I was gonna ask you about the Rock of Fame.

We hatched an idea to where, uh, we can bring people together at the end of the day.

The short course is called The Gjallarhorn, which if you ever watch the Minnesota Vikings and the way they open up their games with the skull chant and the blowing of this giant Viking-like horn that sends a signal out to everyone within earshot range, in our case here at Tipatanka, that we're beginning the phase of the day when we all come together as one in what's called Hog Heaven.

And it's a bar, and it's an area where you're going to be encouraged to just get to know everybody there.

Mm-hmm.

And now, all of a sudden, everybody's gonna have their chance.

They're gonna be introduced.

"Now coming in from Los Angeles, California, Chad Mumm," and, "Hey," everybody raises a glass.

So even though you're going to the Vikings, we're Houston at heart.

Well, I've got two of my favorite guys sitting there sharing the microphone today, and you and Michael Patrick.

So I wish I could be there in person, but sending you guys best wishes, that's for sure.

Jim, thanks for all that you've done for your community.

It's amazing.

Jim Nance is going to do 60 Masters tournaments, and who knows how many Super Bowls, Jim.

I love it.

Well, I'm at seven right now on the call, which has been a gift I did never expect as a young boy.

I mean, it looks amazing out there, and it is a classic Midwestern course, isn't it? I mean, you need your driver to succeed at Bellerive.

Yes, it is, and I feel like I know, like, every hole on the course, but I'm gonna get out there on Friday and revisit and walk through the course again and, and get familiar with all the holes, 'cause it has been eight years.

Uh, but it is, it's a classic design.

It's got a rich record.

You know, you go back to '65 when Gary Player won, uh, the PGA Championship there.

So, um- Actually won the US Open there.

So you go back to '65, you have '08 you had a BMW event and Camilo Villegas won, and then Koepka, and now here we go again.

Can you take us behind the scenes as to what it takes, what it requires to put on an event of this magnitude from a television standpoint?

[laughs]

Um, so, uh, it doesn't feel real.

And I even told him that.

We did a, a Q&A together for the sponsor at the draw party on Tuesday, and I said, "Man, I've known you a long time.

You've been in my home a number of times." I've been at his home.

He asked me in 2015, he won the US Congressional Gold Medal.

It was the 150th in the history of the United States to receive that award.

Yep

It still must, after all these years, be great to be sitting with Jack and just talking about golf for 15 or 20 minutes.

Well, it doesn't feel real.

First off, he stayed for three hours both Saturday and Sunday.

Um, so, uh, it doesn't feel real.

And I even told him that.

We did a, a Q&A together for the sponsor at the draw party on Tuesday, and I said, "Man, I've known you a long time.

You've been in my home a number of times." I've been in his home.

Yep

But your question to Tom, your call of the hole, your call of the shot, your call of the putt, you've got to be somewhat proud of how you did in that initial

hour.

Well, I think when I look back at what that moment meant to me, it truly was one of the greatest days of my life to be part of the CBS golf team and be trusted by – entrusted by – Frank Trekinian, to be on that broadcast.

I mean, I was even four years out of a dormitory at the University of Houston, and now I'm sitting at the 16th hour trying to help document Jack Nicklaus' historic run and working with the likes of Pat Summerall and Ken Venturi.

I mean, it was a big assignment.

I'm not going to kid you.

I'm a little surprised now that I look back all these years later.

to

And then you heard Freddy Couples, uh, before that say like, "Rory might never lose this thing again." Was the thought that Rory hadn't played his best golf yet and he's still in the lead, uh, the whole narrative for you going into Sunday? Or how do you kind of break down what Rory has become seemingly at Augusta immediately after becoming a mender, uh, member and finally getting that weight off his back?

back?Well, my biggest concern with Rory going in was the fact that he had a back injury in March that limited his play, and I didn't think he was gonna be 100%.

Uh, that was not an issue at all, like it was for another player there, Collin Morikawa, who somehow gutted out a top 10 finish.

But that was my only concern with Rory, and it's... you know, it's interesting hearing those remarks from, from Andy North, and what, what Fred had to say as well.

