Richard "Dick" Enberg - Deceased '57

Enberg began his full-time broadcasting career in 1965 in Los Angeles as the radio and television voice of the California Angels, UCLA basketball and the Los Angeles Rams. Before joining NBC, he was named California Sportscaster of the Year four times. He hosted the long-running national series "Sports Challenge" and was co-producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series "The Way It Was." Throughout his career, he has earned a series of national honors, including 14 Emmy Awards, nine Sportscaster of the Year Awards, the Ronald Reagan Media Award and the Victor Award, as the top sportscaster of the past 40 years. 

He is known as one of the most versatile play-by-play announcers, as he announced for the NFL for 43 seasons, Super Bowl, the Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, the Olympic Games, Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open Tennis Championships, the Masters, PGA Championship, US Open Golf Championship, the Ryder Cup, the American and National League playoffs, World Series, heavyweight boxing championships, NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships, NBA Playoffs and the NBA All-Star Game.  He has also announced gymnastics, figure skating, Breeder’s Cup horse racing and track and field. 

Enberg's versatility is reflected in the fact that he is the only person to win national Emmy Awards as a sportscaster (1981, 1983, 1990, 1993), writer (1988, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999 [2], 2004) and producer (1978). In February 1998, he became only the fourth sportscaster to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Along with his 15 National Sportscaster Awards, Enberg has been named the 1989 Tennis Play-by-Play Man of the Year (Tennis Magazine) and the 1989 NFL Press Box Award winner as football's top play-by-play announcer. 

He also received a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award in 2000. In May 2009, Enberg was honored by WFUV, Fordham University's public radio station, with the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting. Enberg was awarded the 1984 Eclipse Award (thoroughbred racing), the 1995 National Basketball Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Award, and the 1999 Pro Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Award. In 1974, he won a local Emmy Award for coverage of the Rose Bowl Parade. In 1973, he became the first American sportscaster to visit the People's Republic of China (USA vs. China basketball, Beijing). 

A native of Armada, Mich., Enberg began broadcasting as a student at Central Michigan University, where he was the 1957 student body president. He earned a master's degree (1958) and a doctorate (1962) at Indiana University. Before his sportscasting career, he was an assistant professor and assistant baseball coach at California State University at Northridge (1961-65). He was active in fundraising for education (Armada High School, Central Michigan University and Indiana University). As a student, Dick was Student Body President, played football, baseball and was a member of Phi Sigma Epsilon and Kappa Mu Epsilon. 

He was been named a Distinguished Alumnus by both Central Michigan and Indiana University and in 1993 was inducted into the Central Michigan University Athletic Hall of Fame. He received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Indiana University in May 2002, and was inducted into the Indiana University Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. He also has been honored with an honorary doctoral degree by Central Michigan University, and in 2009 received the same honor from Marquette University. Since 1985, Dick served as the spokesperson for the Verizon Academic All-America program, which recognizes the academic and athletic achievements of more than 900 student athletes each year from 1985 until his death in 2017. 

He served as host of the Academic All-America Hall of Fame ceremony, an annual event created in 1988 to pay tribute to past Academic All-America team members who have gone on to make contributions to society. In 1999, Indiana University established the Dick Enberg Distance Learning Center in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. And in 2007, Central Michigan University honored its alum with the naming and dedication of the "Dick Enberg Academic Center" on the campus, as well as established two scholarships in his name recognizing scholarship, community involvement and athletic accomplishment. 

Enberg has authored two best-selling books, Dick Enberg Oh My! and Dick Enberg's Humorous Quotes for All Occasions, and is a critically acclaimed playwright with the production of his one-man play, McGuire, about legendary Marquette University basketball coach, broadcasting partner and friend, Al McGuire.