Dan Hicks, who served as NBC’s lead golf announcer for over 25 years, has died following an acute illness at the age of 64.
Hicks was with NBC Sports for 35 years, covering the NFL, NBA and Notre Dame football. He worked 16 different Olympics in his time with the network.
However, Hicks was best known for his work as a golf presenter and commentator. He began anchoring NBC’s PGA Tour coverage in 2000, along with the game’s biggest events like the US Open, Open Championship, Ryder Cup and The Players Championship.
“Dan Hicks was an extraordinary colleague, friend and person,” NBC Sports 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, 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.”
Hicks started his career as a sports anchor and news reporter for a radio station in Tucson, Arizona. In the late 1980s he joined CNN, where he hosted a weekend sports show while quarterbacking the network’s preview programs for college basketball and football. He met his wife, Hannah Storm, while he was with CNN, and they were married in 1994.
In 1992, Hicks signed with NBC as a play-by-play commentator. He worked NFL games until the network lost football rights in 1998. He transitioned to an NBA reporter while also working as a tower announcer in golf.
Hicks became known for his 18th hole partnership with Johnny Miller. Following Miller’s retirement in 2019 Hicks was paired with Paul Azinger, and over the last three years there has been a rotating cast next to Hicks for all the major golf events.
Writing on social media announcing Hicks’ passing, Hannah Storm posted: “Dan was truly one of a kind and, quite simply, the person everyone wanted to be around. When he walked into a room, he brought the energy, the laughter and all the people together. He was endlessly kind, thoughtful and funny, and he made everyone feel like they mattered.”