Central Michigan, 1957
Dick Enberg was an Honorary Inductee to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Hall of Fame in 1997.
A native of Armada, Mich., Dick Enberg enrolled at Central Michigan University where he was the student body president his senior year. He went on to earn a Master's Degree (1958) and a doctorate (1962) at Indiana University in health sciences. He also was an assistant professor and assistant baseball coach at California State University at Northridge.
The next step was for Enberg to become a sportscaster. In his first job he called local minor league sports, but then became the play-by-play man for the various hockey teams. After the cancellation of “Three for the Money” (1975), Enberg became a full-time sportscaster for NBC, calling NFL games.
Enberg rose to become NBC's top play-by-play announcer during the late '70s, the '80s and '90s in a wide varieof professional sports. Enberg’s play-by-play assignments have included: Super Bowl (8 times); Rose Bowl (9 times); Orange Bowl (6 times); World Series (1 time); American and National League Playoffs (3 times); French Open (16 times); Wimbledon (19 times); NCAA Basketball Finals (5 times); Heavyweight Boxing Championships (3 times); U.S. Open Golf Championship (4 times); Ryder Cup (2 times); NBA Playoffs and NBA All-Star Games, along with football, baseball, tennis, golf, basketball, and boxing. His assignments also included gymnastics, figure skating, Breeder's Cup horse racing, track and field, golf, and Olympic Games. After leaving NBC, Enberg joined CBS to call NFL football, college basketball announcer and U.S. Open tennis tournament.
Enberg’s successful career has earned him numerous National Sportscasters Awards including 9 Emmy Awards, 9 Sportscaster of the Year Awards, Ronald Reagan Media Award, and Victor Award (top Sportscaster for past 25 years). Enberg is an acclaimed celebrity; he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work as a sportscaster. He is the only person to win a National Emmy as a sportscaster, writer and producer.
Enberg has challenged his energy and comic relief, as the author of two best-selling books, Dick Enberg Oh My! and Dick Enberg’s Humorous Quotes for All Occasions. He recently produced a one-man play, “McGuire.” Enberg lives in La Jolla, Calif., with his wife Barbara and the three youngest of his six children.