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Richard Alan Enberg (January 9, 1935 – December 21, 2017) was an American sportscaster. Over the course of an approximately 60-year career, he provided
play-by-play In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...
of various sports for several radio and television networks, including
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
(1975–1999),
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
(2000–2014), and
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
(2004–2011), as well as for individual teams, such as
UCLA Bruins basketball The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in the sport of men's basketball as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. Established in 1919, the program has won a record 11 NCAA Division I Men's Bask ...
, Los Angeles Rams football, and California Angels and
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
baseball. Enberg was well known for his signature on-air
catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
s "Touch 'em all" (for home runs) and "Oh, my!" (for particularly exciting and outstanding athletic plays). He also announced or hosted the
Tournament of Roses Parade A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
for many years, sometimes with the help of family members. Enberg retired from broadcasting in 2016, after seven seasons as the Padres' primary television announcer.


Early life and education

Enberg was born on January 9, 1935, in
Mount Clemens, Michigan Mount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 16,314 at the 2010 census. It is the seat of government of Macomb County. History Mount Clemens was first surveyed in 1795 after the American Revolutionary War by Christi ...
, as the first child to Belle Elizabeth (Weiss) and Arnie Enberg. His paternal grandparents were Finnish immigrants, whose original name was ''Katajavuori'', which means juniper mountain. Before they lived in America, they changed their name to the Swedish-sounding Enberg. His mother was of English, French, German and Native American descent. He had a younger brother, Dennis. Enberg's family first moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut, when he was two years old, then to southern California in 1940 for several years, and then back to a farm near Armada, Michigan. Following high school in Armada, Enberg attended Central Michigan University, where he played
college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...
and earned a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in 1957. In his senior year at Central Michigan, Enberg was elected president of the student body. During this time, he was employed at
WSAM WSAM (1400 AM) is a radio station licensed to Saginaw, Michigan and broadcasting at 1400 kHz with 1,000 watts of power. The station is simulcasted with FM sister station WSAG-FM at 104.1 MHz and are collectively known as The Bay, in reference ...
in
Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...
, then a Detroit Tigers radio affiliate. Enberg then went on to graduate school at
Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest ca ...
, where he earned
master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
and
doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...
degrees in health sciences. While at Indiana, Enberg voiced the first radio broadcast of the Little 500, the bicycle racing event popularized in the film ''
Breaking Away ''Breaking Away'' is a 1979 American coming of age comedy-drama film produced and directed by Peter Yates and written by Steve Tesich. It follows a group of four male teenagers in Bloomington, Indiana, who have recently graduated from high sc ...
''. He was also the play-by-play announcer for
Indiana Hoosiers The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Ath ...
football and basketball games and in 1961 called his first NCAA basketball tournament event, the
championship game In sport, a championship is a Competition#Sports, competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match sy ...
between
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
and
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
. From 1961 to 1965, he was an
assistant professor Assistant Professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States and Canada. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doctoral degree A docto ...
and
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
coach at
Cal State Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest u ...
, then known as San Fernando Valley State College. Enberg was also a member of the
Phi Sigma Kappa Phi Sigma Kappa (), colloquially known as Phi Sig or PSK, is a men's social and academic Fraternities and sororities, fraternity with approximately 74 List of Phi Sigma Kappa chapters#List of Chapters, active chapters and provisional chapters in ...
fraternity.


