The sports world lost a legend on Thursday, as reports indicated broadcaster Dick Engberg died of an apparent heart attack at the age of 82.
The family is waiting for an official word on the cause of the death. According to an ESPN report, Enberg’s daughter, Nicole, said her father didn’t arrive on his flight to Boston on Thursday and that they eventually found him dead at his home in La Jolla with his bags packed for a trip to see his third grandchild for the first time.
Enberg was beloved all throughout the world of sports, but particularly in Southern California as he broadcasted games for UCLA, the Los Angeles Rams, California Angels and most recently the San Diego Padres.
One of Enberg’s peers and closest friends was Los Angeles Dodgers legendary broadcaster Vin Scully, who released a statement after hearing of Enberg’s death, via the Dodgers official Twitter account:
“To me, Dick Enberg was the greatest all-around sportscaster who ever lived and will never be emulated. He was a very dear friend of mine. He had my respect, admiration and my friendship. He will be sorely missed.”
Enberg spent time with many different networks throughout his career, including NBC, CBS and ESPN. He announced Wimbledon on 28 separate occasions, 10 Super Bowls and eight NCAA men’s basketball title games, in addition to countless other big games.
Enberg received many well-deserved awards during his career, including the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Rozelle Award and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Gowdy Award.
He won 13 Sports Emmys and a Lifetime Achievement Emmy. Enberg is the only person to win Emmy Awards as a sportscaster, a writer and a producer. Enberg spent the last seven years of his career broadcasting games for the Padres before retiring in 2016, the same season that Scully walked away from the mic.
