Brent Musburger Reminisces on 10 Years of SEC Network

Charlotte is the new home of the SEC network the Queen City of the South will now be the portal to the most passionate fans in sports the traditions and pageantry will echo through these halls and into your homes from great grandparents who sat around the radio to youngsters watching on their iPhone this is a network with a rich Foundation to build on a fan base built on rivalry but unified when the time is right a conference that has made Saturdays in the fall a week holiday 40 coaches and 102 players from this conference are honored in the College Football Hall of [Music] Fame and we look forward to telling you all the great stories about these marvelous athletes all the coaches in this conference and certainly the most passionate fans of the world now for the next few hours you're going to be in the very capable hands of our host for today Dar NOA and Maria Taylor take it away G and that was 10 years ago today it all began at the SEC network and the very first person you obviously saw was Brent musberger and we cannot tell you how happy we are to be looking live at Brent musberger I've always wanted to say that to you I grew up watching you do that Brent so great to see you how are you oh Paul what great memories thank you so much for uh for having me back you know I should call you Mr SEC you know oh but what a what a great founding you know when you think of those early days I I wondered if they were going to be able to if the ESPN folks were going to be able to pull it off not only did they pull it off look at how great the SEC network is today and all the workers behind the scenes that you've got the production team and the announcers they've done a fantastic job not not to mention the athletes and and Paul how about what have we got I can't keep track what have we got 16 teams now with the addition of uh Texas and Oklahoma wow what a conference this is we're only at 16 Brett but but but yeah I I was hired a year earlier I was the first person hired and then TBO was hired and when I heard they were talking uh about maybe getting you over here I'm like going there's no way Brent is ever going to do it and and I'm curious because I mean you you your career speaks for itself but but you not only uh took on that role but uh I've never seen a person embrace it more enjoyably than you did those years you were here you know Paul the greatest thing about my career is that I was able to do so many things in so many different areas of the country that's what I love now I lived for a time in Savannah Georgia because I want to live in the Deep South I want to experience it I knew how passionate the fans were and basically I'd been covering the NFL for years so when ESPN came to us and explained that they were going to go and do an SEC network I jumped at the opportunity to join it I thought you know if ever there was a conference that has a chance to make it big time it's the SEC not because of the great athletes great coaches all of that great universities it's because of the fan base down in that part of the country it was different I'd covered Michigan Ohio State for years as a writer as a radio broadcaster as a TV guy out of Chicago I knew what it was like Michigan Ohio State every year and then I went down and discovered Auburn Alabama and I said oh my this is the real deal you sure did and uh I mean so many so many great memories of of watching you and and when we got we got that that night uh here at the studio when we were watching you uh in studio and that they they they asked me a couple of minutes into the show will you go in there and talk to Bren musberger on like going I don't believe this uh and and then just to see you on the road so so often uh it it it was just uh such a thrill and I I I hated that uh when when you ended up leaving and obviously you you've had an amazing uh I I don't even know what chapter this is of your career but let's talk a little bit about what you're doing for a second Brent because uh you see nothing seems to stop you well you know they started B said my nephew and my brother and they had asked me to join up in the management team and create a gambling uh Network out of Las Vegas and I had lived in Las Vegas for a while I fact matter of fact I think I've lived everywhere but anyway I said okay let's go do it now little did I know that the Supreme Court uh was going to throw out Pasa I think that was the name of it and legalize gambling on Sports in the United States so it exploded to Paul and so did V now DraftKings bought it from us okay and then about 10 days ago they sold it back to us however I'm not one of the owners I leave that up to the younger guys right now Brian Musburger and Bill 80 are the key guys in that and I'll be on it from time to time still love going down to the Circa casino in Las Vegas that's the greatest sports book of the United States you know it's like it's like a theater and hey Paul tell some of your friends down there in the Southeast when they come out the circuit in Las Vegas and they want to watch Alabama or Old Miss or now Oklahoma or Tech go to Stadium swim stadium swim they can swim and they got these huge screens up there that they can watch they can watch the games on while they're swimming and they get a cold beer like you and I did that night