Career in Los Angeles

In the late 1960s, Enberg began a full-time sportscasting career in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, working for KTLA television (anchoring a nightly sports report and calling
UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) ...
basketball) and
KMPC KMPC (1540 AM, "Radio Korea", 라디오코리아) is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California. It is owned by P&Y Broadcasting Corporation. Radio Korea is a division of the Radio Korea Media Group. The station airs Korean– ...
radio (calling Los Angeles Rams football and California Angels baseball). After every Angels victory, he would wrap up his broadcast with "And the halo shines tonight" in reference to the "Big A" scoreboard at
Anaheim Stadium Angel Stadium of Anaheim is a baseball stadium located in Anaheim, California. Since its opening in 1966, it has served as the home ballpark of the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB), and was also the home stadium to the Los Angel ...
and the halo at the top, which would light up for everyone in the area to see, particularly from the adjacent freeway. Enberg was named California Sportscaster of the Year four times during this period. In the 1960s, Enberg announced boxing matches at L.A.'s Olympic Auditorium. Enberg also presided over the Trophy presentation for Super Bowl VII in 1973. In 1968, Enberg was recommended by UCLA athletic director J.D. Morgan to be the national broadcaster for the syndicated
TVS Television Network The TVS Television Network, or TVS for short, was a syndicator of American sports programming. It was one of the several "occasional" national television networks that sprang up in the early-to-mid-1960s to take advantage of the establishment ...
to cover the " Game of the Century" between the Houston Cougars, led by
Elvin Hayes Elvin Ernest Hayes (born November 17, 1945), nicknamed "the Big E", is an American former professional basketball player and radio analyst for his alma-mater Houston Cougars. He is a member of the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams, and a ...
, and the
UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) ...
, led by Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). The "Prime Time" nationally televised game demonstrated that college basketball had a national "Prime Time" audience and stands as a seminal contest in the evolution of nationally televised evening college basketball broadcasts. Enberg continued to call the occasional UCLA game for TVS through the early 1970s, usually teaming with Rod Hundley. In 1973, Enberg traveled to Beijing, China, to host the groundbreaking TVS Television Network telecast of the US vs. China basketball game. It was the first team sporting event ever played between China and the US. In the 1970s, Enberg called the 1979 NCAA Championship game between Michigan State, led by Magic Johnson, and Indiana State, led by
Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...
. He also hosted the syndicated television
game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...
'' Sports Challenge'' and co-produced the Emmy Award-winning sports-history series '' The Way It Was'' for
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
. In the 1970 opening conference game in
Pauley Pavilion Edwin W. Pauley Pavilion, commonly known as Pauley Pavilion, is an indoor arena located in the Westwood Village district of Los Angeles, California, on the campus of UCLA. It is home to the UCLA Bruins men's and women's basketball teams. The ...
,
Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
went into a stall against the
UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) ...
. Enberg had run out of statistics and began to fill his radio broadcast with small talk. The movie '' Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' had just been released, and Enberg was humming the tune to "
Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the 1969 film ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid''. The uplifting lyrics describe somebody who overcomes his troubles and worries by realizing that "it w ...
", but did not know the words. Two nights later, in a home game against
Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...
, many UCLA students brought the lyrics to the song. Enberg promised that he would sing the song if UCLA won the conference championship. He sang the song following the final game of the season. The event was recorded in the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' and was later recounted in the book ''Pauley Pavilion: College Basketball's Showplace'' by David Smale. During the 2006 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship broadcast, there was a short feature on the event.


NBC Sports (1975–1999)

In 1973, Enberg hosted the game show '' Baffle'', which lasted just a year before being cancelled in 1974. A year later, producer
Monty Hall Monty Hall (born Monte Halparin; August 25, 1921 – September 30, 2017) was a Canadian radio and television show host who moved to the United States in 1955 to pursue a career in broadcasting. After working as a radio newsreader and sport ...
hired Enberg to host the shorter-lived ''
Three for the Money ''Three for the Money'' is an American game show produced by Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions that aired on NBC from September 29 to November 28, 1975. Dick Enberg was the host with Jack Clark announcing. Enberg was also hosting '' Sports Chal ...
''. In 1975, Enberg joined NBC Sports. For the next 25 years, he broadcast a plethora of sports and events for NBC, including the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
,
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
, the
National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
, the U.S. Open
golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...
championship, college football,
college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
, the Wimbledon and French Open
tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
tournaments, heavyweight
boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...
,
Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...
and other horse racing events, and the
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...
. Enberg replaced
Curt Gowdy Curtis Edward Gowdy (July 31, 1919 – February 20, 2006) was an American sportscaster. He called Boston Red Sox games on radio and TV for 15 years, and then covered many nationally televised sporting events, primarily for NBC Sports and ABC S ...
as lead play-by-play announcer for the ''NFL on NBC'' in
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...
, and on the network's telecast of the Rose Bowl in January  1980. He was in the booth in Pasadena for nine straight years, until ABC took over the broadcast in
1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
.


