Tom Durkin
Encyclopedia
Tom Durkin is an American
sportscaster
and public address
announcer specializing in Thoroughbred
horse racing
. He was the race caller
for NBC Sports
from 1984 through 2010.
Durkin studied drama at St. Norbert College
in De Pere, Wisconsin
. In 1971, he was hired as a race caller at Quarter Horse
and Thoroughbred races at county fair
s in Wisconsin
. He did this each summer through 1975 then the following year was employed by the Daily Racing Form
as a call taker responsible for documenting the comments and statistics used in the official charts of the races at Cahokia Downs
and Thistledown Racecourse. He went on to work as a race caller at Florida Downs
in Oldsmar, Florida
, Miles Park Race Track in Louisville, Kentucky
, Quad City Downs in East Moline, Illinois
, Balmoral Park Racetrack
in Crete, Illinois
, Hialeah Park Race Track
in Hialeah, Florida
, Meadowlands Racetrack
in East Rutherford, New Jersey
, and Gulfstream Park
in Hallandale Beach, Florida
and in 1990 was hired to call races at the New York Racing Association's
Aqueduct Racetrack
, Belmont Park
and Saratoga Race Course
.
Tom Durkin is one of horse racing's most identifiable voices. He served as the Breeders Cup's chief TV voice from its inception through 2005, and was a longtime broadcaster on NBC as part of the network's sportscasting crew for horse races, providing analysis, commentary and features in addition to the descriptions of races.
Durkin earned fame in this decade from calling the U.S. Triple Crown races
for NBC, which took over the coverage of the events in 2001. When the race begins, Durkin will speak with high energy, and then tone down as the race progresses, and then builds back up to a significant level of excitement as the horses enter the final turn. He tends to begin races by commenting on the horses that have broken well, and then mentioning his opinion of the early pace.
Due to his contract with NBC, Durkin no longer called Breeders' Cup races, starting from 2006, as those races moved to ESPN
. However, he continued calling the Belmont Stakes
, which air on ABC
, because of his position as the track announcer at Belmont Park.
Like his predecessor, Marshall Cassidy
, Durkin is also a popular TV voice on important stakes races on ESPN
beyond the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup series.
At The Meadowlands, Durkin called the memorable match race
in the 1989 Hambletonian Stakes harness race
between Park Avenue Joe and Probe; both horses finished in a dead heat becoming the only co-winners of the prestigious race.
On April 26, 2011, Durkin announced his decision to not to renew his contract with NBC Sports citing stress
.
"the most shocking defeat in the Wood Memorial since Secretariat himself, and the Kentucky Derby is up for grabs."
Durkin describing Uncle Mo's shocking defeat in the 2010 Wood Memorial.
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...
and public address
Public address
A public address system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, amplifier and loudspeakers, used to reinforce a sound source, e.g., a person giving a speech, a DJ playing prerecorded music, and distributing the sound throughout a venue or building.Simple PA systems are often used in...
announcer specializing in Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
. He was the race caller
Race caller
A race caller is a public-address announcer or sportscaster who describes the progress of a race, either for on-track or radio and TV fans. They are most prominent in horse racing, auto racing and track-and-field events....
for NBC Sports
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
from 1984 through 2010.
Durkin studied drama at St. Norbert College
St. Norbert College
St. Norbert College is a private Catholic liberal arts college in De Pere, Wisconsin. Founded in October 1898 by Abbot Bernard Pennings, a Norbertine priest and educator, the school was named after Saint Norbert of Xanten. In 1952, the college became coeducational and today enrolls about 2,175...
in De Pere, Wisconsin
De Pere, Wisconsin
De Pere is a city located in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 20,559 at the 2000 census. De Pere is a suburb of Green Bay and is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Registered historic places:...
. In 1971, he was hired as a race caller at Quarter Horse
American Quarter Horse
The American Quarter Horse is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name came from its ability to outdistance other breeds of horses in races of a quarter mile or less; some individuals have been clocked at speeds up to 55 mph...
and Thoroughbred races at county fair
County Fair
"County Fair" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Gary Usher for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was originally released as the second track on their 1962 album Surfin' Safari. On November 26th of that year, it was released as the B-side to The Beach Boys' third single, "Ten Little...
s in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. He did this each summer through 1975 then the following year was employed by the Daily Racing Form
Daily Racing Form
The Daily Racing Form is a tabloid newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of race horses as a statistical service for bettors on horse racing in the United States....
as a call taker responsible for documenting the comments and statistics used in the official charts of the races at Cahokia Downs
Cahokia Downs
Cahokia Downs was an American horse racing track located on Highway 15 near the town of Alorton, St. Clair County, Illinois. Run by the East St. Louis Jockey Club, the facility opened in 1954 and hosted both Standardbred harness racing and Thoroughbred flat racing events.At Cahokia Downs on October...
and Thistledown Racecourse. He went on to work as a race caller at Florida Downs
Tampa Bay Downs
Tampa Bay Downs is an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility located in Westchase in Hillsborough County, just outside Tampa, Florida. It opened in 1926 under the name Tampa Downs. The first of many names, the racetrack was well known as Sunshine Park and Florida Downs.-Season:The track races...
in Oldsmar, Florida
Oldsmar, Florida
Oldsmar is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,910 at the 2000 census. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population to be 13,401 as of 2008....
