Dan Dickerson
Encyclopedia
Dan Dickerson is an American
sportscaster
, best known for his current position as the lead radio play-by-play voice of Major League Baseball
's Detroit Tigers
on the Detroit Tigers Radio Network
, joined by color commentator
and former Tigers catcher Jim Price
.
and attended Cranbrook School, graduating in 1976. He then attended Ohio Wesleyan University
, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts
degree.
as a news anchor and reporter. He also covered high-school football
and basketball
. He moved to competitor WCUZ in 1982, where he would cover sports for the next six years. Dickerson moved to Detroit in 1988 and WWJ
, where he served as a general assignment news reporter and weekend news and sports anchor. He also hosted the post-game call-in show for the station's Detroit Lions
broadcasts.
In 1995, Dickerson moved to crosstown competitor WJR
, where he held a variety of positions. He was co-host of a weeknight sports call-in show; morning sports anchor; sideline reporter and fill-in play-by-play announcer for Michigan Wolverines
football; and play-by-play announcer for Michigan basketball for two seasons. While visiting with legendary Tigers announcer Ernie Harwell
in the radio booth during the final game at Tiger Stadium
in 1999, Dickerson was invited by Harwell to call an inning of play-by-play. The following season, he joined the Tigers' broadcast team full-time, calling the middle innings of each game while Harwell handled the rest. Along with former Tiger catcher and analyst Jim Price
, this team remained intact for three full seasons, even as the team switched radio flagship stations (from WJR to WXYT) at the end of the 2000 season.
Dickerson has called several events for Fox Sports Detroit
television, including high school football since 2002, a Michigan State Spartans
hockey game in 2008, and Detroit Titans
basketball games in 2010 and 2011.
Dickerson is a longtime member of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association, founded in 1948 by pioneer Tigers announcer Ty Tyson. Dan was honored by the DSBA in 2009 with the Tyson Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting.
Dickerson also appears as the Detroit Tigers correspondent on MLB Network
's weekday afternoon baseball news show The Rundown.
outside the Detroit Tigers team hotel in Kansas City, Missouri
on May 26, 2009. His fall ruptured a tendon in his leg and he was rescued by Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge
, who saw Dickerson lying on the ground from outside his hotel room window. It was later announced that Dickerson would miss multiple games and will return to Michigan for surgery. Tigers manager Jim Leyland
stated that he "felt terrible" about Dickerson's situation, and that he wishes him well.
John Keating
filled in for the remainder of the Kansas City series, and Al Kaline
did the Baltimore series. Dickerson returned for the Boston series in Detroit the following week.
leagues: The Duckball League of Michigan. Dickerson joined Duckball when the league was formed in 1985 and (finally) won a championship in 2004.
's walkoff home run against the Cleveland Indians
with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Many Detroit sports commentators declared it as Dickerson's best call as a Tigers broadcaster. It was replayed numerous times on Tigers commercials on WXYT.
"First pitch to Pudge, fly ball, deep to left, into the night... GOODBYE! Two run shot, Tigers win! Oh man! Pudge Rodriguez with two outs delivers. Into a mob scene at home. 4-3 Tigers win!"
On October 14, 2006, Magglio Ordóñez
hit a walkoff home run in Game 4 of the ALCS
, making the Tigers the American League
champions for the first time since 1984. Here's the way Dan Dickerson described the final moments of the game to the radio audience:
"Swing and a fly ball, left field, it's deep, IT'S WAY BACK ... THE TIGERS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!! Three-run, walkoff home run! OHHHHH MAN! Ordonez around third, he's into a mob scene at (sob) home! The Tigers have beaten the A's, 6-3, completing a four-game sweep in one of the greatest turnarounds in baseball history! The Tigers, three years after losing 119 games, are going to the World Series! Magglio Ordonez with his second home run of the game. What a sight at home plate!"
On June 12, 2007, Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander
threw the sixth no-hitter in franchise history against the Milwaukee Brewers
, and Dickerson called the final out this way:
"The 0-2 pitch -- swing and a high fly ball to right -- Ordonez going back -- he's got room ... HE MAKES THE CATCH -- Justin Verlander has just thrown the sixth no-hitter in the 107-year history of the Detroit Tigers."
On September 3, 2011, the Tigers completed a rally from an 8-1 deficit against the Chicago White Sox
, the second largest in Comerica Park
history with home runs in the bottom of the 9th inning, a two-run home run from Ryan Raburn
to tie the game and another one of walk-off variety from Miguel Cabrera
to win the game 9-8. Dickerson animatedly described Cabrara's home run this way:
"Cabrera against Santos
, first pitch. Swing AND A FLY BALL, LEFT FIELD, WAY BAAACK ... GONE!! MIGUEL CABRERA WALK-OFF WINNER! And the Tigers come from seven runs down to beat the White Sox 9-8 with three in bottom of the 9th!! Raburn with a two-run shot, Cabrera into the mob scene at home, delivers the winner. HOW 'BOUT IT?!"
