“Quiet Respect!”

On the TUNNEYSIDE of SPORTS October 17, 2016 #615 Up next… “Quite Respect!”

After further review…As was his style, Dr. Dick Enberg left his broadcasting career with a “walk-off” grand slam the first week in October, 2016. After 60 years behind-the-mike, Enberg “touched them all” one last time and “headed back to the clubhouse.” But he walked away with the quiet respect he earned from all who knew him or heard him on air. Oh, he’ll stay active; in fact, he’s interested in teaching—again! His Ph.D. from Indiana University, an extensive background in the world of sports, and his values of hard work and integrity, make him an ideal teacher for young people. His soft spoken style makes him easy to listen to. His sports colleagues call him “Professor.” But I get ahead of myself.

It was November 17, 1965 when the UCLA Bruins Basketball T*E*A*M vacated the Mens’ Gym, aka the “B.O. Barn,” to play its first game in the new Pauley Pavilion. I was privilege to referee that game, played between the varsity team and the freshman team, which featured the 7’0” Lewis Alcindor (before his name change to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). High up in that new pavilion was the Bruins’ radio announcer, Dick Enberg, who announced those games on KMPC for eight years. Simultaneously, he was the voice of the Los Angeles Rams and California Angels on KMPC. Enberg was named California Sportscaster of the Year four times during that era.

Since we both lived in Southern California in the 60s and 70’s, our paths crossed many times. But in one particular instance, we made history together. It was in 1980 during the AFC Championship game between the Houston Oilers and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Three Rivers Stadium. Enberg, teamed with Merlin Olsen, broadcast that playoff game for NBC, and I was honored to be the Referee. Well, maybe I was. Near the end of that game, there was a controversial call made; our crew ruled a catch made by Oilers receiver Mike Renfro incomplete, a decision that denied Houston a game-tying touchdown as the third quarter ended. Enberg and Olsen questioned the incomplete ruling on the air, Enberg saying “If the NFL had instant replay, that call may have been overturned.” The call provided impetus for the eventual adoption of replay technology.

With such limited space here, it is not possible to provide a complete review of Enberg’s announcing career. But suffice it to list: college football and basketball; the NFL, including Super Bowls; “Breakfast at Wimbledon”; the NBA; PGA golf; the California Angles; the World Series; and after all that concluding his broadcasting career with the San Diego Padres. He has been awarded the Ford Frick Award in MLB and the Pete Rozelle Award in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Enberg in widely known for his expression of “Oh, my!” which he excitedly exclaimed into the mike when a spectacular play happened on the field or court. For this writer, however, the measure of the Professor will always be the value of his friendship off the field, more than any game in which we were involved.

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