Rest In Peace to one of the all-time great voices.
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/12/22/us/ap-obit-dick-enberg.html
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/12/22/us/ap-obit-dick-enberg.html
Just watched a bunch of that. From the five minutes of calm, thoughtful analysis from Olsen and Enberg at the start of the second half to the ballhawking of Raymond Claiborne (during a day when there wasn’t a flag on every play), what a great trip down memory lane. Thanks for sharing.]
A great Dick Enberg call of the Patriots 1st AFC Championship
I always think of Jim McKay as a studio host (Olympics and Wide World of Sports). And I think of Pat Summerall almost exclusively with football, although I'm sure he did other things. And of course Scully was just baseball. So in my mind I remember Enberg as one of the true great Sports Announcers of my youth, along with Al Michaels, and probably Brent Musberger. He was so good because he stayed in the background and never became the story. His signature call seemed so organic.Enberg was certainly one of the giants of my childhood...and yet, he seems to hold a curious place in the pantheon of great broadcasters. Among similar titans of the airwaves in his era, you'd probably have to rank Jim McKay (ABC), Al Michaels (ABC), Pat Summerall (CBS) and Vin Scully (NBC) ahead of him, right? He was always solid, always pleasant to listen to, very much worth of his exalted status - and yet he lacked any epochal moments or signature calls apart from the "Oh My!" catchphrase, which may have actually contributed to the lack of signature moments. Some of that is down to circumstance: he never had the Miracle on Ice, the 1972 Munich Olympics terrorism, Buckner in 1986 or Gibson in 1988. But his style wasn't distinctive (like Summerall), and if you go back and listen to his call of the Montana-to-Taylor touchdown at the end of Super Bowl XXIII - the first moment of his that came to mind for me - there's really not that in much in his call of the moment to give you goosebumps. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but I'd be interested to hear if others' thoughts mirror mine in this regard.
Scully was not just baseball - he did football (Montana to Dwight Clark, anyone?) and golf quite prominently. And McKay was ABC's golf anchor for many years, among other things. But yeah, Enberg was more generally an all-rounder than a single-sport specialist.I always think of Jim McKay as a studio host (Olympics and Wide World of Sports). And I think of Pat Summerall almost exclusively with football, although I'm sure he did other things. And of course Scully was just baseball. So in my mind I remember Enberg as one of the true great Sports Announcers of my youth, along with Al Michaels, and probably Brent Musberger. He was so good because he stayed in the background and never became the story. His signature call seemed so organic.
Versatility?Enberg was certainly one of the giants of my childhood...and yet, he seems to hold a curious place in the pantheon of great broadcasters. Among similar titans of the airwaves in his era, you'd probably have to rank Jim McKay (ABC), Al Michaels (ABC), Pat Summerall (CBS) and Vin Scully (NBC) ahead of him, right? He was always solid, always pleasant to listen to, very much worth of his exalted status - and yet he lacked any epochal moments or signature calls apart from the "Oh My!" catchphrase, which may have actually contributed to the lack of signature moments. Some of that is down to circumstance: he never had the Miracle on Ice, the 1972 Munich Olympics terrorism, Buckner in 1986 or Gibson in 1988. But his style wasn't distinctive (like Summerall), and if you go back and listen to his call of the Montana-to-Taylor touchdown at the end of Super Bowl XXIII - the first moment of his that came to mind for me - there's really not that in much in his call of the moment to give you goosebumps. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but I'd be interested to hear if others' thoughts mirror mine in this regard.
Gee, how fucking kind of you.Yeah, Enberg was great at tennis - I'll give him that.
I'm just trying to rank where Enberg fits in the pantheon of great sports announcers - he's one of the greats, I'm just wondering where he fits among them.Gee, how fucking kind of you.
My childhood memories of Merlin & Dick calling football forever etched in my database. He was classical smooth at everything he did. Great career, great life. Thanks for the memories.
A terrific watch, thanks for posting that, second time I've seen that game.]
A great Dick Enberg call of the Patriots 1st AFC Championship
I think McKay’s biggest play by play job was the Indianapolis 500. They used to run that in prime time and get a share over 30.Yeah, Enberg was great at tennis - I'll give him that.
Scully was not just baseball - he did football (Montana to Dwight Clark, anyone?) and golf quite prominently. And McKay was ABC's golf anchor for many years, among other things. But yeah, Enberg was more generally an all-rounder than a single-sport specialist.
Good shout. He was more of studio guy and was justly famous for his Olympics work (and also Wide World of Sports), but I always got the sense that was by circumstance more than skill - McKay had the chops of a play-by-play guy as well.I think McKay’s biggest play by play job was the Indianapolis 500. They used to run that in prime time and get a share over 30.
I read this post earlier and it was interesting to watch the Bob Costas special on Enberg. He seemed to paint Enberg as the ultimate accompanimental broadcaster IMO. I was too young for his football and baseball broadcasting, but I, like many remember his tennis broadcasting. Costas, once again, made it seem that Enberg was second fiddle to the likes of Bud Collins. I remember Enberg for his insight and pacing, but do find it interesting to wonder what it was that made him great.Enberg was certainly one of the giants of my childhood...and yet, he seems to hold a curious place in the pantheon of great broadcasters. Among similar titans of the airwaves in his era, you'd probably have to rank Jim McKay (ABC), Al Michaels (ABC), Pat Summerall (CBS) and Vin Scully (NBC) ahead of him, right? He was always solid, always pleasant to listen to, very much worth of his exalted status - and yet he lacked any epochal moments or signature calls apart from the "Oh My!" catchphrase, which may have actually contributed to the lack of signature moments. Some of that is down to circumstance: he never had the Miracle on Ice, the 1972 Munich Olympics terrorism, Buckner in 1986 or Gibson in 1988. But his style wasn't distinctive (like Summerall), and if you go back and listen to his call of the Montana-to-Taylor touchdown at the end of Super Bowl XXIII - the first moment of his that came to mind for me - there's really not that in much in his call of the moment to give you goosebumps. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but I'd be interested to hear if others' thoughts mirror mine in this regard.