Terry Gannon facts for kids

Terrance Patrick Gannon (born November 1, 1963) is a well-known sportscaster who works for NBC Sports, Golf Channel, and Peacock. He announces many different sports, including golf, gymnastics, figure skating, and college basketball.

Terry Gannon played basketball for North Carolina State University. He was part of the "Cardiac Pack" team that won the national championship in 1983. He was also recognized as an Academic All-American twice. This means he was excellent at both sports and his studies! He was known for being a great free throw shooter.

Gannon started his career announcing various sports, often on cable TV. In 1991, he began working for ABC. He started announcing figure skating in the early 1990s. Later, in 2010, he joined the Golf Channel. By 2016, he became the main announcer for figure skating at NBC. In 2018, he also started calling gymnastics, even commentating for the sport at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Terry Gannon's Early Life and College Basketball

Terry Gannon was born and grew up in Joliet, Illinois. His father suggested he take tap dancing lessons from his mother, who taught tap for 30 years. His father thought it would help with his coordination, which is important for sports! Terry started his basketball journey at Joliet Catholic High School, where his dad was a coach.

Gannon went to North Carolina State University (NC State) in Raleigh. He played college basketball for the Wolfpack team. His coach was Jim Valvano. Terry was named an Academic All-American twice. He was also NC State's best free throw shooter at the time.

In 1983, Terry was part of the famous "Cardiac Pack" team. They surprised everyone by beating the Houston Cougars to win the NCAA championship. He made 85.4 percent of his free throws, showing how accurate he was.

After graduating in 1985 with a history degree, he worked for Coach Valvano for a year. He wanted to become a basketball coach. He even played professional basketball in Europe for a short time. But Coach Valvano advised him to try broadcasting instead. In 2018, the entire 1983 men's basketball team was added to NC State's Athletic Hall of Fame.

Terry Gannon's Broadcasting Career

Terry Gannon has announced many different sports events. People call him one of the "most versatile" announcers in TV sports. Some even say he's "the man who knows every game." Other commentators, like Tara Lipinski, Johnny Weir, and Nastia Liukin, say Terry helped them become better analysts. They admire his deep knowledge and how he makes conversations natural. Terry's goal for the Olympics is to help regular fans understand sports they only watch every four years.

Starting His Broadcasting Journey

In 1986, Terry Gannon began broadcasting on Coach Valvano's TV and radio shows. He was a regular analyst for college basketball games from 1987 to 1994. He also announced college baseball. Terry says Coach Valvano was key to his career. The coach taught his players that basketball shouldn't be their whole life. From 1990 to 1994, Gannon was also the announcer for the Charlotte Knights, a Minor League Baseball team.

Working at ABC and ESPN

In 1991, Terry Gannon started working for ABC. He was a commentator for college basketball. He also announced on the weekly show Wide World of Sports. Terry said that Harry Caray and Al Michaels were his biggest inspirations in broadcasting.

In the early 1990s, Terry was asked to go to Tokyo, Japan, to cover a professional figure skating event. He became the host for ABC's figure skating coverage. He worked with former Olympic skaters Peggy Fleming and Dick Button. Terry had not followed figure skating before. But he learned about it like a "history project." He would learn the rules, important people, and even the special language of each sport. He wanted to sound real to the fans. Terry would talk about what he knew and avoid topics he wasn't familiar with yet. Over time, Terry became known for his "warm, authoritative voice." He announced many different sports, though he was most linked to figure skating and golf.

In 1993, Gannon started broadcasting for ESPN and ABC. He covered college basketball and football. By 2001, he had covered three post-season bowl games. He was also an announcer for the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. He announced the Tour de France three times, which was a big challenge. In 2001, ABC reported that Gannon hosted the Belmont Stakes once. He also called the play-by-play at the Little League World Series three times.

Before he left ABC, Terry had also covered the NBA, WNBA, horse racing, tennis, beach volleyball, skiing, supercross motorcycle racing, mountain biking, and golf. He announced for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. He also covered WTA professional tennis and the 2004 Indianapolis 500. He hosted ABC's college football studio show for six years.

In 2018, Terry Gannon said that golf was the hardest sport for him to call. This was true even though he played golf and loved the sport since he was a kid. He often played golf with former pros and other broadcasters.

