NBC Sports veteran Dan Hicks dies at 64

Dan Hicks, a play-by-play commentator for NBC Sports for more than three decades, died on Wednesday at the age of 64, his wife Hannah Storm said in a statement. Storm described the death as “sudden and unexpected.”

Hicks joined NBC in 1992 after a brief period at CNN. During his tenure he provided commentary for Notre Dame football, contributed to NFL coverage, served as a sideline reporter for the NBA on NBC, and was a central figure in the network’s golf and Olympic broadcasts. He called five Winter Games, covering speed skating and alpine skiing, and eight consecutive Summer Games beginning in 1996, including a notable call of the U.S. 4×100 metre freestyle relay comeback at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In golf, Hicks became NBC’s lead play-by-play announcer in 2000 and was known for calls such as Tiger Woods’ 12-foot putt at the 2008 U.S. Open that forced a playoff. The PGA Tour said his partnership with commentator Johnny Miller was “one of golf television’s defining broadcast partnerships.”

NBC Sports issued a statement calling Hicks “an extraordinary colleague, friend and person” and noting his storytelling ability and impact on major sports moments. The network also noted that he was scheduled to call Notre Dame’s game against Boston College on Saturday.

Hicks, a Tucson, Arizona native and University of Arizona graduate, was married to ESPN anchor Hannah Storm since 1994. The couple has three daughters.