Throwback Thursday: You’re gonna miss Gary Danielson
03/27/2025
(Photo credit: ncaa.com)
By Chris Marler
Yesterday, longtime CBS college football color analyst Gary Danielson announced his retirement after the 2025 season.
For nearly two decades, Danielson has been a scapegoat for irrational outbursts and emotional meltdowns from SEC fans. I’ve always felt he received a bad rap and faced unfair criticism. Call me crazy, but I don’t believe a Purdue graduate who spent 15 years playing professionally in cities like Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland could have been a closet Alabama fan. But what do I know?
One reason Danielson attracted so much misguided hate was the nature of his commentary. For 20 years, the SEC Game of the Week was must-see television every Saturday at 3:30 ET/2:30 CT, with high stakes almost every weekend.
I do miss the CBS games, but like most fans, I miss the iconic theme song even more. I miss how significant those three-plus hours felt every Saturday in the fall. I miss the buildup, stress, and anxiety tied to what those three hours meant for my favorite team each week, year after year.
But my nostalgia for CBS isn’t merely about the network; it’s about what it represented personally, culturally, and emotionally.
It’s the same reason I miss Vern Lundquist. His voice, that distinctive laugh, and his frequent mispronunciation of player names are fond memories for many of us.
His voice narrated some of the best moments of our lives—or, at the very least, some of the most memorable ones.
I can’t recall what I had for breakfast this morning, and I struggle to remember any passwords for Microsoft Teams. Yet, I can vividly tell you where I was, who I was with, and what happened during iconic moments like the Kick Six, 4th and 25, or the Dobbnail Boot in Sanford Stadium as called by Vern and Gary.
You’re going to miss Gary Danielson. We all will; we just don’t know it yet.
It’s akin to missing the Rose Bowls with Keith Jackson or Saturday nights with Ron Franklin and Mark Gottfried. Not only do we miss them, but we also remember those absurd debates between Lou Holtz and Mark May on College Football Final at 2 AM with great fondness.
You might think you’ll never miss Gary Danielson, but you likely also never thought you would miss the BCS or those forgettable post-Christmas and pre-New Year’s Eve bowl games that seemed to matter. We miss all those experiences.
I never imagined I would miss Jefferson Pilot games from 15-20 years ago. It’s hard to picture explaining to my 15-year-old self that the grainy broadcast of a 31-27 instant classic between Ole Miss and Vanderbilt, featuring three guys in the same oversized collared shirts and similar borderline-diabetic body types, would become a cherished core memory.
Gary Danielson isn’t Keith Jackson, nor is he one of the Jefferson Pilot Daves. He exists somewhere in between.
Regardless, the 20 years he spent in our homes and at our tailgates are woven into the fabric of the football Saturdays we love so much. And much like an annoying relative who drives you crazy with their Facebook posts or political debates at Thanksgiving, Gary will likely be remembered far more fondly down the road than he is right now.