Bills give commemorative game ball to favorite Jim Nantz ahead of calling his 500th NFL game
"It's been a thrill."
Sunday's AFC wild-card round matchup between the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos will mark NFL game number 500 for legendary CBS announcer Jim Nantz.
Nantz, who's broadcasting career has spanned across multiple different sports over 40 years, called his first NFL game on October 16th, 1988 -- a 35-31 victory for the Indianapolis Colts over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fast forward to January 12th, 2025, and Nantz's prestigious career will reach a number that very few broadcasters ever will.
Over that 500 game span, the CBS legend has called 431 regular season games and 69 postseason games (with this Sunday's), including seven Super Bowls.
On Friday afternoon the Buffalo Bills posted on X about Nantz's career achievement, and shared some images of him pictured with QB Josh Allen, GM Brandon Beane, and Bills' COO Pete Guelli. In the images, Nantz is seen receiving a commemorative game ball that displays the milestone.
“Does this feel a lot different than Game 1?” Nantz asked himself in an interview with Awful Announcing. “Well, 500 is a playoff game. Game 500 is here in Buffalo, and we’re about to embark on what promises to be an exciting stretch over the next three weeks. Man, I’m just grateful. I’ve had so many experiences, firsts, and incredible moments in that window.”
Nantz has been announcing alongside color commentator and former NFL quarterback Tony Romo for 8 seasons, and has partnered with sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson for 11 seasons. The trio covered one of the Bills' most heartbreaking losses in recent memory, the 2021 AFC divisional playoff game versus the Kansas City Chiefs, better known as the 13 seconds game. Prior to sharing the booth with Romo, Nantz spent 13 years calling games with two-time Super Bowl champion Phill Simms.
Nantz also has an affinity for Billsmafia from the time the Bills organization supported him ,and when fans donated to his mother's charity, which helped Nantz mentally recover from his mother's death.
Nantz has made some epic calls announcing Bills games.
Nantz's 500th game kicks off at Highmark Stadium this Sunday at 1pm on CBS.