Working at NBC Sports

In 2010, Terry Gannon joined the Golf Channel broadcast team. The Golf Channel is part of the NBC Sports Group. NBC Sports also calls him one of their "most versatile voices." He announces for the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour, Olympic figure skating, gymnastics, and college basketball. He has covered five Olympic Games. He has been a host and commentator for figure skating, short track speed skating, rowing, canoeing, and golf. He even won a Sports Emmy for his work on NBC's coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In 2014, Gannon became a commentator for figure skating. He worked with 1998 Olympic champion Tara Lipinski and three-time U.S. national champion Johnny Weir. The three of them realized they worked very well together. They asked to call the competitions as a team. This led to some of NBC's best daytime ratings ever for figure skating. They became the network's main figure skating announcing team. Lipinski and Weir joked that Terry "upped his game" with his clothes after working with them. They said he became "dapper" and "stylish," helping him with accessories like cuff links and Hermès pocket squares. In 2017, Gannon signed a new five-year contract with NBC and the Golf Channel.

In 2018, Gannon, Lipinski, and Weir announced figure skating at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Terry also called ice dancing with former ice dancer Tanith White. Also in 2018, Gannon started commentating for gymnastics. He worked with 1984 gold medalist Tim Daggett and 2008 champion Nastia Liukin. Terry said it was an "honor" to call gymnastics at such a high level. He was the play-by-play commentator for the 2024 Paris Olympics, working with Samantha Peszek and Tim Daggett.

Gannon, Lipinski, and Weir also hosted the closing ceremonies for four Olympic games: Pyeongchang (2018), Tokyo (2020), Beijing (2022), and Paris (2024).

The NBA returned to NBC's schedule. So, before the 2025-26 season, NBC added Gannon to their broadcast team. He joined Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle as play-by-play announcers. Since 2023, Gannon has also called Big Ten basketball games for Peacock.

Terry Gannon's Career Highlights

Timeline of Assignments

• 1987–1994: College basketball analyst for Raycom Sports and Jefferson-Pilot Sports
• 1990–1994: Announcer for the Charlotte Knights baseball team
• 1991–1994: Play-by-play announcer for college baseball
• 1991–1994: College basketball analyst for ABC and ESPN
• 1992–2010: Main play-by-play announcer for figure skating on ABC
• 1995–2009: College basketball play-by-play for ABC and ESPN
• 1995–1998: Play-by-play for Wide World of Sports
• 1995–2009: Play-by-play for College Football on ABC
• 1995–2008: Main play-by-play for figure skating on ABC
• 1999–2013: Announcer/host for PGA Tour on ABC and Golf on ESPN
• 2004–2012: Main play-by-play for WNBA on ESPN
• 2010–present: Announcer/host for Golf Channel
• 2010–present: Main play-by-play for figure skating on NBC Sports
• 2010–2013: Play-by-play for NBA on ESPN
• 2013–present: Substitute host for Golf Channel on NBC
• 2018–present: Main play-by-play for gymnastics on NBC Sports
• 2023–present: Play-by-play for College Basketball on NBC Sports (Big Ten Basketball on Peacock)
• 2025–present: Play-by-play for NBA on NBC Sports

Major Events Covered

• 1995–1997 Tour de France, ABC studio host
• 1995–1996 Little League World Series, ABC
• 1999 Little League World Series, ABC
• 2002 FIFA World Cup, ABC studio host
• 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, ABC studio host
• 2004 Indianapolis 500, ABC studio host
• 2006 Belmont Stakes, ABC studio host
• 2010 Winter Olympics, Universal Sports daytime host
• 2012 Summer Olympics, NBC commentator for rowing and canoeing
• 2014 Winter Olympics, NBC commentator for figure skating and short track speed skating
• 2016 Summer Olympics, NBC main host for golf
• 2018 Winter Olympics, NBC commentator for figure skating (including ice dancing), and Closing Ceremony
• 2020 Summer Olympics (2021), NBC commentator for gymnastics, and Closing Ceremony
• 2022 Winter Olympics, NBC commentator for figure skating (including ice dancing), and Closing Ceremony
• 2024 Summer Olympics, NBC commentator for gymnastics, and Closing Ceremony