Bryant Gumbel, Jane Pauley to (briefly) co-anchor 'Today'

Jane Pauley and Bryant Gumbel appear as “Today” guests last summer. | Peter Kramer/NBC

As the year nears its end, NBC’s “Today” is flashing back to an earlier decade.

Bryant Gumbel and Jane Pauley, the show’s stars during its ’80s glory days, will join Matt Lauer as co-anchors Monday.

Gumbel, a graduate of Chicago’s De La Salle Institute, left “Today” in 1997 after 15 years. Pauley, a former WMAQ-Channel 5 anchor, spent 13 years at the show before leaving in 1989.

As the AP notes, Pauley isn’t a stranger to “Today”: She returns each month for a segment that looks at Americans older than 50 who start new careers.