Dick Enberg, the Hall of Fame sports broadcaster whose work across various leagues and events endeared him to fans across the globe, passed away on Thursday night.
He was 82 years old.
Bryce Miller, a columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribute confirmed this unfortunate news in a Tweet, saying Enberg’s wife, Barbara, believed her husband died of a heart attack.
“Such a legend. Such a gentleman. There are no words,” Miller added in his post.
The announcer’s daughter, Nicole, told ESPN that the family grew concerned when Enberg didn’t arrive on his flight to Boston yesterday, adding that he was found dead at his home in La Jolla, a San Diego neighborhood, with his bags packed.
His loved ones are awaiting on an official cause of death.
Known for his catchphrase of “Oh my!,” Enberg was a fixture in American living rooms for decades, calling NFL and MLB games and Wimbledon for NBC, CBS and ESPN.
He was one of the few broadcasters who could easily switch between nearly any sport.
In total, he covered 28 Wimbledons… 10 Super Bowls … and eight NCAA men’s basketball title games, including iconic Magic Johnson-Larry Bird showdown in 1979.
Most recently, Enberg had served as the main play-by-play voice of the San Diego Padres, retiring in 2016 after seven seasons with the team.
Said that baseball team in a statement upon learning this sad news:
“We are immensely saddened by the sudden and unexpected passing of legendary broadcaster Dick Enberg.
“Dick was an institution in the industry for 60 years and we were lucky enough to have his iconic voice behind the microphone for Padres games for nearly a decade.
“On behalf of our entire organization, we send our deepest condolences to his wife, Barbara, and the entire Enberg family.”
Miller says San Diego has offered its home ball park to Enberg’s family if they wish to hold any sort of memorial there.
Over his career, Enberg won 13 Sports Emmy Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Emmy.
He even received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame – and UCLA named its media center in Pauley Pavilion after Enberg this year.
Enberg retired with numerous broadcasting honors, including the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Rozelle Award and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Gowdy Award.
He would have turned 83 on January 9.
Born and raised in Michigan, the legendary sports figure graduated from Central Michigan University, where he started his broadcasting career as an undergraduate.
He later moved to California, doing small screen work for the UCLA Bruins and radio work for the California Angels and Los Angeles Rams.
His death has reverberated around Twitter.
As you can see below, in a small sampling, nearly everyone in the sports broadcasting word had kind words to say about the late announcer:
Enberg is the only individual to win Emmy Awards as a sportscaster, a writer and a producer.
On Thursday, an Enberg interview was published as part of his “Sound of Success” podcast.
His guest was veteran TV producer and executive Andy Friendly.
At one point in the extensive Q&A, Friendly stopped to share his admiration for the host, saying simply:
“You are one of my true heroes and one of the true greats of our business, Dick. It’s a real honor, and I’m not just blowing smoke, and I know your listeners know this already.
“I am talking to broadcast royalty today, and I am thrilled to be doing it.”
May Dick Enberg rest in peace.