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sportscaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
, best known for his current position as the lead radio play-by-play voice of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
on the Detroit Tigers Radio Network
Detroit Tigers Radio Network
The Detroit Tigers Radio Network is a network of 34 radio stations that covers much of Michigan, Northwest Ohio and Northern Indiana that air Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers games and related programming. The network airs all 162 regular season games, some Spring Training games, and all...
, joined by color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
and former Tigers catcher Jim Price
Jim Price (baseball)
Jimmie William Price is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played with the Detroit Tigers from 1967 to 1973...
.
Early life and education
Dickerson grew up in Birmingham, MichiganBirmingham, Michigan
Birmingham is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan and an affluent suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the population was 20,103...
and attended Cranbrook School, graduating in 1976. He then attended Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...
, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree.
Early career
He began his radio career at WMAX in Grand Rapids, MichiganGrand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
as a news anchor and reporter. He also covered high-school football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. He moved to competitor WCUZ in 1982, where he would cover sports for the next six years. Dickerson moved to Detroit in 1988 and WWJ
WWJ (AM)
WWJ is Detroit, Michigan's only 24-hour all-news radio station. Broadcasting at 950 kHz, the station is owned and operated by CBS Corporation subsidiary CBS Radio. The station first went on the air on August 20, 1920 with the call sign 8MK...
, where he served as a general assignment news reporter and weekend news and sports anchor. He also hosted the post-game call-in show for the station's Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
broadcasts.
In 1995, Dickerson moved to crosstown competitor WJR
WJR
WJR is a radio station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It broadcasts a news/talk format. It is a class A clear channel station whose broadcasts can be heard throughout most of the Midwest, eastern United States and Canada at night, making it one of the most powerful radio stations in the...
, where he held a variety of positions. He was co-host of a weeknight sports call-in show; morning sports anchor; sideline reporter and fill-in play-by-play announcer for Michigan Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
football; and play-by-play announcer for Michigan basketball for two seasons. While visiting with legendary Tigers announcer Ernie Harwell
Ernie Harwell
William Earnest "Ernie" Harwell was an American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 years, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called the action on radio and/or television...
in the radio booth during the final game at Tiger Stadium
Tiger Stadium
Tiger Stadium was a stadium located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan. It hosted the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball team from 1912 to 1999, as well as the National Football League's Detroit Lions from 1938 to 1974...
in 1999, Dickerson was invited by Harwell to call an inning of play-by-play. The following season, he joined the Tigers' broadcast team full-time, calling the middle innings of each game while Harwell handled the rest. Along with former Tiger catcher and analyst Jim Price
Jim Price (baseball)
Jimmie William Price is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played with the Detroit Tigers from 1967 to 1973...
, this team remained intact for three full seasons, even as the team switched radio flagship stations (from WJR to WXYT) at the end of the 2000 season.
Current roles
Dickerson took over as lead play-by-play announcer on Tigers radio after Harwell retired at the end of the 2002 season, leaving him and Price as a two-man crew.Dickerson has called several events for Fox Sports Detroit
Fox Sports Detroit
Fox Sports Detroit , is a regional sports network that covers local sports teams in the state of Michigan, mostly those in the Metro Detroit area. It is an owned and operated affiliate of Fox Sports Net...
television, including high school football since 2002, a Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey
The Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team that represents Michigan State University . The team plays at the Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Michigan, on the MSU campus. The current head coach is Tom Anastos, who took over coaching duties on March 23, 2011,...
hockey game in 2008, and Detroit Titans
Detroit Titans men's basketball
The Detroit Titans team is the basketball team that represents the University of Detroit Mercy in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The school's team currently competes in the Horizon League. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 1999...
basketball games in 2010 and 2011.
Dickerson is a longtime member of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association, founded in 1948 by pioneer Tigers announcer Ty Tyson. Dan was honored by the DSBA in 2009 with the Tyson Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting.
Dickerson also appears as the Detroit Tigers correspondent on MLB Network
MLB Network
MLB Network is an American television specialty channel dedicated to professional baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball. Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications have minority ownership of the new network, with MLB retaining a controlling two-thirds share...
's weekday afternoon baseball news show The Rundown.
Running injury
Dickerson tripped on a curb while joggingJogging
Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.-Definition:...
outside the Detroit Tigers team hotel in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
on May 26, 2009. His fall ruptured a tendon in his leg and he was rescued by Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge
Brandon Inge
Charles Brandon Inge is an American professional baseball infielder for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed....
