NBC Sports loses longtime voice Dan Hicks, 64, after 35-year run
Hicks called 27 Tiger Woods wins, 16 Olympics, and Notre Dame football before dying in Connecticut.
By Fernando Rojas ·
Dan Hicks, the lead announcer for golf, Olympic swimming, and Notre Dame football at NBC Sports, died late Wednesday in Connecticut at age 64. His wife, Hannah Storm, identified the cause of death as an acute illness. The network confirmed the news on Thursday, ending a 35-year tenure that spanned nearly four decades of major sporting events.
Hicks joined NBC in 1992 after three years at CNN. He served as a tower announcer for golf from 1995 to 1999 before taking over the primary booth in 2000. During that time, he called 27 tournament victories for Tiger Woods, including three U.S. Open titles. His broadcast career also included 27 U.S. Opens and 23 U.S. Women's Opens, as well as the Ryder Cup, British Open, and PGA Tour events such as The Players Championship.
The network relied on Hicks for its Olympic coverage across 16 Games, comprising nine Summer and seven Winter events. His first assignment was the 1992 Barcelona Games. He called swimming for eight consecutive Olympics alongside analyst Rowdy Gaines. That partnership included Michael Phelps' eight gold medals in Beijing in 2008 and Katie Ledecky's 14 medals across four Olympic cycles from 2012 to 2024. Hicks also covered alpine skiing for the last four Winter Games and speed skating in 2002, 2006, and 2010.
Hicks maintained a long-running role calling Notre Dame football. He began in 2013 and continued until 2016 before returning in 2024. His wife Hannah graduated from the university in 1983. Hicks was scheduled to announce the Fighting Irish's game against Boston College this Saturday. Pete Bevacqua, the university's athletic director and former NBC Sports president, described Hicks as a fixture on campus and in the broadcast booth over the last quarter century.
Colleagues praised his on-air style and personal demeanor. Roger Maltbie, an NBC golf commentator, noted that Hicks functioned like a quarterback or point guard, keeping the broadcast dynamic by asking questions and engaging analysts. Ted Ligety, a two-time Olympic champion and former NBC alpine skiing analyst, said Hicks possessed deep knowledge across multiple sports and remained curious rather than assuming expertise. Gaines posted on social media that Hicks was his closest friend and the glue that held the broadcast team together during the Games.
USGA CEO Mike Whan released a statement calling Hicks a true friend to the game and a person whose warmth touched everyone he knew. The PGA Tour noted that Hicks' steady narration filled living rooms during the sport's biggest moments. In a September interview with the Associated Press, Hicks said he was lucky to stay at one network for so long, crediting the company for maintaining the broadcast properties he covered.
Hicks is survived by his wife of 32 years, Hannah Storm, and their three daughters, Hannah, Ellery, and Riley. He had also called regional NFL games for NBC from 1992 to 1997, five French Open tennis tournaments, and some NBA coverage between 1992 and 2000.
