Dallas Cowboys Broadcasting Legend Verne Lundquist Calls Final Masters Golf

Before becoming the voice of The Masters, Verne Lundquist called Dallas Cowboys games on the radio.

Mar 19, 2014; Buffalo, NY, USA; Bill Raftery and Verne Lundquist prepare during practice before the / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Verne Lundquist played his final hole on Sunday, ending a lauded broadcasting career in style at the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Lundquist called his 40th and final Masters for CBS Sports over the weekend, his planned final event of a career that partly began as the radio voice of the Dallas Cowboys.

Lundquist's departure partly overshadowed a one-sided event won by top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, with Jim Nantz and Tiger Woods among those paying tribute as his final afternoon at Augusta played out.

“Verne wrote a book back in 2018 called Play by Play," Nantz said during Sunday's broadcast. "The last line in the book, that you wrote Verne, I want to apply it to you. Thanks, to borrow a phrase, thanks for the memories. Your voice has been a beautiful instrument. Thank you for a wonderful soundtrack for all of our lives."

Mar 20, 2014; Buffalo, NY, USA; Sportscaster Verne Lundquist works in the second half of a men's / Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Woods' thank you to Lundquist has become a bit of an internet meme, as the equally lauded golfer's handshake with the broadcaster sees the latter blocked a tree with only his arm visible.

Long before he became an Augusta mainstay, Lundquist called Pokes games on the Cowboys Radio Network from 1969 through 1983. Lundquist narrated the team's Super Bowl run in 1977-78, though his most famous call as a Cowboys announcer came in the following season, when he referred to tight end Jackie Smith as "the sickest man in America" after he dropped a crucial would-be touchdown pass during the 35-31 loss to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XIII.

In addition to his Cowboy duties, Lundquist left his mark on Texas sports broadcasting as a sports anchor for Dallas' WFAA and Austin's KTBC. He would play that local success into a renowned national career that saw him primarily work with CBS.

Lundquist was perhaps best known to modern audiences for his time as the primary play-by-play for the network's weekly SEC game of the week, as well as the annual Army-Navy Game, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, and the Winter Olympics.

Some of his more recent notable calls included George Mason's 2006 Elite Eight upset victory over Connecticut on the hardwood ("By George, the dream is alive!") and Auburn's runback of a missed Alabama field goal during the 2013 Iron Bowl ("An answered prayer!").