, who saw Dickerson lying on the ground from outside his hotel room window. It was later announced that Dickerson would miss multiple games and will return to Michigan for surgery. Tigers manager Jim Leyland
Jim Leyland
James Richard "Jim" Leyland is a Major League Baseball manager, currently with the Detroit Tigers.He led the Florida Marlins to a World Series championship in 1997, and previously won three straight division titles with the Pittsburgh Pirates...
stated that he "felt terrible" about Dickerson's situation, and that he wishes him well.
John Keating
John Keating (sportscaster)
John Keating is a Fox Sports Detroit host and reporter. He was born in Madison Heights, Michigan. He attended Grand Valley State University. Keating has won five Michigan Emmys during his time at FOX Sports Detroit.-Radio career:...
filled in for the remainder of the Kansas City series, and Al Kaline
Al Kaline
Albert William "Al" Kaline is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career with the Detroit Tigers. Kaline still works for the Tigers as a front office official. Because of his lengthy career and...
did the Baltimore series. Dickerson returned for the Boston series in Detroit the following week.
Misc info
Dickerson holds some renown as a charter member of one of the country's oldest rotisserie baseballFantasy baseball
Fantasy baseball is a game where participants manage an imaginary roster of real Major League baseball players. The participants compete against one another using those players' real life statistics to score points...
leagues: The Duckball League of Michigan. Dickerson joined Duckball when the league was formed in 1985 and (finally) won a championship in 2004.
Play-by-play highlights
On August 5, 2006 Dickerson called Ivan RodriguezIván Rodríguez
Iván Rodríguez Torres , nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Major League Baseball catcher...
's walkoff home run against the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Many Detroit sports commentators declared it as Dickerson's best call as a Tigers broadcaster. It was replayed numerous times on Tigers commercials on WXYT.
"First pitch to Pudge, fly ball, deep to left, into the night... GOODBYE! Two run shot, Tigers win! Oh man! Pudge Rodriguez with two outs delivers. Into a mob scene at home. 4-3 Tigers win!"
On October 14, 2006, Magglio Ordóñez
Magglio Ordóñez
Magglio José Ordóñez Delgado is a Venezuelan Major League Baseball right fielder. He has played for the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers . Ordóñez is six feet, one inch tall and weighs .-Professional career:...
hit a walkoff home run in Game 4 of the ALCS
2006 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 10, 2006 at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland was 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position, while Detroit turned four double plays...
, making the Tigers the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
champions for the first time since 1984. Here's the way Dan Dickerson described the final moments of the game to the radio audience:
"Swing and a fly ball, left field, it's deep, IT'S WAY BACK ... THE TIGERS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!! Three-run, walkoff home run! OHHHHH MAN! Ordonez around third, he's into a mob scene at (sob) home! The Tigers have beaten the A's, 6-3, completing a four-game sweep in one of the greatest turnarounds in baseball history! The Tigers, three years after losing 119 games, are going to the World Series! Magglio Ordonez with his second home run of the game. What a sight at home plate!"
On June 12, 2007, Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander
Justin Verlander
Justin Brooks Verlander is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball....
threw the sixth no-hitter in franchise history against the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, and Dickerson called the final out this way:
"The 0-2 pitch -- swing and a high fly ball to right -- Ordonez going back -- he's got room ... HE MAKES THE CATCH -- Justin Verlander has just thrown the sixth no-hitter in the 107-year history of the Detroit Tigers."
On September 3, 2011, the Tigers completed a rally from an 8-1 deficit against the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
, the second largest in Comerica Park
Comerica Park
Comerica Park is an open-air ballpark located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It serves as the home of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball's American League, replacing historic Tiger Stadium in 2000....
history with home runs in the bottom of the 9th inning, a two-run home run from Ryan Raburn
Ryan Raburn
Ryan Neil Raburn is an American professional baseball outfielder with the Detroit Tigers. Though primarily an outfielder, Raburn can also play third base, second base, first base, and catcher....
to tie the game and another one of walk-off variety from Miguel Cabrera
Miguel Cabrera
José Miguel Cabrera Torres nicknamed "Miggy", is a Venezuelan professional baseball first baseman with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed....
to win the game 9-8. Dickerson animatedly described Cabrara's home run this way:
"Cabrera against Santos
Sergio Santos
Sergio Jose Santos is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox.-Draft and career as a shortstop:...
, first pitch. Swing AND A FLY BALL, LEFT FIELD, WAY BAAACK ... GONE!! MIGUEL CABRERA WALK-OFF WINNER! And the Tigers come from seven runs down to beat the White Sox 9-8 with three in bottom of the 9th!! Raburn with a two-run shot, Cabrera into the mob scene at home, delivers the winner. HOW 'BOUT IT?!"