Dan Hicks, longtime voice of NBC Golf, dies at 64

Dan Hicks, who served as NBC’s lead golf play-by-play announcer for a quarter century, has died following an acute illness. He was 64.

Hicks' wife, broadcaster Hannah Storm, posted on social media announcing Hicks had passed.

"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."

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 efforts in golf. He earned his spot in NBC’s main seat in 2000, anchoring PGA Tour coverage along with the game’s biggest events like the U.S. Open, Open Championship, Ryder Cup and Players Championship.

Perhaps his most famous call came at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, when Tiger Woods made a 12-foot birdie on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate. “Expect anything different?!?!” Hicks yelled as Woods pumped his arms to the crowd. Hicks would later joke that his friends would repeat that line to him whenever he missed a putt in their friendly games.

"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. 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 Hannah Storm while he was with CNN, and they were married in 1994.

In 1992, Hicks signed with NBC as a play-by-play man. 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.

Before becoming the lead voice, Hicks was on the ground for two of NBC’s biggest golf moments of the 1990s. At the 1999 U.S. Open, Hicks was the reporter on the 72nd green when Payne Stewart holed his winning putts. Three months later, Hicks was calling holes for the Americans’ historic comeback at the 1999 Ryder Cup at Brookline, a tournament Hicks later recalled as one of his favorite events.

Hicks became known for his 18th-hole partnership with Johnny Miller. Hicks was the steady voice while Miller was blunt, providing an interesting contrast for audiences. "Working without a net is a great way to describe it. Johnny broadcasts like he played: He goes at every flag," Hicks once told Golf Digest. "Every second you’re in the booth with Johnny, you’re going to hear something interesting. And half the time he has his feet up and a half-munched Oreo cookie in his mouth."

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 during big-time events.

Hicks was scheduled to call a Notre Dame football game this weekend. He is survived by his wife Hannah and three daughters.

This story will be updated.