Skip to content Dan Hicks, the defining sound of Sunday afternoons on the PGA Tour and thrilling Olympic finishes in the pool, died late Wednesday in Connecticut at age 64 after suffering an acute illness.
His wife, ESPN anchor Hannah Storm, shared the sudden news on Thursday. The loss leaves an immediate void across American sports broadcasting, where Hicks had worked for 35 years.
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Viewers spent three decades listening to his calm cadence through historic major championships, swimming world records, and fall afternoons in South Bend.
Hannah Storm announces the sudden passing of Dan Hicks
Hicks passed away following a sudden medical crisis, leaving his family and colleagues stunned. Storm reflected on their life together in an emotional public statement.
“Our family is heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected passing of Dan,” Storm said in a statement. “He was a devoted husband of over 30 years, loving father to our three daughters, and cherished friend to so many. His loss is immeasurable.”
Storm praised his ability to lift any room he walked into with humor and genuine warmth. Hicks is survived by Storm and their three daughters, Hannah, Ellery, and Riley.
NBC Sports leadership, including Rick Cordella, Sam Flood, and Molly Solomon, called Hicks an extraordinary caller and a generous teammate. They remembered a colleague who always greeted crew members with a warm smile and an encouraging word.
How Dan Hicks anchored golf history alongside Tiger Woods
Golf remained the sport Dan Hicks cherished most during his NBC tenure. He began with the network in 1992 after spending three years working at CNN.
He worked as a tower announcer from 1995 until 1999, learning the rhythms of the sport from the fairway. Then NBC promoted him to lead host for golf in 2000, placing him at the center of the sport’s biggest stages.
Hicks sat in the 18th-tower chair for 27 of Tiger Woods’ PGA Tour victories. Three of those triumphs came during historic runs at the U.S. Open golf championship, including the famous 2008 duel at Torrey Pines.
His golf catalog spanned the biggest events in the game:
- 27 U.S. Open championships
- 23 U.S. Women’s Opens
- Multiple Ryder Cup tournaments and British Open broadcasts
He set the scene with precise, understated calls that let the roar of the gallery carry the drama.
Olympic swimming triumphs called by Dan Hicks
Outside of golf, Hicks built an unforgettable Olympic broadcast partnership with analyst Rowdy Gaines. Together, they called Olympic swimming across eight separate Summer Games.
Their voices captured Michael Phelps winning eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Hicks often pointed to Phelps as the force that transformed swimming into a mainstream viewing spectacle.
He later tracked Katie Ledecky across four different Olympic Games between 2012 and 2024. During that remarkable span, Hicks described 14 medal-winning races for the American distance legend.
Winter sports also featured on his resume, where he guided network coverage of Olympic skiing competitions with equal poise.
What Dan Hicks loved about his 35-year run at NBC
College football fans knew his voice just as well. Hicks called Notre Dame football for seven seasons, working his first stint from 2013 to 2016 before returning to the booth in 2024.
In a September interview with the Associated Press, Hicks reflected on his staying power in an unpredictable industry. He expressed deep gratitude for surviving broadcast changes while keeping assignments he loved.
“I’m incredibly lucky to stay at one place this long,” Hicks said during that interview. “It takes a lot of things going your way as far as NBC continuing to have the properties that I’ve been a part of through the years. So lots of variables, lots of things that can happen in your career. But I think I appreciate it more and more the longer it’s been.”
NBC Sports is expected to air on-air tributes to celebrate his life and broadcast legacy across upcoming sports programming this weekend.
Source: Independent Sport
