‘Today’s Craig Melvin Gets Emotional Over Death of NBC Sports’ Dan Hicks

Today‘s Craig Melvin got teary-eyed while reporting on the death of a friend and NBC colleague.

“Before we go, we wanted to take just a quick moment to remember a dear friend and beloved member of our NBC family,” Melvin said at the end of the third hour of Today‘s Thursday, November 12, episode. “Longtime NBC Sports broadcaster Dan Hicks has died at the age of 64.”

Reflecting on Hicks’ career, Dylan Dreyer added, “Dan was the voice behind so many historic moments. Golf fans know him well. He led NBC’s PGA Tour coverage since 2000, called Notre Dame football games, and he worked 16 Olympics dating back to 1992 in Barcelona.”

Al Roker said Hicks will “more importantly” be remembered as a “devoted dad and husband,” stating, “He and his wife, Hannah Storm, were married for more than 30 years. They have three beautiful daughters together.”

Melvin got choked up and wiped away tears while sharing his personal connection to Hicks. “Our thoughts are with Hannah and those three adorable girls. And over the years, they’ve become part of our family,” he said. “[My wife] Lindsay [Czarniak] and I just had dinner with them. So, he will be missed. He will be sorely missed.”

 

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Storm announced her husband’s death in an Instagram statement on Thursday. “Our family is heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected passing of Dan following an acute illness,” she wrote. “He was a devoted husband of over 30 years, loving father to our three daughters, and cherished friend to so many. His loss is immeasurable.”

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Storm continued, “Dan was truly one of a kind and quite simply, the person everyone wanted to be around. When he walked into a room, he brought the energy, the laughter and the people together. He was endlessly kind, thoughtful and funny, and he made everyone feel like they mattered.”

Storm said that she and her daughters — Hannah, Ellery, and Riley — are “heartbroken” over the loss. “We are grateful for the love and support surrounding our family during this incredibly difficult time,” she concluded. “There are simply no words to express how much he will be missed.”

Before joining NBC in 1992, Hicks began his career as a sports anchor and news reporter in Arizona and worked at CNN for three years, hosting CNN Sports Tonight, CNN College Football Preview and CNN College Basketball Preview, per his NBC bio.

NBC

In a statement, NBC Sports’ Rick Cordella, Sam Flood, and Molly Solomon described Hicks as “an extraordinary colleague, friend and person.” The message read, “In his 34 years at NBC Sports, he was an exceptional storyteller and caller of games and events who elevated some of the biggest moments in sports history. From Olympic swimming and skiing to Notre Dame Football, numerous other high-profile events and especially as the signature voice of our golf coverage for the last 26 years, Dan’s blend of knowledge style, enthusiasm and humor informed and entertained fans for decades.”

The statement continued, “But far beyond his on-air excellence, Dan was a better person who welcomed teammates with a smile, a joke, or a word of encouragement, sometimes all three in the same sentence. Our heartfelt condolences and love to his wife Hannah and his daughters Hannah, Ellery and Riley.”