Dick Stockton facts for kids

Richard Edward Stokvis (born November 22, 1942), known as Dick Stockton, is an American retired sportscaster. He is famous for calling many exciting sports games. Stockton worked for over 50 years in broadcasting. He was a voice for major networks like CBS Sports, Fox Sports, and Turner Sports.

About Dick Stockton

Early Life and First Jobs

Dick Stockton was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He went to Syracuse University and studied political science. While in college, he was the sports director at the student radio station, WAER. He started his career in 1965 at local radio and TV stations in Philadelphia.

Later, he became the sports director for KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh. In 1971, he moved to Boston. There, he called games for the Boston Celtics basketball team and the Boston Red Sox baseball team.

Calling the 1975 World Series

In 1975, Stockton was part of the broadcast team for the 1975 World Series on NBC. He famously called Carlton Fisk's game-winning home run in Game 6. As the ball flew, Stockton said:

He then waited until Fisk reached the dugout before adding: "We will have a seventh game in this 1975 World Series."

His Broadcasting Career

Working at CBS Sports

Dick Stockton joined CBS Sports full-time in 1978. He covered many different sports until 1994. He called NFL football games and was the main announcer for NBA basketball games from 1981 to 1990. He also covered NCAA Basketball, including many regional finals.

He was the announcer when Villanova famously upset Georgetown in the 1985 NCAA Tournament. Stockton called nine NBA Finals games. These included the exciting 1984, 1985, and 1987 finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics.

On May 7, 1989, Stockton called a famous playoff game between the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers. Michael Jordan made a game-winning shot at the very last second. Stockton's call was:

Sellers has Jordan. Jordan with 2 seconds to go, puts it up and scores! At the buzzer! Michael Jordan has won it for Chicago! Michael Jordan hit the basket at the buzzer as a disconsolate Lenny Wilkens leaves the floor. And for the second time today, the visiting team has won a deciding game in an opening round series. And the Chicago Bulls will move on to play the New York Knicks in a best-of-7.

CBS stopped broadcasting NBA games after the 1989–90 season. Stockton gave a memorable farewell message. He talked about the great players he had seen, like Julius Erving, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan. In 2001, Stockton was honored by being inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for his broadcasting work.

Stockton also called Major League Baseball games for CBS from 1990 to 1992. He called the American League Championship Series during this time. He also covered the Pan American Games and World Championships for swimming, diving, basketball, and figure skating. He even called skiing and speed skating events at the Winter Olympics in 1992 and 1994.

Working at Fox Sports

In 1994, Stockton joined Fox Sports. He continued to call NFL games for them until he retired in March 2021. He was often the second-team announcer for NFL games. He also called Major League Baseball games for Fox from 1997 to 2013.

Working at Turner Sports

From 1995 to 2015, Stockton called NBA telecasts for TNT. He also called postseason Major League Baseball games on TBS from 2007 to 2013. He worked with different partners, calling exciting playoff series.

Other Broadcasting Roles

Stockton also called local TV games for the Oakland Athletics baseball team from 1993 to 1995. He did part-time local TV work for the San Antonio Spurs basketball team for three seasons. He even called the Super Bowl XXXVIII and Super Bowl XLII for international audiences. In 2010, he started calling preseason games for the Miami Dolphins football team.

In 2017, Stockton started his own podcast called Stockton!. He interviewed famous athletes on his show. On March 25, 2021, Dick Stockton announced that he was retiring from broadcasting.

Personal Life

Dick Stockton is married to Jamie Drinkwater. They got married in 2014. They live in Boca Raton, Florida and Carefree, Arizona. Stockton was previously married to sportscaster Lesley Visser.

Career Timeline