NBC Sports Broadcaster Dan Hicks Dies at 64 After Acute Illness

Dan Hicks, one of the most recognizable voices in American sports television, died late Wednesday in Connecticut. He was 64.

His wife, ESPN broadcaster Hannah Storm, announced the death Thursday, Nov. 12. She said he died of an acute illness. No further cause has been given.

"Our family is heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected passing of Dan following an acute illness," 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."

Hicks is survived by Storm and their daughters Hannah, Ellery and Riley.

A 34-year run at NBC

Hicks joined NBC Sports in 1992 after three years at CNN. A Tucson native, he started in local radio and at the NBC affiliate KVOA before moving to Atlanta and CNN in 1989.

At NBC he did a bit of everything early on. He called NFL games, worked NBA sidelines and moved into NBA play-by-play in 1997.

Golf became his signature. He worked as a tower announcer from 1995 to 1999, then became NBC's lead golf voice in 2000 when Dick Enberg left. He held the job for 26 years.

He was on the call for 27 of Tiger Woods' tournament victories, including three U.S. Open wins. His golf résumé included 27 U.S. Opens, 23 U.S. Women's Opens, the Ryder Cup, the PGA Tour and the British Open.

Olympics and Notre Dame

Hicks called swimming at the Olympics eight times alongside analyst Rowdy Gaines. Together they covered Michael Phelps' eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games and Katie Ledecky's 14 medals across four Olympics, from 2012 to 2024.

His best-known call came in Beijing, when Jason Lezak ran down France's Alain Bernard on the final leg of the men's 4x100 freestyle relay. "HE'S DONE IT! THE U.S. HAS DONE IT!" Hicks shouted as Gaines cheered beside him.

NBC says he covered 16 Olympics, 15 of them in play-by-play roles, and won a Sports Emmy for NBCUniversal's 2024 Paris coverage.

He also called Notre Dame football from 2013 through 2016, succeeding Tom Hammond. He returned to the booth in 2024 after Jac Collinsworth moved out of the chair. This was his seventh season with the Fighting Irish, working with analyst and former NFL coach Jason Garrett.

Storm is a 1983 Notre Dame graduate and often joined her husband at games.

Tributes

NBC Sports leaders Rick Cordella, Sam Flood and Molly Solomon issued a joint statement. "Dan Hicks was an extraordinary colleague, friend and person," they said, calling him "an exceptional storyteller and caller of games and events who elevated some of the biggest moments in sports history."

The PGA Tour said his voice "filled our living rooms with his steady narration of countless golf broadcasts." USGA CEO Mike Whan called him "a true friend to the game and to the USGA, but more importantly, a wonderful person."

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua, who worked with Hicks during his own years as NBC Sports president, said the school was "deeply saddened by the news of the passing of a great friend of Notre Dame." He called Hicks "a fixture here on campus and in the broadcast booth."

In an Associated Press interview in September, Hicks reflected on his longevity at one network. "I'm incredibly lucky to stay at one place this long," he said. "It takes a lot of things going your way as far as NBC continuing to have the properties that I've been a part of through the years."

What comes next

Hicks had been scheduled to call Notre Dame's home game against Boston College on Saturday, Nov. 14, in South Bend, Indiana, on NBC and Peacock. Jason Benetti is set to take over play-by-play, joined by Garrett, sideline reporter Caroline Pineda and rules analyst Reggie Smith.

His golf role is the larger open question. NBC has not said who will succeed him as lead voice of its golf coverage, and no memorial arrangements have been announced.