Verne Lundquist is a popular American sportscaster with over 5 decades of experience in broadcasting. Ever since he started his media career in 1962, there has been no stopping him; he has gone on to work for several networks. He used to be the lead play-by-play announcer for CBS college football coverage before he retired from broadcasting college football games in 2016.
He has won numerous awards for his commentaries which include Texas Sportscaster of the Year from 1977 to 1983. In 2007, he was inducted into the National Sportscaster and Sportswriter Association Hall of Fame.
Verne Lundquist Biography
Merton Laverne Lundquist Jr popularly known as Verne Lundquist was born on July 17, 1940, in Duluth Minnesota, United States of America. He holds an American nationality and belongs to the North American ethnicity. He attended Austin High School, Texas. After graduating from high school he attended Texas Lutheran University. During his days at the University, he was quite influential and went on to become a co-founder of the Omega Tau Fraternity which was founded in 1958. He eventually graduated from the University in 1962. He is currently a member of the board of regents for his old alma mater.
After his graduation from the Texas Lutheran University in 1962, Lundquist attended Augustana Seminary in Rock Island, Illinois where his father was a pastor of the Augustana Lutheran Church. While at the seminary, he put his talent to good use by preaching during seminary classes and captivating members of the seminary with his use of words.
He kick-started his broadcasting career at KTBC TV where he worked as a sports director before moving to WFAA-TV. For 12 years, he worked as a sports anchor AT WDAA-TV and was awarded a prestigious award for his unrivaled contribution towards the growth and success of the organization. In 1974, he moved to ABC Sports where he worked as a commentator on the sports show, Bowling for Dollars, in Dallas, Texas which aired on the ABC station. He worked at ABC Sports for 7 years.
In 1982, he was offered a contract by the CBS network and worked for the network for 13 years before he was moved to TNT in 1995. His stint at TNT was quite short, and in 1998, he completed a move back to the CBS network which according to him provided a perfect platform for his career. He works as a sports anchor for the CBS network delivering commentaries for The Masters and PGA Championships. He also runs commentary for sports like boxing, gymnastics, swimming, diving, and horse racing.
On December 10, 2016, Lundquist retired from calling college football games after he called the Army-Navy game. He, however, promised to contribute to all other CBS sports programs including golf and college basketball programs. Nevertheless, he was unable to work on the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament as a result of the back surgery he had in November 2017.
Salary and Net Worth
There are no official records showing how much salary he is being paid by the CBS network but with a net worth of around $1.5 million, it’s safe to assume that his salary is really a bumper sum.
Verne Lundquist Partner and Children
Verne Lundquist has been married three times in his life. He got married to his first wife Patricia on June 24, 1967, the marriage, however, was short-lived and came to an abrupt end with the couple going their separate ways on July 23, 1971. Shortly after that, he got married to his second wife Kathy Vernon on March 10, 1972. They stayed together for around eight years of marriage before their love turned sour and they got divorced on November 26, 1980.
In 1982, he got married to his third and present wife, Nancy Lundquist whom he met in a bar in Arthur’s in 1980. The couple has been able to keep the love in their marriage fresh, something which Lundquist claims is a result of good mutual understanding and relationship with each other.
He is blessed with a son by the name of Vaughan Matthew Lundquist who he had with his lovely wife Nancy Lundquist.
Height and Weight
With a height of 5 feet and 9 inches, Verne Lundquist can be considered as being quite tall. If we talk about his weight, we will come to know that he weighs a little above 500 pounds which makes him a very big man, however, he doesn’t let that deter him from carrying out his work dutifully.
