CBS Sportscaster Named Saratoga Senior Center’s Man of the Year

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Jim Nantz, a CBS sportscaster famous for his coverage of The Masters and multiple Super Bowls, was named the Saratoga Senior Center’s Man of the Year during an event co-hosted by hometown hero Dottie Pepper at the Fasig-Tipton Pavilion last Thursday. Nantz was celebrated for his impactful work in Alzheimer’s advocacy. 

Pepper is a 1983 graduate of Saratoga Springs High School and member of the Blue Streak Hall of Fame. She won 17 championships on the LPGA Tour before joining CBS’ golf broadcasting team. 

In a nearly hour-long chat at Fasig-Tipton, Nantz hit upon a number of topics, including his philanthropic work, his distinguished career, and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Here are some highlights from his remarks

Dottie Pepper

“Dottie, you are such a shining star in my life… I just treasure the chance to work with you.”

His signature catchphrase, “Hello, friends”

“I was just trying to send a message to my father who was declining by the day, suffering from Alzheimer’s. When I left his bedside… I just said, ‘Dad, when I’m on the air this weekend, I’m looking at the camera and I’m going to say ‘Hello, friends’ and when I say that, I want you to know I’m thinking of you in that very moment… At the end of the day, I got a call from a colleague at CBS who said, ‘I watched you on the opening say ‘Hello, friends,’ what was the story there?’ I filled him in… He said, that sounded like you. You should do that again tomorrow. So I’ve done it every show since. My dad lost the battle in 2008. I still say it.”

His life and career

“Zelig, this old Woody Allen movie where he drops himself in all these incredible historical moments and scenes, or Forrest Gump, the same kind of thing – I feel like that’s my life… How did I end up on the victory platform, giving away the Lombardi Trophy and calling the Super Bowl? I’ve been broadcasting on nine of them. All I know is that it goes back to passion, obsession. I make a declaration, ‘This is what I’m going to do,’ and gratefully, blessedly, a lot of it, most of it, feels like it’s come true.”

His work as a broadcaster

“I’m into the story of the people. I like to find out what’s in their heart… What is it about them? Why should we root for them? I’m not a scoop guy. I’ll leave the scoops to the guys in the studio. I’m not trying to dig any dirt. I don’t even, I don’t want to know. I want to find the good side of people and cover the game.”

Bills quarterback Josh Allen

“One of the greatest human beings I’ve met… He’s on a very short list of people that I’m just blown away by how they handle themselves around people and the acts of goodness they do… He makes everyone in Buffalo feel special, never turns anyone away.”

Alzheimer’s

“There is such a rush of positive energy and momentum in the fight against Alzheimer’s. It’s remarkable. The last three years have been a rocketship. Things are happening.”

“When I got all-in on the fight for Alzheimer’s, I mean that is going to be the greatest win of all. That’s just the way I’ve lived my life, trying to figure out what it is I want to do, and do everything within my power to make it happen.”

The Saratoga Senior Center

“Thank you for what you do, all of you that support this thing with your time, checking up on people, checking up on your fellow citizens and residents, making sure that their lives are staying on track and they feel important, that they don’t feel the loneliness that far too many seniors in this country feel. It’s wonderful to know that when I think of Saratoga now… I’m going to think about the community and what is happening at the senior center.”