Dick Enberg was the voice of tennis in the United States.
Over the course of five different decades, Enberg did play-by-play for the majority of the sport’s best moments. He spent time covering all four Grand Slam events, most notably 28 Wimbledon fortnights. He was much more than simply a tennis announcer, as he called big events in virtually every other sport.
Dick started out as a radio announcer in the 1950’s, which is where he began crafting his unparalleled talent of painting the picture for the listener. This would carry over to his television coverage, as no one was better at describing the atmosphere of the event to the viewer. His ability to amplify the positive attributes of the athletes, without coming across as disingenuous, came from his true love and passion for the people and the sports themselves.
You cannot find a broadcast partner of his who says one bad word about Enberg’s work or professionality, but most moving is their praise of the kind and giving man he was off the air. The tributes from his colleagues speak of how invested and instrumental Enberg was in their own success.
Worked for Dick Enberg early in my career. He was a gentleman on and off the air. https://t.co/w7BDTID7DL
— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) December 22, 2017
https://twitter.com/andyroddick/status/944263329199067137
Dick Enberg was always a rockstar in the broadcast booth at the #USOpen.
We will dearly miss him. pic.twitter.com/DrgCZXqbPn
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) December 22, 2017
The most revealing evidence of his true character is this San Diego Tribune piece from 2014. Dick suffered some tremendous personal heartache in his last few years. Enberg ended his career as the play-by-play announcer for the San Diego Padres, and this story outlines the sadness his family was forced to endure.
“A brother lost to pancreatic cancer, a son victimized by a stroke, a sister on the brink of death and a daughter fighting the same disease. And yet, here you have a 79-year-old calling 130-or-so regular season games with the zeal of a man half his age.”
He still found a way to show up to the ballpark every day with a smile on his face.
Dick Enberg is not just one of the greatest sports broadcasters of all-time. He’s also an inspiration, as he spread joy amongst all those around him in the face of such adversity.
He was a humble man who would be embarrassed by all the kind words shared about him following his passing.
As he told the San Diego Tribune, “If they were going to write anything on my tombstone, I just hope it would be something like “He wasn’t the game, but he complemented it.”
