Jim Nantz Reveals Epic Story Behind Odd Item Hanging on His Office Wall

How the longtime CBS broadcaster got it to his house is still a mystery, though.

At this point, Jim Nantz is a household name in the sports world. The longtime CBS Sports broadcaster is set to call Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, and ahead of the Big Game, he took a trip down memory lane and showed off an intriguing memento from the job offer.

For a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Nantz spoke with Sam Farmer and showed the longtime NFL reporter around his office. While there, Nantz explained the story behind an old public phone mounted on his wall. 

Nantz recalled how he was working as a broadcaster in Utah but was covering a game at Giants Stadium in New Jersey in 1985 when he got a message that he needs to call CBS executive Ted Shaker. In the pre-cellphone era, the nearest phone he could find was an emergency phone box. He got permission to use it and then punched in his credit card number to call Shaker. 

Look what Jim Nantz has on his wall. pic.twitter.com/PRUzfNPMwi

— Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) February 6, 2024

“He says, ‘Well, I hope you can hear me. Welcome to CBS,’” Nantz recalled. 

The phone call forever changed the landscape of sports media. But how he got the phone box from Giants Stadium to his home remains a mystery. 

Nantz will tackle Super Bowl LVIII play-by-play duties for CBS alongside color commentator Tony Romo, with kickoff scheduled for Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.