, Miles Park Race Track in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, Quad City Downs in East Moline, Illinois
East Moline, Illinois
East Moline is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,333 at the 2000 census. East Moline is one of the five Quad Cities,, along with the cities of Rock Island, Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities has a population of 379,690...
, Balmoral Park Racetrack
Balmoral Park
Balmoral Park is a horse racing track located just south of Crete, Illinois, United States. The track hosts harness racing for most of the year except for a brief period in January when the track is dark.-History:1925...
in Crete, Illinois
Crete, Illinois
Crete is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,346 at the 2000 census. Originally named Wood's Corner, it was founded in 1836 by Vermonters Dyantha and Willard Wood.-Geography:Crete is located at ....
, Hialeah Park Race Track
Hialeah Park Race Track
The Hialeah Park Race Track is a historic site in Hialeah, Florida. Its site covers 40 square blocks of central-east side Hialeah from Palm Avenue east to East 4th Avenue, and from East 22nd Street on the south to East 32nd Street on the north. On March 5, 1979, it was added to the U.S...
in Hialeah, Florida
Hialeah, Florida
Hialeah is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 226,419. As of 2009, the population estimate by the U. S...
, Meadowlands Racetrack
Meadowlands Racetrack
The Meadowlands Racetrack is a horse racing track at the MetLife Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States.The track hosts both thoroughbred racing and harness racing...
in East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
, and Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino is a racetrack and county-approved racino in Hallandale Beach, Florida, in the United States. During its annual meet, which spans December through April, it is one of the most important venues for horse racing in America....
in Hallandale Beach, Florida
Hallandale Beach, Florida
Hallandale Beach is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Luther Halland, a worker for Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,113...
and in 1990 was hired to call races at the New York Racing Association's
New York Racing Association
The New York Racing Association, Inc. is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest thoroughbred horse-racing tracks in the state of New York. It runs Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens, Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island , and Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga...
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...
, Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
and Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
.
Tom Durkin is one of horse racing's most identifiable voices. He served as the Breeders Cup's chief TV voice from its inception through 2005, and was a longtime broadcaster on NBC as part of the network's sportscasting crew for horse races, providing analysis, commentary and features in addition to the descriptions of races.
Durkin earned fame in this decade from calling the U.S. Triple Crown races
United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
for NBC, which took over the coverage of the events in 2001. When the race begins, Durkin will speak with high energy, and then tone down as the race progresses, and then builds back up to a significant level of excitement as the horses enter the final turn. He tends to begin races by commenting on the horses that have broken well, and then mentioning his opinion of the early pace.
Due to his contract with NBC, Durkin no longer called Breeders' Cup races, starting from 2006, as those races moved to ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. However, he continued calling the Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
, which air on ABC
ESPN on ABC
ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...
, because of his position as the track announcer at Belmont Park.
Like his predecessor, Marshall Cassidy
Marshall Cassidy
Marshall Cassidy is an American Thoroughbred racing official based in New York State, and a former public address announcer and sportscaster...
, Durkin is also a popular TV voice on important stakes races on ESPN
Thoroughbred Racing on ESPN
ESPN and ESPN2's coverage of Thoroughbred racing currently consists of NTRA Racing to the Kentucky Derby, The Breeders' Cup on ESPN. In addition, ESPN on ABC broadcasts a portion of the Breeders Cup. Among its regulars on its horse racing telecasts are hosts Joe Tessitore and Kenny Mayne, along...
beyond the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup series.
At The Meadowlands, Durkin called the memorable match race
Match race
A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head.The term may be best known as a race between two sailing boats racing around a course...
in the 1989 Hambletonian Stakes harness race
Harness racing
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...
between Park Avenue Joe and Probe; both horses finished in a dead heat becoming the only co-winners of the prestigious race.
On April 26, 2011, Durkin announced his decision to not to renew his contract with NBC Sports citing stress
Stress (biology)
Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...
.
Famous quotes
"the most shocking defeat in the Wood Memorial since Secretariat himself, and the Kentucky Derby is up for grabs."
Durkin describing Uncle Mo's shocking defeat in the 2010 Wood Memorial.
It's a photo finish that doesn't deserve a loser (Carson Hollow vs. You in the Test Stakes)