Steve Sands’ first meeting with Jim Nantz is the only one he remembers

Steve Sands has been a staple of the golf broadcasting world for a long time. But before Steve Sands became a mainstay on the Golf Channel, he was a college student with a dream of making it big in broadcasting and working with one of his “heroes,” Jim Nantz.

Sands joined the latest episode of GOLF subparagraph podcast and recalled a story of the first time he met Nantz as a college student. It is a story that only one of them remembers. After sneaking into the 1990 Final Four in Denver with his friends, Sands saw Nantz preparing to broadcast the main event in college basketball.

“I leaned over the rope and I go, ‘Mr. Nantz! Mr. Nantz!’ He gave me one of these (head tap) and said, ‘What’s up kid?’ And I said, ‘I’ll work with you one day!’ It was the only thing I could think to say. And he said, ‘This is a great kid, keep me posted.'”

Eleven years later, Sands was just starting out on the Golf Channel and covering the RBC Heritage at Harbor Town Golf Links. Nantz arrived to cover the tournament for CBS over the weekend, and Sands brought up their first meeting in the 1990 Final Four. It was a meeting that, understandably, was not burned into Nantz’s memory.

I go to him and I go, ‘Mr. Nantz’. And he says, “Steve Sands.” I go, “How do you know?” He says, “You’re on the golf channel.” I love the Golf Channel. You are young.’ And I said, ‘You know, we met 11 years ago in the Final Four at McNichols Arena.’ He almost pretended to remember. It was enough to make me feel good that he somehow remembered. He was like grinding on her. He faked it a little. Jim Nantz has always been one of my heroes.”

To hear more from Sands, watch the entire episode below.

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