Writing from Chicago
Thursday, November 12, 2026
Dan Hicks, the lead voice on NBC’s golf telecasts since 2001, died suddenly late Wednesday of what wife Hannah Storm called “an acute illness.” He was 64.
Hicks’ presence on the air on golf, Olympic swimming and speed skating and skiing, and NFL and Notre Dame football guaranteed a quality telecast, with vibrant calls of the high moments and the subtle asides and nuances needed to get through hours on the air.
His death was greeted with shock in the golf and broadcast community, and with fond memories by those who knew him.
“Our family is heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected passing of Dan,” Storm said in announcing his death. “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.
“Dan was truly one of a kind and, quite simply, the person everyone wanted to be around. 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.”
Hicks was at NBC for 35 years, starting in golf as a hole announcer for five years, and moving to the anchor chair in 2000 when Dick Enberg left for CBS. His first U.S. Open telecast as anchor was Tiger Woods’ 15-stroke victory at Pebble Beach.
Woods’ achievements on NBC were invariably called by Hicks, most memorably in 2008, when Woods, playing on a broken leg, came back to tie Rocco Mediate with a birdie on the 72nd hole.
When the putt rolled in, Hicks said, “Expect anything different?” He let the crowd roar, then when a shot of Mediate came on the screen, said, “Rocco, you’ve got 18 with Tiger tomorrow!”
Hicks called thrilling moments at the British Open, the Ryder Cup, and countless PGA Tour tournaments, all for NBC, and also became the American voice of Olympic swimming thanks to NBC’s stranglehold on Olympic rights. He teamed with Rowdy Gaines for eight Olympiads, including calling all 22 of Michael Phelps’ gold medal swims and all 14 of Katie Ladecky’s.
“(F)ar beyond his on-air excellence, Dan was a better person who welcomed teammates with a smile, a joke, or a word of encouragement, sometimes all three in the same sentence,” NBC Sports’ executive trio of Rick Cordella, Sam Flood and Molly Sullivan said in a written statement. “He was an exceptional storyteller and caller of games and events who elevated some of the biggest moments in sports history.”
Wrote founding Golf Channel producer Michael Whalen on X, “I tried to recruit him. I couldn't bring him to our microphone, but I was blessed to keep his friendship for more than 30 years. Throughout my cancers and after Rebecca died, Dan never forgot to reach out.
“Millions will remember the magnificent voice that narrated sporting history.
“I'll remember the gentle man who called when my own world fell silent.”
Roger Maltbie, a longtime course announcer on NBC, could barely compose himself Thursday morning on Golf Channel, “This is not losing a colleague and a nice guy, this is losing a pal. … Danny was just such a fun and wonderful guy. I loved him. I’m just going to miss the hell out of him. I do already.”
Said Jimmy Roberts, “It’s hard to even think about they he’s not going to be here anymore.”
Wrote Brandel Chamblee of Golf Channel on X, “How lucky we were to have known him, and how heartbreaking it is to say goodbye.”
Hicks was scheduled to call Saturday’s Notre Dame game against Boston College on NBC.
He met Hannah Storm, a Notre Dame graduate, when they anchored “Sports Tonight” on CNN. She moved to NBC first, and eventually to ESPN. They have three children, Hannah, Ellery and Riley. Services are pending.
– Tim Cronin