This is a guy that can win without his best stuff.

I mean, he had that six-shot lead at the midway point.

And, uh, you know, some people thought he'd run away with it, but Rory likes to just do the unexpected.

How is it gonna feel next year in the AFC North without those two legendary coaches being there?

So beautiful, man.

Now, that's what we are.

We're storytellers.

We're not, we're not spewing stats.

We're trying to tell people what's inside of their hearts and what this moment contextually means.

And, um, I happened to be at both of those.

I call that one the return to glory because, uh, his kids had never seen him be the champion golfer that he, that he was, like we knew him.

Uh, is there something that happened maybe young in your career that was like, "All right, I'm finally doing this thing"?

Absolute legend.

Most of it is coming freelance.

Like, you're watching Rory last year, and I believe I said something in the moment like, "The long journey is over.

McIlroy has his masterpiece." So it was a little bit of an alliteration.

I didn't know what I was gonna say there.

The one that I did truly plan out was in 1997 when Tiger won for the first time.

He had a gigantic lead going into Sunday, and I knew that the next day was going to be this, um-Day that truly transcended the sport.

So good

When it's over, where did you go?

I never saw Weisskopf after that show.

First off, as a young boy with, you know, not the ability to go travel anywhere we wanted, but my parents knew my love of golf especially my love of golf broadcasting.

And during my spring breaks of my youth, we would get in a car from our home in New Jersey and drive to Florida, wherever the Florida Swing was located that week.

Two days driving down there, and they would take me to the old, the Jacksonville Open, or Jackie Gleason, Envery Classic, or Doral.

I would run around and watch these players that I really looked up to, but I really would hang out at the bottom of these towers, these announced towers.

So now I'm in one, and I'm communicating with Tom Weiskopf, who happened to be one of my golf heroes, on the air.

And it started on the first hole when he made six.

that's the model I always wanted.

Pulling this story up, in 95 at the Colonial Tournament, my father suffered a stroke while I was on the air.

Just a hot, steamy day.

I had no idea that he was suffering.

I was on the air with Ken Venturi.

And as soon as we signed off, Frank Trekinian, the legendary producer-director of whispered in my ear and said, Jimmy, I just want you to know your father's going to be okay, but he collapsed at the base of your tower and he was taken to a local hospital.

He's going to be fine.

When we come back, Jim Nance is going to read this stupid thing that I wrote right here on the Vanity Index podcast.

I was wondering what were your recollections of this moment, Jim?

Yeah, I, I, I know that I got to share that moment with, with Jim, and I was reminded of that a few times, you know, when I would see him years, years down the road.

But my, my memory of him was something that happened away from the football field.

Uh, my father had passed away.... uh, it- it- w- the like eight- eight months before that Super Bowl.

And I'd written a book about my father.

You remember, you've... we're very generous to talk about him a lot, Always By My Side.

And when my father passed away, it's amazing what that moment means to you when- when- when you lose a parent and people you hear from, and you're gutted and you- you...

(laughs)

No.

It wouldn't be, because there'd be all this ambient sound, there'd be all this energy and excitement, and you would naturally feel like you have to push your voice to cut through that.

I never have given that a thought in my life.

I just go with whatever the environment feels like, and where I feel like I've gotta take my voice.

And Augusta's not a screaming place.

Golf isn't a screaming sport.

It's much more mellow.

Yeah.

You could call one Masters or one more Super Bowl.

The, the...

I think you know the answer to that.

I mean, I'll let you answer it.

You know the answer to that.

And as, uh...

Listen, I've been (smacks lips) given the blessing of having, I think it's the fourth most Super Bowl calls of all time, tied with Curt Gowdy, so, um, (smacks lips) i- i- i- th- they'll, they're, they're all special, but I wouldn't trade the Masters for anything in, in the world.

Yeah.

You could call one more Masters or one more Super Bowl.

The, the...

I think you know the answer to that.

I mean, I'll let you answer it.

You know the answer to that.

And as I...

Listen.

Yeah.