Verne Lundquist – Bio, Failed Marriages, Career, Net Worth, Other facts

• Verne Lundquist was first an athlete for playing baseball and basketball and later a DJ WOC in Davenport, Iowa, before taking to sportscasting in the 60s.
• He built a solid career in sportscasting, but he was unable to replicate that in his marriage to Patricia Lundquist and Kathy Vernon, with the exception of Nancy Lundquist whom he has been married to since 1982.
• The 84 year-old has taken a bow from calling college basketball and football, although he is still active calling The Masters and the PGA Championship for CBS Sports since 2018.

Verne Lundquist has one of the most amazing careers ever in sports broadcasting where he successfully was the play-by-play man for SEC football for almost 2 decades from 1999 to 2016. Little wonder even at his current age of  84, his name has not been forgotten and his work in sportscasting continues. It is also the reason why he has an estimated net worth of more than $1 million to show with a series of achievements such as becoming a hall of fame and becoming popular as The Golden Throat.

While he has established a great level of career success in his career, the same may not necessarily be the outcome of his first two marriages that failed. Let’s have a peek into his biography, career, and all his marriages and children.

He Was Born in Minnesota to a Lutheran Preacher

Merton Laverne Lundquist Jr. was born on 17 July 1940 in Duluth, Minnesota to a Lutheran reverend from Kansas and a mother from Clarkfield, Minnesota. His parents became married in 1939 and had him a year after.

As part of his father’s works, his father served as a student pastor in Duluth after graduating from the Augsburg College in Minneapolis in 1939. His father’s works as a preacher at first influenced him to attend Augustana Seminary in Rock Island, III in 1962 before it dawned on him that it may not be his calling.

Before attending the seminary, however, Verne attended Austin High School, Austin, Texas, and later went to Texas Lutheran University which was previously known as Texas Lutheran College, and graduated in 1962.

He Was an Athlete and Disk Jockey Before His Career as Sports Anchor

At a time, Lundquist was an active athlete who participated in baseball and basketball. His experiment with life and career led him to become a disc jockey at WOC in Davenport, Iowa.

In 1963, Lundquist started a TV career on Labour Day, and in 1967, he joined the Cowboys Radio Network where he spent 7 years. Fast forward to 1974, Verne Lundquist’s fame increased as much as his experience which helped him secure a  job calling college football for ABC.

His career landed him roles in 3 separate Winter Olympics in 1992, 1994, and 1998 and has equally covered 2 PGA Championship for TNT. Rather than stopping there, Verne pushed further until he could make out of himself a remarkable play-by-play announcer on CBS Sports coverage of college football on the SEC CBS for almost 2 decades. His retirement from college call.

In his career, he has often been praised for his unique, soft but powerful voice with the deliverance of sports announcements with few words. His voice has further been described numerous times as “golden”.

His Career Won Him Awards

• Lundquist was inducted into the Sun Bowl Hall of Fame (2005)
• He was named Texas Sportscaster of the Year for his accomplishments (1977–1983)
• He was inducted into the Texas Sportscaster its Hall of Fame in 2007
• Lundquist delivered the commencement address at Hampden–Sydney College and terms in one of his greatest achievements (In May 2011)

Verne Lundquist Net Worth and Where He is Now

Right from 1963, Verne Lundquist had started earning from his sports broadcasting career which result in a net worth estimated at above $1 million.

Apart from calling and announcements in sports, he also had a career in film as a commentator in Happy Gilmore (1996). He also served as a play-by-play announcer in a basketball video game NBA Live 98 and College Hoops 2K8 video game.

At present, he is retired from calling college basketball and football but is still active calling The Masters and the PGA Championship for CBS Sports since 2018.

All Verne Lundquist 3 Marriages and Why The First 2 Failed

He Was Married To Patricia Lundquist For 4 Years

Patricia Lundquist is the first wife of Verne and was married from 1967 to 1971. The former couple’s marriage lasted only a few years before it was visited by a divorce. However, the media has not gotten a hold of the reason for the divorce.

Kathy Vernon Was His Second Wife

A year after his first divorce, Lundquist became married to Kathy Vernon in 1972. The marriage lasted until 1980 when for the second time, Lundquist had a divorce. Like the first, there is no information as to why the divorce happened.

He Has Been Married to Nancy Lundquist For Almost 3 Decades

In 1982, Verne became married to Nancy Miller who is otherwise known as Nancy Lundquist. They had met 2 years back at a bar in Dallas when she was on a blind date with someone else.

Although sources give different reports as to the son of Verne, Vaughen Matthew Lundquist’s mother, many maintain that he was birthed by Nancy as a result of her marriage to Lundquist.

5 Fast Facts About the Sportscaster

• Rumors juggle that he may have been married 4 times with a certain Bette Lorriane Higgins as his first wife. This claim has however not been verified.
• He called a PGA Championship in May 2021 that led Phil Mickelson to make the history of becoming the oldest major champion in golf history at the age of 50 years and 11 months.
• Verne Lundquist has had many notable broadcasting partners in his career that including Tommy Heinston, Charlie Waters, Billy Parker, and Clark Kellog.
• He had back surgery in November 2017.
• He stands at a height that is above 5’6 feet.

Complete profile of Verne Lundquist