''The NFL on NBC''

While on '' The NFL on NBC'', Enberg called eight
Super Bowls The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...
(alongside such former NFL players
Merlin Olsen Merlin Jay Olsen (; September 15, 1940 – March 11, 2010) was an American football player, announcer, and actor. For his entire 15-year professional football career he was a defensive tackle with the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football Le ...
,
Bob Trumpy Robert Theodore Trumpy Jr. (born March 6, 1945) is a former professional American football tight end who played for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1968 through 1977. He was a two-time National Football League Pro Bowler and a two-time American Footb ...
,
Phil Simms Phillip Martin Simms (born November 3, 1955) is an American former football quarterback who spent his entire 15-year professional career playing for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He is currently a television sport ...
, and
Paul Maguire Paul Leo Maguire (born August 22, 1938) is a former American professional football player and television sportscaster. Early sports career Maguire attended Ursuline High School in Youngstown, Ohio where he was an All State wide receiver and ...
), the last being Super Bowl XXXII in January 1998. Enberg also anchored NBC's coverage of Super Bowl XIII (called by Curt Gowdy) in 1979. He also called three
Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
games in 1982 during the NFL strike. Among the notable games called by Enberg was the 1986 Week 3 51–45 shootout between the Jets and
Dolphins A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (t ...
and the 1987 playoff game between
Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
and
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
.


''Major League Baseball on NBC''

In
1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...
, Enberg provided play-by-play for Game 2 of the American League Championship Series and Game 4 of the National League Championship Series Series alongside Don Drysdale. Two years later, Enberg teamed with
Wes Parker Maurice Wesley Parker III (born November 13, 1939) is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers from to . He also played one season in Japan for the Nankai Hawks in . As of 2009, Parker has been a me ...
and
Sparky Anderson George Lee "Sparky" Anderson (February 22, 1934 – November 4, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player, coach, and manager. He managed the National League's Cincinnati Reds to the 1975 and 1976 championships, then added a third ...
to call the ALCS for NBC. And then in
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
, Enberg alongside
Tom Seaver George Thomas Seaver (November 17, 1944 – August 31, 2020), nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "the Franchise", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Mets, Cinc ...
, called the
National League Division Series In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series (NLDS) determines which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring ...
between the
Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
and Philadelphia Phillies and then, the NLCS between Montreal and the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
. According to his autobiography, ''Oh My!'', Enberg was informed by NBC that he would become the lead play-by-play voice of ''
Major League Baseball Game of the Week The ''Major League Baseball Game of the Week'' (''GOTW'') is the de facto title for nationally televised coverage of regular season Major League Baseball games. ''The Game of the Week'' has traditionally aired on Saturday afternoons. When the na ...
'' beginning with the 1982 World Series (for which he served as pregame host and shared play-by-play duties with
Joe Garagiola Joseph Henry Garagiola Sr. (February 12, 1926 – March 23, 2016) was an American professional baseball catcher, later an announcer and television host, popular for his colorful personality. Garagiola played nine seasons in Major League Basebal ...
alongside analyst Tony Kubek) and through subsequent regular seasons. He wrote that on his football trips, he would read every '' Sporting News'' to make sure he was current with all the baseball news and notes. Then he met with NBC executives in September 1982, and they informed him that
Vin Scully Vincent Edward Scully (November 29, 1927 – August 2, 2022) was an American sportscaster. He was best known for his 67 seasons calling games for Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, beginning in 1950 (when the franchise was located ...
was in negotiations to be their lead baseball play-by-play man (teaming with Garagiola while Kubek would team with
Bob Costas Robert Quinlan Costas (born March 22, 1952) is an American sportscaster who is known for his long tenure with NBC Sports, from 1980 through 2019. He has received 28 Emmy awards for his work and was the prime-time host of 12 Olympic Games from 19 ...
) and would begin with the network in the spring of
1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
. According to the book, Enberg wasn't pleased about the decision (since he loved being the California Angels' radio and television voice in the 1970s and was eager to return to baseball) but the fact that NBC was bringing in Scully, arguably baseball's best announcer, was understandable. Enberg added that NBC also gave him a significant pay increase as a pseudo-apology for not coming through on the promise to make him the lead baseball play-by-play man. Enberg returned to the Angels' radio booth to call 40 games in
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
, citing a desire to reconnect with the sport, which he has described as having been "in my DNA since I was in diapers". Enberg hosted NBC's pregame shows of the
1985 National League Championship Series The 1985 National League Championship Series was played between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers from October 9–16. It was the 17th NLCS and the first played under the new best-of-seven format. In previous years, the NLCS had be ...
with
Joe Morgan Joe Leonard Morgan (September 19, 1943 – October 11, 2020) was an American professional baseball second baseman who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Colt .45s / Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, ...
. It was Enberg who broke the news to most of the nation that Vince Coleman was injured before Game 4. NBC even aired an interview with one of the few people who actually saw the incident, a Dodger batboy. Enberg was also in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
to do the pregame for Games 1 and 7 of the
1985 American League Championship Series The 1985 American League Championship Series was played between the Kansas City Royals and the Toronto Blue Jays from October 8 to 16. Major League Baseball decided to extend the Championship Series in both leagues from its best-of-five (1969� ...
alongside
Rick Dempsey John Rikard Dempsey (born September 13, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player.Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
at the time). NBC planned to use Enberg as one of its announcers for
The Baseball Network The Baseball Network was an American short-lived television broadcasting joint venture between ABC, NBC and Major League Baseball (MLB). Under the arrangement, beginning in the 1994 season, the league produced its own in-house which were the ...
coverage in 1994, but the players' strike that year ended the season before he had the opportunity to call any games.


