Jim Hill celebrates 50 years of Los Angeles sports coverage

Jim Hill is celebrating 50 years of Los Angeles sports coverage, marking another milestone in a legendary career that has spanned from professional football player to disc jockey and finally to Southern California’s most iconic sportscaster. 

Jim Hill reporting prior to a UCLA Bruins football game on September 12, 2025, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

Greg Fiore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

As a young boy, James Webster Hill always needed to be in the center of the action. Whether it was in the living room with his four siblings or on the football fields in San Antonio, he always knew he was destined for greatness. 

After attending what was then known as Texas A&I University in Kingsville, Texas, Jim was selected in the First Round of the 1968 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers, beginning a successful seven-year career as a defensive back. 

Jim Hill on the sidelines of a 1987 NFL game in Anaheim, California. 

George Rose / Getty Images

Over the course of his NFL playing days, Jim had 19 interceptions, including picks off the likes of legendary quarterbacks like Len Dawson, Archie Manning and Joe Namath. He played three seasons with the Chargers and three seasons for the Green Bay Packers before calling it quits with the Cleveland Browns in 1975. 

While with the Packers, Jim already showed his ability as an on-air talent, doubling as a disc jockey and local sportscaster. When his playing days ended, the bright lights of Los Angeles came calling, and the rest is history. 

Tennis champion Billie Jean King, left, greets local television sports broadcaster Jim Hill after a news conference that added her and her partner, Ilana Kloss to the Los Angeles Dodgers ownership group in Los Angeles, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018.

Alex Gallardo / AP

He joined the CBS crew in 1976 and immediately made an impact as one of the first-ever player-turned-broadcasters, endearing him to the likes of some of the biggest sports stars at the time, including Steve Garvey, Jack Youngblood and Marques Johnson. 

In no time, he would be front and center at every possible sporting event, from the Super Bowl to the Olympics and from the NBA Finals to the World Cup. It would be difficult to find a star athlete that Jim hasn’t interviewed over the years, including all-time greats like Tiger Woods, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Muhammad Ali, Mike Trout, Tommy Lasorda and many, many more.

Hill’s legacy was put on full display when the Chargers hired their current head coach, Jim Harbaugh, in 2024. During an introductory press conference, Hill stood to ask Harbaugh a question, but was quickly interrupted by the coach, who exclaimed, ‘You’re a legend! Of course, I know who you are, Jim.”

Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, left, holds one of the team’s NBA championship trophies as he walks past sportscaster Jim Hill and former Laker James Worthy, right, on a video shoot during the basketball team’s media day in El Segundo, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010.

Jae C. Hong / AP

Since Hill joined CBS, the Los Angeles area has seen a plethora of championships, including:

two Super Bowl Championships, the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 and the Los Angeles Raiders in 1983, six World Series titles, five for the Los Angeles Dodgers and one for the then-Anaheim Angels,11 of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 12 NBA Finals wins,seven MLS Cup titles, six for the LA Galaxy and one for LAFC in 2022, three Stanley Cups, two for the Los Angeles Kings and one for the Anaheim Ducks,three National Championships for the USC Trojans, andthree WNBA Finals titles for the Los Angeles Sparks.

He’s seen the construction of multiple top-of-the-line facilities like SoFi Stadium and the Intuit Dome and witnessed the Rams leave Los Angeles for twenty years before returning, along with the relocated Chargers. 

Jim Hill receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006.

CBS LA

His legacy was further cemented in 2006 when he received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, signaling the first of many achievements in the coming years that include the Los Angeles Area Emmy Governor Award and a lifetime recognition by the LA Press Club, Golden Mikes and Southern California Sports Broadcasters.

“I’m just a sportscaster, but I know how lucky I am to live in this great city, to have the fabulous job that I have and to have all of you here today,” Hill said during his Walk of Fame ceremony.

With a touch of class and a wealth of style, Jim has been a friend to countless people over the years, making the sprawling Los Angeles community feel like family at ballparks, stadiums and arenas all over. 

“It’s a slow news day, huh?” Hill joked when he was surprised with a montage of his career’s finest moments. 

“I am speechless. I don’t know what to say, but the one thing that comes to mind right now, and you’ve heard me say it before, but Dr. King, he said, ‘Giving back to your fellow mankind is one of the most noble things that anyone can do,'” Hill said when he was surprised with a 50th Anniversary commemoration on Monday. “I’ve had, and still have, the noble position of giving back to our young people. I appreciate them and I appreciate everyone here.”

Tiger Woods, right, hugs sportscaster Jim Hill after a news conference held to announce the field for the Chevron World Challenge golf tournament in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011.

Jae C. Hong / AP

Some of Jim’s counterparts with equally impressive legacies in Los Angeles shared their thoughts on his 50th anniversary. 

“We all want to say thank you, because you told our stories, you protected us and you made us bigger than life with all our fans here in Los Angeles,” said Lakers legend Magic Johnson. “So thank you, thank you, thank you. May God bless you, but also continued success and you know, I love you from the bottom of my heart.”

“It’s amazing that you keep on going, you’re kicking and you’re going and supporting us every year,” said LA Kings legend and current team president Luc Robitaille. “You’re always there every time we have big moments, so thank you for your support and keep on going my friend.”

“People can be great for short stints, but real greatness is, for me, determined over time. You have withstood past the test of time. So five decades of service to our great city, thank you very much and can’t wait to see you at Dodger Stadium,” said Dodgers Head Coach Dave Roberts. 

More from CBS News