Legendary NBC Anchor DEAD at 64

Dan Hicks, the longtime NBC Sports play-by-play announcer for golf, Olympic swimming, and Notre Dame football, died Wednesday night in Connecticut at age 64 after an acute illness. His wife, ESPN anchor Hannah Storm, confirmed the death in a statement. “Our family is heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected passing of Dan,” she said. “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.”

Hicks joined NBC in 1992 after three years at CNN and remained with the network for 35 years. He served as the lead golf announcer for more than two decades and called 16 Olympics, beginning with the 1992 Barcelona Games. He was also the television voice of Notre Dame football in multiple stints, most recently since 2024, and had been scheduled to call the Fighting Irish’s game against Boston College on Saturday.

Storm described him as “truly one of a kind” and “the person everyone wanted to be around.” She added that “when he walked into a room, he brought the energy, the laughter and the people together. He was endlessly kind, thoughtful and funny, and he made everyone feel like they mattered.” The couple’s three daughters are Hannah, Ellery, and Riley.

Colleagues remembered Hicks as both a skilled broadcaster and a generous mentor. NBC and Golf Channel analyst Roger Maltbie said on air, “This is not losing a colleague and a nice guy; this is losing a pal.” CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus called him “a true gentleman in every way.”

Hicks had spoken in a September interview about his good fortune in remaining at one network for so long while covering major properties. His final on-air assignment before the illness was Notre Dame’s victory over Stanford in October. The suddenness of the death surprised many in the sports-media community.

The family has requested privacy while expressing gratitude for the support already received. No further medical details have been released beyond the description of an acute illness. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Hicks’s career spanned the rise of cable sports coverage and the expansion of Olympic broadcasting. His golf work coincided with some of the sport’s most watched tournaments of the past quarter-century. The Olympic assignments included multiple swimming and skiing events.

Notre Dame football was a recurring part of his portfolio. He first took the play-by-play role in 2013, stepped away, and returned in 2024 after Mike Tirico moved to Sunday Night Football. Saturday’s game will now be called by a different announcer.

Storm’s statement emphasized both the personal loss and Hicks’s effect on those around him. The description of his presence in a room has been widely quoted by colleagues. The couple had been married for more than three decades.

NBC Sports issued its own tribute highlighting Hicks’s knowledge, style, and humor across golf, Olympics, and college football. The network noted that he had been part of its coverage for the majority of his professional life. The statement aligned with the family’s account of the circumstances.

The sports community reacted quickly on social media and in on-air remarks. Many broadcasters who had worked with Hicks described him as approachable and supportive of younger talent. Those qualities were cited as frequently as his on-air skill.

Hicks is survived by Storm and their three daughters. The family has asked for time to grieve privately. Public memorial plans, if any, have not been detailed.

His voice was familiar to golf viewers for more than twenty years and to Olympic audiences across eight Games. The combination of those assignments made him one of the more recognizable figures in sports television. The abrupt end to that career has drawn extensive coverage.

The Notre Dame game he was scheduled to call will proceed with a substitute announcer. Network officials have not named the replacement. The change is one of the immediate practical consequences of the death.

Storm’s full statement has been posted and reposted across platforms. It remains the primary public account of Hicks’s final hours and of the family’s response. Colleagues continue to add their own recollections.

The loss removes a long-serving voice from NBC’s golf and Olympic coverage. Hicks’s tenure coincided with major changes in how those sports are presented. His contributions to that evolution are part of the assessments now appearing.