Legendary broadcaster Enberg dies at 82
Dick Enberg, the longtime sportscaster who got his big break with UCLA basketball and went on to call Super Bowls, Olympics, Final Fours and Angels and Padres baseball games, died Thursday. He was 82.
Engberg’s daughter, Nicole, confirmed the death to The Associated Press. She said the family became concerned when he didn’t arrive on his flight to Boston on Thursday, and that he was found dead at his home in La Jolla, a San Diego neighborhood, with his bags packed.
“He was dressed with his bags packed at the door,” wife Barbara told the Union-Tribune. “We think it was a heart attack.”
Enberg retired in October 2016 after a 60-year career — and countless calls of “Oh my!” in describing a play that nearly defied description. He also was wellknown for his baseball catchphrase of “Touch ‘ em all” for home runs.
Raised in Armada, Michigan, Enberg’s first radio job was actually as a radio station custodian inMount Pleasant, Michigan, when he was a junior at Central Michigan. He made $1 an hour. The owner also gave him weekend sports and disc jockey gigs, also at $1 an hour. From there he began doing high school and college football games.
During his nine years broadcasting UCLA basketball, the Bruins won eight NCAA titles. Enberg broadcast nine no-hitters, including two by the Giants’ Tim Lincecum against the Padres in 2013 and 2014.
He said the most historically important event he covered was “The Game of the Century,” Houston’s victory over UCLA in 1968 that snapped the Bruins’ 47game winning streak.
“That was the platform from which college basketball’s popularity was sent into the stratosphere,” Enberg said.
Enberg won 13 Sports Emmy Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Emmy. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and UCLA named its Media Center in Pauley Pavilion after Enberg this year.
“Kindest, most proactive possible treatment of newcomers in this business, for the length of his career,” broadcaster Keith Olbermann said of Enberg on Twitter. “What a terrible loss.”
College football
TEMPLE WINS GASPARILLA
BOWL » Frank Nutile threw for 254 yards and a touchdown to lead Temple to a 28- 3 victory over Florida International in the Gasparilla Bowl in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Nutile teamed with Isaiah Wright on 45-yard TD play in the fourth quarter and also scored on a 4-yard run to give the Owls (7- 6) an early lead. He completed passes of 13 and 17 yards to escape a first-and-30 hole before throwing 39 yards to Adonis Jennings to set up another TD.
The victory was the fourth in five games for Temple, which rebounded from a 3- 5 start to finish with a winning record in its first season under Coach Geoff Collins. THIRD NOTRE DAME PLAYER SUSPENDED » No. 14 Notre Dame has suspended a third player for the Citrus Bowl against No. 16 LSU.
Junior tight end Alize Mack, who saw considerable playing time this year after missing the 2016 season because of academic issues, will miss the Jan. 1 game against the Tigers (93) because of “an internal team matter,” Coach Brian Kelly said. He did not disclose details.
Already indefinitely suspended for the Fighting Irish (9-3) are sophomore wide receiver Kevin Stepherson and freshman running back C. J. Holmes, who were arrested on shoplifting charges last week at a mall in nearby Mishawaka.
Soccer
LOCAL PLAYERS INVITED TO MLS COMBINE » Stanford’s Tomas Hillard and Drew Skundrich, Saint Mary’s College’s Rafael Sanchez and USF’s Leon Schwarzer were among the initial list of 60 former college players invited to participate in the 2018 MLS Player Combine.
The combine will be Jan. 11-17 in Orlando, Fla. The MLS draft is Jan. 19 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia in conjunction with the United Soccer Coaches Convention. MLS PAUSES EXPANSION PLANS » Major League Soccer is postponing a decision on its next expansion team until next year. A day after selecting Nashville as one of its next two additions, MLS said it still is considering which market to add fromamong Cincinnati, Detroit and Sacramento.
MLS announced last December that it would select its 25th and 26th teams during the second or third quarter of 2017 and they would start play by 2020.
Los Angeles FC, the league’s 23rd team, starts play next season. The 24th team, provisionally awarded to Miami and David Beckham in 2014, still has not finalized a stadium location and remains on hold. U. S. WOMEN SCHEDULE GAMES » The U.S. women’s national teamwill play Germany, England and France inMarch in preparation for North and Central American and Caribbean World Cup qualifying scheduled for Oct. 4-17.
The Americans play Germany onMarch 1 at Columbus, Ohio, France onMarch 4 at Harrison, N. J., and England on March 7 at Orlando, Fla.
Golf
PUERTO RICO OPEN POSTPONED » The Puerto Rico Open won’t be played next year because of the damage from Hurricane Maria. It will be replaced by an unofficial PGA Tour event for players, other athletes and celebrities to raise funds to help with recovery work.
The PGA Tour and the Puerto Rico Tourism Company said the Puerto Rico Open will return as a 72hole, official tournament in 2019 and 2020. KIRADECH WITHDRAWS, SECURES MASTERS SPOT » Kiradech Aphibarnrat has withdrawn from an Asian Tour satellite event in Thailand with a back injury, meaning the Thai golfer will finish the year at No. 49 in the world and earn an invitation to the Masters.
The top 50 in the final world ranking of 2017 earn spots at Augusta National.