Wimbledon Championships

As NBC's voice of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, the last tournament for him being in 1999 (alongside Bud Collins and, later,
John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court beha ...
), Enberg regularly concluded the network's coverage of the two-week event with thematically appropriate observations accompanied by a montage of video clips.


CBS Sports (2000–2014)

Enberg was hired by
CBS Sports CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W ...
in 2000, serving as a play-by-play announcer for the network's NFL,
college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
, and US Open Tennis coverage. For several years he also contributed to CBS's coverage of
The Masters The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first ma ...
and
PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...
golf as an interviewer and essayist. Enberg during his tenure at CBS, was notably on the call alongside
Dan Dierdorf Daniel Lee Dierdorf (born June 29, 1949) is an American sportscaster and former football offensive tackle. A native of Canton, Ohio, Dierdorf played college football for the University of Michigan from 1968 to 1970 and was selected as a conse ...
for an NFL game between the New England Patriots and New York Jets on September 23, 2001. It was during this game that New York linebacker
Mo Lewis Morris Clyde Lewis III (born October 21, 1969) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League for 13 seasons with the New York Jets. After playing college football at Georgia, Lewis was selected by the Jets ...
injured the Patriots' starting quarterback
Drew Bledsoe Drew McQueen Bledsoe (born February 14, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Washington State, whe ...
. Bledsoe's injury resulted in
Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...
becoming New England's quarterback, beginning the
Brady–Belichick era The Tom Brady–Bill Belichick era, also known as the Brady–Belichick era, the New England Patriots dynasty, or the Patriots dynasty, was a sports dynasty of the New England Patriots in the National Football League (NFL) that lasted from the ...
for the Patriots that saw them enjoy nearly two decades of dominance and win six Super Bowl titles. As a result, Lewis' hit on Bledsoe is often noted for its impact on NFL history. Another enduring element of Enberg's broadcasting legacy was his ability to provide warm and poignant reflections on the sporting events he covered. ''Enberg Essays'', as they came to be known, were a regular feature of CBS's coverage of college basketball's Final Four. On March 27, 2010, Enberg called his final college basketball game for CBS, an East Regional tournament final featuring the
Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...
versus the
West Virginia Mountaineers The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent West Virginia University, an American university located in Morgantown, West Virginia. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I. The Mou ...
. After becoming the Padres' play-by-play announcer, Enberg said he hoped to continue calling late-season NFL games for CBS, but his name was omitted from the network's announcing roster for 2010. He continued to call the US Open for CBS through 2011. Enberg returned to call one match and serve as an essayist during the 2014 US Open, to help commemorate CBS's last year covering the event before
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
took over in 2015 US Open (tennis), 2015. On September 14, 2009, Juan Martín del Potro defeated Roger Federer to win the Men's 2009 US Open (tennis), US Open Championship. Enberg hosted the post-match ceremony during which del Potro requested to address his fans in Spanish language, Spanish. Enberg declined the request saying that he was running out of time but went on to list the corporate sponsored prizes del Potro won. A couple of minutes later, Del Potro made the same request again and only then Enberg relented saying "Very quickly, in Spanish, he wants to say hello to his friends here and in Argentina". An emotional del Potro finally spoke a few sentences in Spanish to a cheering crowd. Many viewers expressed disappointment with Enberg and CBS over the interview. A CBS executive later defended Enberg, noting that the contract with the United States Tennis Association required that certain sponsors receive time during the ceremony.


