Notre Dame’s broadcast booth sounded a little different Saturday, and Jason Benetti made sure the moment carried the weight it deserved.
With Dan Hicks unexpectedly gone after his death earlier this week, Benetti stepped in to call the Fighting Irish’s home game against Boston College on NBC. Before the action got rolling in South Bend, he used his opening remarks to acknowledge the day, the setting and the bigger meaning of college football.
He began with the weather and the Notre Dame-Boston College matchup, then shifted into something more personal, noting that the day was a reminder of how communal college football and sports can be, and how important it is to tell the people around you that you appreciate and care about them.
Benetti also honored Hicks again during the game by nodding to one of the broadcaster’s most memorable calls - Tiger Woods’ comeback win at the 2008 U.S. Open. As he put it: “After last week, expect anything different?”
Hicks had been NBC’s lead voice for Notre Dame home games since 2013, and he was supposed to handle Saturday’s broadcast before his passing. He also spent decades calling PGA Tour events and served as the main voice for NBC’s Summer and Winter Olympics.
NBC has carried Notre Dame games since the 1990s, and Hicks had been with the network since 1992. Before NBC, he worked at CNN and KVOA-TV in Tucson, Ariz.
Hicks died Thursday, Nov. 12, at 64. In a statement, his wife, Hannah Storm, said he passed away after “acute illness.”
“Our family is heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected passing of Dan following an acute illness,” 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. 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.”
Benetti, who has worked at NBC Sports since 2021, handled the play-by-play duties for this week’s game. Whether he remains in that role beyond Saturday is unclear, but his tribute to Hicks landed exactly as intended.
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