Dan Hicks

Dan Hicks (’84) was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008.

Soon after I started school at the UA it became a goal of mine to become a sportswriter for the Wildcat. Since I grew up in Tucson, I already knew of its great reputation as much more than just a student publication. There were several instances where the Wildcat was breaking news around campus while the other local papers were following their lead. I finally broke through my junior year and the experience I got was the kind no classroom could provide. It led me to a variety of contacts which in turn helped me get launched into the real world of broadcasting. Practical experience is key in my profession and having it while still in college was invaluable

Since joining NBC Sports in June 1992 as a play-by-play announcer, Dan Hicks has called a wide variety of sports, ranging from Olympic speed skating and swimming to NFL and NBA games. But hosting NBC’s Emmy Award-winning golf coverage has always brought out Dan’s best. “Announcers over their careers tend to find their niche–the sport they do best,” Dan says. “For me, it’s golf. If I could call any big moment in sports, it would be at an event like the U.S. Open. For me this is the ultimate assignment. I love the game that much.”

Most recently, though, Dan called the swimming events at the Beijing Olympics. Memorably, he covered the US men’s team’s come-from-behind in the 4×100 relay to preserve Michael Phelps hopes for 7 gold medals. Here’s Dan (courtesy Wikipedia):

“The United States trying to hang on to second, they should get the silver medal, Australia is in bronze territory right now, but Lezak is closing a little bit on Bernard. Can the veteran chase him down and pull off a shocker here? Well there’s no doubt that he’s tightening up! Bernard is losing some ground, here comes Lezak… UNBELIEVABLE AT THE END, HE’S DONE IT! THE US HAS DONE IT! HE DID IT! HE DID IT! A NEW WORLD RECORD! Phelps’s hopes alive!”

Prior to joining NBC, Dan had been a sports anchor at CNN since 1989. He began his professional career in 1984 as a sports anchor/news reporter for KCEE/KWFM radio in Tucson, later moving to KVOA-TV, the NBC affiliate.

A Tucson native, Dan graduated from the UofA with a degree in journalism and a score of bylines from the Daily Wildcat. Dan is married to Hannah Storm, formerly with CBS Early Show, and now an anchor on ESPN Sportscenter.