ESPN (2004–2011)

Beginning in 2004, Enberg served as a play-by-play announcer for ESPN2's coverage of the The Championships, Wimbledon, Wimbledon and French Open tennis tournaments, adding the Australian Open the following year. Enberg came to
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
on lease from CBS, where he already called the US Open (tennis), US Open, the one Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam tournament not covered by ESPN until 2009 U.S. Open (tennis), 2009. At the 2004 French Open, Enberg called a match per day and also provided his "Enberg Moments". At 2004 Wimbledon Championships, Wimbledon in 2004, he participated in a new one-hour morning show called ''Breakfast at Wimbledon''. ESPN asked CBS for permission to use Enberg during the summer of 2004 at both the French Open and Wimbledon. Enberg then surprised his new bosses by volunteering for the 2005 Australian Open in January 2005. "I've never been to Australia," he said. "At my age then [69], to be able to work a full Grand Slam is something I'd like to have at the back of my book." Enberg stopped calling the French Open after 2009 French Open, 2009 due to his Padres commitments, though he continued to call the Wimbledon and Australian Open tournaments over the next two years. In June 2011, it was reported that his ESPN contract had ended and that the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, 2011 Wimbledon tournament would be his final one for the network.


San Diego Padres

In December 2009, Enberg was hired as a television play-by-play announcer by the
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
, signing a multi-year deal to call 110–120 games a season for channel 4SD. Enberg primarily teamed with Mark Andrew Grant, Mark Grant on the Padres' telecasts. In his 2010 San Diego Padres season, debut season as a Padres broadcaster, Enberg took some criticism from fans over a perceived lack of enthusiasm for the home team. Told that he was regarded by some viewers as getting "too excited" over plays by opposing players, Enberg responded, "I find that a real compliment." He did move to placate the critics, however, by limiting the use of his signature home run call of "Touch 'em all!" to Padres home runs. In 2012 San Diego Padres season, 2012, Enberg returned as play-by-play voice of the Padres as they moved their telecasts from 4SD to Fox Sports San Diego, in the first year of a 20-year deal between the team and the newly formed network. On September 23, 2015, Enberg indicated he would call Padre games for one more season in 2016 San Diego Padres season, 2016, then retire. On May 21, 2016, Enberg served as a special guest play-by-play broadcaster for the 2016 Detroit Tigers season, Detroit Tigers in their home game with the 2016 Tampa Bay Rays season, Tampa Bay Rays, calling the game on Fox Sports Detroit alongside analyst Kirk Gibson. The Tigers were Enberg's boyhood team, as he lived in the Detroit area. Enberg also called a weekend series for the Tigers post retirement, an interleague series between the Tigers and the Dodgers, August 18–20, 2017 for FSD and one game for FS1. Enberg's last game with the Padres was October 2, 2016. In his last week on air, he made a guest appearance with 2016 Los Angeles Dodgers season, Los Angeles Dodgers announcer
Vin Scully Vincent Edward Scully (November 29, 1927 – August 2, 2022) was an American sportscaster. He was best known for his 67 seasons calling games for Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, beginning in 1950 (when the franchise was located ...
, who also was retiring at the end of the baseball season, after a 67-year career.


