Gary Danielson’s second year calling Big Ten games on CBS will also be his last. With nearly two decades of experience in the SEC, Danielson has always worked to avoid being pigeonholed as merely an “SEC guy.” He focused on calling the game impartially, resisting past allegiances or conference biases. He announced his retirement last week, revealing plans to step aside after the 2025 season to make way for Charles Davis, who will join the esteemed Brad Nessler.
Danielson explained that he preferred to leave on his own terms rather than risk overstaying his welcome and losing his edge. Reflecting on his approach during an appearance on David Pollack’s See Ball Get Ball podcast, he stated, “One of the things that I tried to do is not to pretend to be an SEC guy. I thought that was an insult to the SEC fans… I didn’t earn that. You (Pollack) earned that by playing in this league; you grew up. I tried to call balls and strikes and stay in the middle.”
“Did it work perfect? Maybe not. You know, the social media kind of ran with it. But it worked good for me. I respected everything about the whole league,” he added. Despite feeling he’s still at the peak of his profession, Danielson is content to step away. “I’ve been nominated for Emmys six times — and never won, but that’s still an honor for a college announcer to get that,” he shared on The Varsity podcast. “The Big Ten treated us royally. It was fantastic. When I was playing, I missed a lot of what my kids were doing… And now my grandkids are starting high school, all here locally.”
“And I go, ‘This might be the perfect time.’ I really felt that I would rather leave a couple of years early than one year late, where people would start saying, ‘He doesn’t have it. He should’ve retired.’ I have the ability to do that, to walk away. Everything seems fine. I’m thrilled with Charles Davis stepping in. Honestly, there might have been some other candidates I wouldn’t have felt great about, but not Charles. It just seemed right.” As Danielson prepares to conclude his career, he leaves behind a legacy as a prominent voice in college football, one who always stayed true to his principles and never pretended to be something he wasn’t.
