Dick Enberg Passes Away

Legendary broadcaster Dick Enberg, the 2015 Ford C. Frick Award winner and an icon in the broadcasting industry, has passed away at the age of 82, according to Bryce Miller of the San Diego Union Tribune. Enberg’s wife, Barbara, tells Miller that the family believes he suffered a heart attack.

Enberg’s career in broadcasting spanned well beyond the world of baseball, as he spent six decades also calling NCAA basketball, the NFL, professional tennis, the PGA and the Olympics, among other sporting events. That versatility brought Enberg’s iconic voice into the homes of millions of sports fans, from his humble beginnings calling Indiana Hoosiers football and basketball in the 1950s to the seven seasons he spent as one of the voices of MLB’s San Diego Padres from 2010-16.

Along the way, Enberg was honored not only by the National Baseball Hall of Fame with the Ford C. Frick Award, but also by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, who named him the recipient of their respective Pete Rozelle Award (1999) and Curt Gowdy Award (1995).

“We are immensely saddened by the sudden and unexpected passing of legendary broadcaster Dick Enberg,” the Padres said in a statement issued by chairman Ron Fowler and managing partner Peter Seidler. “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.”

Enberg’s signature “Oh, my!” call was a familiar refrain for multiple generations of sports fans across the country, and the impact that he had on the sportscasting industry is immeasurable. Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Enberg, as well as the countless fans whose lives were bettered by his passion, insight and joy over the years.