Other appearances

In 2006 NFL season, 2006 and 2007 NFL season, 2007, Enberg called Run to the Playoffs, Thursday night and postseason NFL games for NFL on Westwood One, Westwood One radio. Also in 2006, he began narrating a documentary style television series for Fox Sports Net called ''In Focus on FSN''. For Fox Sports Net, he called his final college basketball game on November 11, 2012, aboard the USS Midway (CV-41), USS Midway alongside Steve Kerr. In addition to his career in sports broadcasting, Enberg hosted three game shows besides the aforementioned ''Sports Challenge'': ''The Perfect Match'' in 1967, '' Baffle'' on NBC from 1973 through 1974, and ''
Three for the Money ''Three for the Money'' is an American game show produced by Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions that aired on NBC from September 29 to November 28, 1975. Dick Enberg was the host with Jack Clark announcing. Enberg was also hosting '' Sports Chal ...
'' on NBC in 1975. He also lent his voice to the animated CBS cartoon series ''Where's Huddles?'' (1970), the film ''Rollerball (1975 film), Rollerball'' (1975), and the American-dubbed version of the animated UK Christmas special ''Hooves of Fire, Robbie the Reindeer: Hooves of Fire'' (2002); made appearances in the films ''Two-Minute Warning'' (1976), ''Gus (1976 film), Gus'' (1976), ''Heaven Can Wait (1978 film), Heaven Can Wait'' (1978), ''The Longshot'' (1986), ''The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, The Naked Gun'' (1988), and ''Mr. 3000'' (2004); and appeared as himself in episodes of such television programs as ''The King of Queens'' and ''CSI: NY''. In addition, Enberg was seen in a series of commercials for GTE during the 1980s and early 1990s, and was the voice of the announcer in the classic ''Talking Football'' tabletop game from Mattel.


Film roles

*''Another Nice Mess'' (1972) - Olympics Announcer (voice) *''Rollerball (1975 film), Rollerball'' (1975) - Pregame Announcer (uncredited) *''Hustle (1975 film), Hustle'' (1975) - Radio Announcer (voice, uncredited) *''Gus (1976 film), Gus'' (1976) - Atoms' Announcer *''Two-Minute Warning'' (1976) - Himself *''Murder at the World Series'' (1977) - Radio Announcer *''Heaven Can Wait (1978 film), Heaven Can Wait'' (1978) - TV Interviewer *''The Longshot'' (1986) - Radio Announcer *''The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!'' (1988) - The Baseball Announcer #2 *''Mr. 3000'' (2004) - Brewers Sportscaster


Career timeline

*1957–1961: Indiana Hoosiers football play-by-play *1957–1961: Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball play-by-play *1961–1965:
assistant professor Assistant Professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States and Canada. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doctoral degree A docto ...
and
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
coach for the Cal State Northridge Matadors, Matadors of California State University, Northridge *1966–1977: UCLA Bruins men's basketball play-by-play *1966–1977: Los Angeles Rams radio play-by-play *1967–1968: ''The Perfect Match'' host *1969–1978, 1985: California Angels play-by-play *1971–1979 '' Sports Challenge'' host *1973–1974: ''Baffle (game), Baffle'' host *1975: ''
Three for the Money ''Three for the Money'' is an American game show produced by Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions that aired on NBC from September 29 to November 28, 1975. Dick Enberg was the host with Jack Clark announcing. Enberg was also hosting '' Sports Chal ...
'' host *1975–1981: ''College Basketball on NBC, NCAA Basketball on NBC'' play-by-play *1977–1998: ''NFL on NBC'' play-by-play *1977–1982: ''MLB on NBC'' play-by-play *1979, 1981–1999: The Championships, Wimbledon, Wimbledon play-by-play (NBC) *1980–1988: Rose Bowl (game), Rose Bowl play-by-play (NBC) *1983–1989: ''MLB on NBC'' studio host *1984–1990:
Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...
host (NBC) *1988: 1988 Summer Olympics Gymnastics at the 1988 Summer Olympics, Gymnastics play-by-play (NBC) *1990–1999: ''NBA on NBC'' play-by-play *1992: 1992 Summer Olympics host (NBC) *1995–1999: ''PGA Tour on NBC'' host *1996: 1996 Summer Olympics contributor (NBC) *1998–1999: ''Notre Dame Football on NBC'' play-by-play *2000–2010: ''NFL on CBS'' play-by-play (2000–2005 #2) (2006–2010 #3) *2000–2010: ''College Basketball on CBS, NCAA Basketball on CBS'' play-by-play *2000–2011, 2014: US Open (tennis) play-by-play (CBS) *2000–2006:
The Masters The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first ma ...
contributor (CBS) *2000–2006:
PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...
contributor (CBS) *2004–2011: The Championships, Wimbledon, Wimbledon and Australian Open play-by-play (ESPN2) *2004–2009: French Open play-by-play (ESPN2) *2006–2007: ''NFL on Westwood One, Westwood One Thursday Night Football'' play-by-play *2006: ''In Focus on FSN'' narrator *2010–2016:
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
TV play-by-play


