Dick Enberg’s first full season as the television voice of the San Diego Padres began in 2010. Dick is enjoying his second 50 years of sports broadcasting. For over 50 years, Dick has been one of the most versatile play-by-play announcers in sports. His play-by-play career includes announcing 41 NFL football seasons; 8 Super Bowls; 9 Rose Bowls; 6 Orange Bowls; the Olympic Games in 1972, ’88, ’92, ’96; the American and National League playoffs, the World series, 24 French Open Tennis Championships; 9 U.S. Open Tennis Championships; 6 Master Golf Tournaments; 3 Ryder Cups; the Breeder’s Cup; the NBA playoffs and All-Star games; 5 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships and 27 Wimbledon Championships.
Dick has also earned a series of national honors, including induction into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame; 14 Emmy Awards, including the 2000 Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award; the 1995 National Basketball Hall of Fame’s Curt Gowdy Award; the 1999 Pro Football hall of Fame’s Pete Rozelle Award; 15 Sportscasters of the Year Awards; the Ronald Reagan Media Award and the Victor Award as a sports, writer and producer. In 1998 he became only the fourth sportscaster to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is the author of two best-selling books: “Dick Enberg’s Humorous Quotes for All Occasions” and his autobiography, “Oh My!”. He has authored a highly acclaimed one-man, one-act play called, “McGuire”, that features the wit and wisdom of former coach and colleague, Al McGuire.
He first began his broadcasting career in 1956 at a radio station in Mt. Pleasant Michigan, while still a student at Central Michigan University. Dick attended graduate school at Indiana University (1957-61), earning his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Health Education, while serving as the first-ever play-by-play talent for the I.U. Sports Network. From 1961-65 he served as an Assistant Professor and Assistant Baseball Coach at Cal State Northridge. In 1965 legendary radio and television cowboy, Gene Autry, hired Dick as a full-time announcer at Autry’s Los Angeles radio and television stations, KTLA and KMPC. It was there that Dick because the voice of the Los Angeles Rams, California Angels and UCLA basketball. Dick rode the Jon Wooden wave at UCLA, as the Bruins won eight National Championships in his nine years as the announcer. In 1975 Dick signed with NBC as the play-by-play voice of the “Basketball Game of the Week”. Dick and Billy Packer would be joined by Al McGuire in the 1977-78 basketball season, forming what has been herald as the best basketball announcer team in television history.
Dick has been the Nation Spokesperson for the Academic All-American program for over 20 years and was inducted into its Hall-of-Fame in 1997. Enberg was born in Mt. Clemens, Michigan and is the father of 6 children. He enjoys classical music, travel, tennis and tending to his cellar of fine wines.
