Notre Dame is mourning the loss of Dan Hicks, the broadcaster whose voice became a familiar part of Fighting Irish football and so much more. Hicks died Thursday morning, and the news quickly sent shock through the Notre Dame community and beyond.
Golf Channel broadcaster Rich Lerner, a close friend of Hicks, was the first to announce the death. Lerner said the news came as a shock and that he was struggling to find the right words to share it. From there, tributes started to pour in for a man who spent decades behind the microphone covering Notre Dame, golf and the Olympics.
Hicks was married to Hannah Storm, who is also a Fighting Irish alum, and she confirmed the news on social media while making clear how deeply the family was hurting. Their three daughters were also named in the NBC Sports tribute that followed.
NBC Sports, where Hicks worked for 34 years, honored him with a statement that reflected both his on-air presence and the person he was away from it. “Dan Hicks was an extraordinary colleague, friend and person. In his 34 years at NBC Sports, he was an exceptional storyteller and caller of games and events who elevated some of the biggest moments in sports history.”
The network also pointed to the range of his work: “From Olympic swimming and skiing to Notre Dame football, numerous other high-profile events and especially as the signature voice of our golf coverage for the last 26 years, Dan’s blend of knowledge, style, enthusiasm and humor informed and entertained fans for decades.”
NBC Sports added another layer to the tribute, noting the way Hicks carried himself around the people he worked with: “But far 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. Our heartfelt condolences and love to his wife Hannah and his daughters Hannah, Ellery, and Riley.”
Hicks had been NBC Sports’ lead play-by-play voice for the PGA Tour since 2000 and also worked 16 Olympic broadcasts. One of his most memorable calls came at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when Team USA stunned the field to win gold in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay led by Michael Phelps.
For Notre Dame fans, Hicks had returned to the booth in 2024 for a second stint as the lead play-by-play announcer for football games, taking over from Jac Collinsworth. His first run calling Fighting Irish games lasted from 2013 to 2016.
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