Dan Hicks Dies: Longtime Voice Of NBC Sports Was 64

Dan Hicks, the sportscaster who long served as the voice of NBC Sports, died Wednesday, November 11, in Connecticut of an acute illness. He was 64.

His death was announced today by wife Hannah Storm, the ESPN anchor.

“Our family is heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected passing of Dan,” Storm said in a statement. “He was a devoted husband of over 30 years, loving father to our three daughters, and cherished friend to so many. His loss is immeasurable.

“Dan was truly one of a kind and, quite simply, the person everyone wanted to be around,” the statement continues. “When he walked into a room, he brought the energy, the laughter and the people together. He was endlessly kind, thoughtful and funny, and he made everyone feel like they mattered.”

During Hicks’ 34-year career at NBC Sports, he was the lead announcer for golf, as well as swimming and skiing at the Olympics and Notre Dame football. He joined NBC in 1992 following three years at CNN.

“Dan Hicks was an extraordinary colleague, friend and person,” NBC Sports’ Rick Cordella, Sam Flood and Molly Solomon said in a statement. “In his 34 years at NBC Sports, he was an exceptional storyteller and caller of games and events who elevated some of the biggest moments in sports history. From Olympic swimming and skiing to Notre Dame football, numerous other high profile events and especially as the signature voice of our golf coverage for the last 26 years, Dan’s blend of knowledge, style, enthusiasm and humor informed and entertained fans for decades.

“But far beyond his on-air excellence,” the statement continued, “Dan was a better person who welcomed teammates with a smile, a joke, or a word of encouragement, sometimes all three in the same sentence. Our heartfelt condolences and love to his wife Hannah and his daughters Hannah, Ellery and Riley.”

Hicks joined NBC Sports in 1992, and became the lead golf voice in 2000. He also handled play-by-play at 15 Olympic Games, including a record eight in swimming and the last four in Alpine skiing. The current fall season was his seventh as the Notre Dame football play-by-play voice.

Hicks also called NBA and NFL games and the French Open.

In its announcement of Hicks’ death, NBC Sports notes that among his more memorable calls were Tiger Woods’ putt to send the 2008 U.S. Open to a playoff (“Expect anything different?”) and, two months later, all eight of Michael Phelps’ gold medals at the Beijing Olympics. Hicks called all 28 of Phelps’ Olympic medals from 2004 through 2016.

In addition to Storm, Hicks is survived by daughters Hannah, Ellery and Riley.