LOS ANGELES – Legendary Sports Broadcaster Dick Enberg will be honored Thursday, Feb. 9 at UCLA's home men's basketball game against Oregon. A 14-time Emmy winner and 9-time National Sportscaster of the Year, Enberg's time in Westwood, in which he called eight of UCLA's record 11 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship seasons, proved to be the launching pad for a nearly unparalleled broadcasting career that signed off for good this past October.
Enberg, who celebrated his 82nd birthday last month, had a remarkable run behind the mic that spanned six decades, 28 Wimbledons, 10 Super Bowls and multiple Olympic Games, Heavyweight Boxing Championships, Final Fours, Masters golf tournaments and U.S. Opens. He is one of only two broadcasters, along with Curt Gowdy, in the National Baseball, Naismith Memorial Basketball and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
None of this, however, would have been possible without the platform UCLA basketball provided, according to Enberg.
"That job was absolutely responsible for NBC hiring me," Enberg told Larry Stewart of the Los Angeles Times for a 2007 column. "The people at NBC were aware that I was an announcer for the Angels and Rams, but it was UCLA that got me the job."
Enberg, who still refers to Coach John Wooden as, "The greatest man I've ever known other than my own father," is perhaps best known for his iconic "Oh my!" call when describing a play that almost defies description.
"There might be 10 people in the world that have a voice that you go, OK, this is a big deal. No question, Dick is one of those guys," Phil Simms, former NFL quarterback and broadcast partner of Enberg, told the San Diego Tribune in a story leading up to Enberg's retirement.
"If people ask me the top tennis players, when I throw out (Rod) Laver, (Pete) Sampras, Rafa (Nadal), Roger (Federer), I would put him in the same category," said John McEnroe, tennis great and former broadcast partner of Enberg, in the same Tribune story. "He's a Mount Rushmore guy. He'd be on there. I'd put him on it."
In recognition of one of the great broadcasting careers in the history of sports, UCLA will celebrate "Dick Enberg Night" prior to and during halftime of the Bruins' 7:00 pm game at Pauley Pavilion.
Enberg, who will speak in the Pavilion Club before the game, will get behind the mic one more time and join UCLA's radio broadcast with Josh Lewin and Tracy Murray for a segment in the first half and ESPN's telecast with Dave Pasch and Bruin legend Bill Walton for a portion of the second half.
At the intermission, UCLA will honor Enberg with a video tribute and special gifts during a halftime ceremony, followed by him addressing the entire Pauley Pavilion crowd from center court.
The address should bring back memories, both for Enberg and long-time Bruin fans, of the time in 1970 when he was chided by the UCLA student section to make good on a promise to sing "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" on the court once the team clinched the conference title. To hear Enberg recount the full story, click here.
This time, however, Enberg will be all over the student section, as every student in attendance will receive an exclusive "Oh My!" Dick Enberg Night t-shirt courtesy of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to commemorate the evening.
To be a part of Dick Enberg Night when the Bruins take on the Ducks, click here.