Honors

Enberg garnered many awards and honors over the years, including 13 Sports Emmy Awards (as well as a Lifetime Achievement Emmy), nine National Sportscaster of the Year awards from the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (and induction into that organization's Hall of Fame), five Sportscaster of the Year awards from the American Sportscasters Association (which also ranked Enberg tenth in its 2009 listing of the Top 50 Sportscasters of All Time), the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award, Pete Rozelle Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Curt Gowdy Media Award, Curt Gowdy Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Basketball Hall of Fame, the Ford C. Frick Award, Ford Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Enberg is the only sportscaster thus far to win Emmys in three categories (broadcasting, writing, and producing), and in 1973 became the first U.S. sportscaster to visit the China, People's Republic of China. Enberg was inducted into Central Michigan University's Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993. The university named an academic center for him in 2007. A student-athlete award in Enberg's name is presented annually to a Central Michigan student. Enberg was raised in Armada, Michigan and was responsible for the naming of the Armada High School yearbook, the Regit (Tiger spelled backwards), a name it has to this day. A hallway in the Macomb Academy of Arts and Sciences, which is run by Armada school district and shares the building with its administration office, was named after him. UCLA named its Media Center in Pauley Pavilion after Enberg in 2017 in his honor. Indiana University awarded Enberg an honorary doctorate of humane letters in 2002. He would be inducted into the Indiana University Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in the fall of 2006. Enberg also received honorary doctorates of humane letters from his alma mater Central Michigan University in 1980 and Marquette University in 2009, and gave the addresses at both universities' May commencement ceremonies. In 1997, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) honored Enberg with an award in recognition of his longtime support of the organization's Academic All-America program. College Sports Information Directors of America#Dick Enberg Award winners, The Dick Enberg Award is given annually to a person whose actions and commitment have furthered the meaning and reach of the Academic All-America Teams Program and/or the student-athlete while promoting the values of education and academics. Past recipients include Gerald Ford, Mike Krzyzewski, Pat Summitt, and Joe Paterno. Enberg continued to be an avid supporter of the program, often lending his voice to video presentations related to CoSIDA's annual Academic All-America Hall of Fame ceremony. In 2006, Enberg was Awarded the Ambassador Award of Excellence by the LA Sports & Entertainment Commission for his involvement in the community. For his contributions to the Rose Bowl game and parade through the years, Enberg was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame on December 31, 2011. The National Baseball Hall of Fame named Enberg the 2015 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in baseball broadcasting. He was presented with the award in a ceremony during the Hall's induction weekend on July 25, 2015. Enberg was the second American sportscaster (after
Curt Gowdy Curtis Edward Gowdy (July 31, 1919 – February 20, 2006) was an American sportscaster. He called Boston Red Sox games on radio and TV for 15 years, and then covered many nationally televised sporting events, primarily for NBC Sports and ABC S ...
) to be selected for broadcasting awards from each of the Halls of Fame in professional football, basketball and baseball. On August 20, 2017, the Detroit Sports Media (formerly Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association) named Enberg the 2017 recipient of the DSM Ernie Harwell Lifetime Contribution Award for a lifetime of service to the sports broadcasting community.