of the founding of the SEC network it's awesome and I not to not to digress but all the times that while you were doing a game you you you didn't care what the boss has said you would touch it you would touch on the betting line but but now you you can't turn ESPN on without you know having it thrown at you exactly you know uh Paul not that I thought everybody was gambled right they don't but I always thought that people were interested in the line I I give you an anecdote it actually involves CBS not ESPN and it involves a championship game in the NFC that we were doing the NFL today was on the scene and then when it went down I said Greek what's the line on next week's Super Bowl and so he put the line out there and I got a call and oh the head of CBS he was Furious how could you do that I have told you I have warned you we cannot put the point spreads up on the air like that I said oh I forgot and next year Paul I did it all over again you know what I'm saying so well I me I mean when you when you mention that I mean listen I I mean every you you can't help but date yourself thinking about these things but I don't think I don't think the audience understands that the NFL today which you hosted with with Phyllis George and the Greek and Irv cross was I mean that was really the Forerunner of every single thing that we see now yeah there was a general manager Paul by the name of Paul Fine Bob actually and you would have done it before Bobby wler but Bobby wler later went to work for Turner down in Atlanta okay and became an executive down there and and he's the one Paul who who said you know we can do this pregame show live prior to that Pat sumerall and Jack Whitaker had taped the pregame show on Friday afternoon before they left for whatever games they were covering around the country and it was wler who said Brent do you think we can do it live and I said you know why not let's go for it and so uh so we did and now the guys have taken Paul I gotta tell you something I'm very happy that I don't have to host two or three hours I mean they go on forever now they're trying to sell those commercials I mean they spent so much money on the NFL can you believe can you believe what the TV rights are now today it's it's unbelievable and I did also know Paul Pete Rosell I knew really well really well when he was a PR guy with the Rams I was a newspaper man in Chicago he would come through and he would be telling us about the upcoming game if the Rams were coming in to play the bears but I would always run into pet at the racetrack so I know he knows something about gambling so when we went up to talk to him and asked for permission to put the Greek up I knew he would knot his head and say yes and uh it then it's gone from there but uh the NFL today was was great I uh I enjoyed every minute but I was blessed to have people like Irv cross and Phyllis Jimmy the greatek later will mcdna uh was also a part of the cast up there and the crew at that was always great Mike Wallace I always thought to this day that Mike Wallace might be a better he would always come in on Sunday afternoon before you know and he would always kind of poke around and ask us what we thought you know what I'm saying I bet was uh brenon I want to before you go um there's so many memories not only that night but a couple weeks later we were in Colombia South Carolina you did the first uh game broadcast uh on the network A&M uh at South Carolina I mean there there were so many other memories I just just let's go back to that moment in time for you and and just uh your your thoughts on those first couple of years well you know speaking of South Carolina I had never Paul done a done a game there okay so I guess um I didn't anticipate the kind of experience that we had you know I I knew about Alabama and I knew about Auburn I knew about Georgia I knew about LSU and you know I've been around those spots a lot but holy Toledo I can still remember the Caboose out at the side of that Stadium you know what I'm saying I mean and it the crowd was you there was pack stadium and then you know they weren't contending for a national championship or anything there was another one of those SEC teams but the fan base and it just goes completely throughout the conference now before we close I am hopeful that the SEC will join the Big 10 and go to nine conference games that's Brent's Hope from afar I love the conference games and my dog just joined me back there that that's a dog so he's a Georgia fan you know what I'm saying and he just barked if he picked it up down there but anyway that's what I'm hoping that the SEC does I the more conference games the better because I enjoyed every SEC game that I ever did BR I I think we're not I think we're pretty close to that uh and only because of all the things that you've already alluded to with TV that did we not go to it sooner but I think I'm going because you were the first voice and this is the first segment on our first show of of the 11th year I'm going to I'm going to toss it back to you and I think you've done this once or twice before I'm going to let I'm gonna let Brent mburger wrap the segment up and send it to the break you think you can do that 10 years ago ladies and gentlemen this great network was founded and Mr SEC Paul fine bomb will take it from here we'll be right back