This fall, Dan Hicks was back calling Notre Dame football for NBC, his seventh season in that booth. On Thursday, NBC and his family announced that the longtime voice of golf, Olympic swimming and the Fighting Irish had died at 64. Sports media has responded with an outpouring of grief, led by Ernie Johnson and Dick Vitale.
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Hicks died late Wednesday in Connecticut of an acute illness, according to his wife, ESPN anchor Hannah Storm. He had a 35-year career at NBC Sports, which he joined in 1992 after three years at CNN.
In a statement, Storm said, “He was endlessly kind, thoughtful and funny, and he made everyone feel like they mattered.” She added that the family was heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected loss of a devoted husband and loving father to their three daughters.
Johnson’s reaction was only three words, posted on X: “This is just crushing.” The short message from the longtime Turner broadcaster captured what many colleagues said in longer tributes, and it stood out because Johnson has spent his career in the same industry of play-by-play and studio work.
Vitale offered a more formal message of support. “My heart & prayers go out to Hannah Storm, @espn & her family on the passing suddenly of her husband NBC tv outstanding sports broadcaster Dan Hicks due to an acute illness! May Dan RIP!” he tweeted.
ESPN’s Mike Greenberg also paid tribute. “Absolutely crushed to hear of the passing of Dan Hicks, an incredibly talented broadcaster, and more importantly an extraordinarily kind man,” Greenberg wrote. “Our deepest sympathies to Hannah and their three girls, and everyone who loved him.”
The reaction from people at TNT and ESPN says something about Hicks’ reputation. He was an NBC broadcaster for his entire career, but the tributes came from rival networks, and the shared theme was his kindness. Both Storm and Greenberg stressed that he was a good person before they mentioned his talent.
His work explains the talent. Hicks provided the soundtrack to the exploits of Tiger Woods and Michael Phelps, two of the most watched athletes of the past three decades. As NBC’s lead golf announcer, he was on call for major championships, and as the network’s Olympic swimming voice, he described Phelps’ record-breaking runs.
His Notre Dame role was a more recent chapter. Dan Hicks called Irish games from 2013 to 2016, then returned in 2024, according to AP. This fall’s season was his seventh, which meant that his death arrived in the middle of the college football schedule, and NBC is expected to address how it covers the next game.
Hicks reflected on his career in an interview quoted by AP. “I’m incredibly lucky to stay at one place this long,” he said. That line has been repeated in several obituaries, because it matches how coworkers described him: loyal, humble and aware of how unusual a 35-year run at one network is.
The loss also lands on a family that works in the same business. Storm has been an ESPN anchor since 2008, and she has often been seen alongside Dan Hicks at industry events, including a Business Wire appearance in February 2025. For many viewers, they were one of sports television’s best-known couples, which may be one reason the reaction has been so personal.
Funeral arrangements have not been announced. Johnson, Vitale and Greenberg were among the first to speak, and more tributes from athletes and broadcasters are likely in the coming days.