Personal life

Although Enberg was Finnish on his paternal side, his surname was of Swedish people, Swedish origin. During an ESPN television broadcast from the Wimbledon tennis championships on June 24, 2010, Enberg said his father was born in Finland, and changed his name from the Finnish "Katajavuori" to the Swedish equivalent Enberg on arrival in the U.S. as he felt it would be a simpler name. The surname means "juniper mountain." Enberg said it pleased him that Jarkko Nieminen was doing so well as Finland is close to his heart and it is a small nation with few tennis facilities. While working at Saginaw, Michigan radio station WSAG, WSAM early in his career, Enberg considered changing his name professionally to "Dick Breen" after being told that "Enberg" was too Jewish-sounding. The story of his surname is also detailed in his autobiography, ''Oh My!'' Enberg was the father of actor Alexander Enberg, actor-musician Andrew Enberg, and daughter Jennifer Enberg by former wife Jeri Taylor. At the time of his death, he was married to his second wife, Barbara (née Almori), with whom he had one son, Ted Enberg (also a sportscaster), and two daughters, Nicole and Emily. Ted Enberg is a play-by-play broadcaster for ESPN, Pac-12 Network and called the U.S. Open Tennis Championships in 2017 US Open (tennis), 2017. Ted currently resides in San Diego and has a sports podcast with PodcastOne entitled, ''Sound of Success''. He is married to Sara Elizabeth Miller. Ted would ultimately portray his father in the 2022 HBO series ''Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty''. Enberg penned a one-man theatrical play titled ''COACH'', as a tribute to his former television broadcast partner and late friend, Al McGuire, the extraordinary college basketball coach and commentator. It debuted at Marquette University's Helfaer Theater in 2005. It drew positive reviews as an accurate portrayal of the eccentric coach. At the 2007 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 2007 NCAA Final Four in Atlanta, Enberg presented three performances of ''COACH'' at the Alliance Theater. Those attending the April 1 matinée included Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Hall of Famers coach Dean Smith (whom McGuire defeated in the 1977 NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Game, 1977 NCAA Championship in Atlanta) and former UCLA Bruins men's basketball, UCLA All-American center Bill Walton. The play was then performed at Hofstra University, near Al's old neighborhood on Long Island in New York. It has since been booked in San Diego,
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas, Chicago, Portland, Maine, North Carolina and Indiana. The most recent performance was at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan. Actor Cotter Smith portrayed McGuire in the one-man show. Enberg served as Chairman of the American Sportscasters Association from 1983 until 2017. He was also a Board Member for the Lott Trophy, Lott IMPACT Trophy, which is named after Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Ronnie Lott and is given annually to college football's Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year.


Death

Dick Enberg died on December 21, 2017, in La Jolla, California, from a suspected heart attack. He was 82.


References


Bibliography

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External links


Dick Enberg
Ford C. Frick Award biography at the National Baseball Hall of Fame
CBS Biography: Dick Enberg

Academic center named for Enberg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Enberg, Dick 1935 births 2017 deaths American game show hosts American horse racing announcers American people of English descent American people of Finnish descent American people of French descent American people of German descent American radio sports announcers American television sports announcers Boxing commentators California Angels announcers Canadian Football League announcers Central Michigan University alumni College basketball announcers in the United States College football announcers Figure skating commentators Ford C. Frick Award recipients Golf writers and broadcasters Gymnastics broadcasters Indiana University Bloomington alumni Indiana Hoosiers football announcers Los Angeles Rams announcers Major League Baseball broadcasters National Basketball Association broadcasters National Football League announcers Notre Dame Fighting Irish football announcers Olympic Games broadcasters People from Mount Clemens, Michigan People from San Diego Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award recipients San Diego Padres announcers Sports Emmy Award winners Tennis commentators UCLA Bruins men's basketball