In an era when broadcasters are urged to say outrageous things, Greg Gumbel never seemed to cave to pressure to achieve the bare minimum. If you’ve watched the major sporting events of the past 40 years, you’ve probably seen Gumbel anchoring.

He just passed away at the age of 78. Chicago sports fans of a certain age will remember him from his days at Channel 5 (local NBC) before he joined the national crew at CBS.

I’m sure the tributes will be plentiful and insightful. Even though he hasn’t been a part of the NCAA tournament this past year, come March it will feel a little weird without him.

R,I,P Greg and thanks for not pandering to the least common denominator.