcasting generally.
He has said the decision was made in coordination with then-CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus, who also departed the network around the same time.
Verne Lundquist Awards and Recognition
Lundquist’s honors span decades of sports broadcasting recognition. He was named Texas Sportscaster of the Year seven consecutive times, from 1977 to 1983, by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, which later inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2007.
He also holds spots in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame (2005), the Texas Radio Hall of Fame (2003), and the Sun Bowl Hall of Fame (2005).
In May 2016, he received the Sports Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement at the Sports Emmy Awards ceremony.
In 2014, Fordham University’s WFUV Radio presented him with the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting, and in 2015 he and longtime broadcast partner Gary Danielson received the Maxwell Football Club’s Excellence in Broadcasting award.
He was also honored with induction into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, and in March 2019 he helped launch the Verne Lundquist Institute for Sports Media in Austin, Texas.
Verne Lundquist Wife
Lundquist has been married three times. According to widely reported accounts, his first marriage was to Patricia Lundquist, reportedly from 1967 to 1971, and his second was to Kathy Vernon, reportedly from 1972 to 1980.
Neither of those earlier marriages is documented in detail in higher-authority sources, so those dates should be treated as reported rather than fully confirmed.
His current wife is Nancy Lundquist, whom he married in 1982. The couple lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where they have served together on the board of directors of the Strings Music Festival, a summer chamber music festival, and were once named the Yampa Valley Community Foundation’s “Philanthropist of the Year.”
Verne Lundquist Children
Verne and Nancy Lundquist have a son together, Vaughan Matthew Lundquist. Beyond his name, detailed public information about his life and career is not widely available, as the family has generally kept its personal life private.
Verne Lundquist Net Worth
Verne Lundquist’s estimated net worth is around $5 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
He built his fortune through a remarkable broadcasting career spanning several decades with CBS Sports, where he became renowned for covering college football, the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Masters Tournament.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Verne Lundquist’s net worth?
Verne Lundquist’s estimated net worth is $20 million as of 2026.
How old is Verne Lundquist?
Verne Lundquist is 85 years old as of July 2026, born on July 17, 1940, in Duluth, Minnesota.
Who is Verne Lundquist married to?
He is married to Nancy Lundquist, whom he wed in 1982. It was reportedly his third marriage.
What projects has Verne Lundquist been part of?
He is best known for calling college football’s SEC on CBS package, the Masters Tournament, and college basketball for CBS. He also appeared as himself in “Happy Gilmore” (1996) and “Happy Gilmore 2” (2025).
Where was Verne Lundquist born?
He was born in Duluth, Minnesota, and grew up largely in Austin, Texas.
When did Verne Lundquist retire?
He retired fully from broadcasting in April 2024, after calling his 40th and final Masters Tournament for CBS.
The Bottom Line
Verne Lundquist built his reputation on a small number of unforgettable calls, from Jack Nicklaus’s 1986 Masters birdie to Christian Laettner’s 1992 buzzer-beater and Tiger Woods’s 2005 Masters chip-in. Those moments, paired with four decades at CBS, earned him a place in the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame and a 2016 Sports Emmy for Lifetime Achievement.
Away from the microphone, Lundquist has kept a relatively low profile, splitting his life between his broadcasting duties and his home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, with his wife, Nancy. He has also stayed connected to Texas Lutheran University, his alma mater, where he once served on the Board of Regents.
Since retiring after the 2024 Masters, Lundquist has stepped away from regular broadcasting, closing out a run that spanned ABC, CBS, and TNT. His voice remains one of the most recognizable in American sports history.
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