Terry Gannon facts for kids

Terrance Patrick Gannon (born November 1, 1963) is a well-known sportscaster who works for NBC Sports and the Golf Channel. He is famous for announcing exciting sports like golf, gymnastics, and figure skating.

Terry Gannon played basketball for North Carolina State University. He was part of the amazing "Cardiac Pack" team that won the national championship in 1983. He was also a great student, earning Academic All-American honors twice. He was known for being very accurate with his free throw shots.

After his basketball career, Terry started working in broadcasting. He began announcing different sports, mostly on cable TV. In 1991, he joined ABC, where he started covering figure skating. Later, in 2010, he moved to the Golf Channel. By 2016, he became the main announcer for figure skating at NBC. He also started calling gymnastics in 2018 and was a commentator for the sport at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Terry Gannon's Early Life and College Days

Terry Gannon grew up in Joliet, Illinois. His dad, Jim Gannon, suggested he take tap dancing lessons from his mom, Mary Gannon, who taught tap for 30 years. His dad thought it would help with his coordination. Terry started playing basketball at Joliet Catholic High School, where his father was a coach.

Terry went to North Carolina State University (NC State) in Raleigh, North Carolina. He played college basketball for the Wolfpack team. His coach was Jim Valvano. Terry was a fantastic student-athlete, earning Academic All-American honors twice. He was also the best free throw shooter in NC State's history 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, making him one of the best free throw shooters in Wolfpack history.

After graduating in 1985 with a history degree, Terry worked for Coach Valvano for a year, thinking he might 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 honored and 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 because he knows so much about every game. Other famous commentators like Tara Lipinski, Johnny Weir, and Nastia Liukin say Terry helped them become better analysts. Tara Lipinski mentioned that Terry's deep knowledge and natural conversations make his style "compelling." Terry's goal when announcing the Olympics is to help regular fans understand sports they only see every four years.

Starting His Broadcasting Journey

In 1986, Terry began his broadcasting career by working on Coach Valvano's TV and radio shows, covering basketball games. He worked as a college basketball analyst for several sports networks between 1987 and 1994. He also announced college baseball games. Terry often says that Coach Valvano was key to his career, teaching him that basketball shouldn't be his whole life. From 1990 to 1994, Terry was also the announcer for the Charlotte Knights, a Minor League Baseball team.

Working at ABC and ESPN

In 1991, Terry joined ABC as a college basketball commentator. He also worked on the weekly show Wide World of Sports. Terry said that famous announcers like Harry Caray and Al Michaels influenced his broadcasting style.

In the early 1990s, Terry was asked to travel to Tokyo, Japan, to cover a professional figure skating event. Even though he hadn't followed figure skating before, he studied it like a "history project." He learned the rules, important people, and special words used in the sport. Terry would talk about what he knew and avoid topics he wasn't familiar with until he learned more. Eventually, Terry became well-known for his "warm, authoritative voice" and announced many different sports.

In 1993, Terry started broadcasting for ESPN and ABC (which later joined with ESPN). He covered college basketball and football. He also announced for the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour in golf. Terry even covered the Tour de France three times, which was a big challenge. By the time he left ABC, Terry had announced for the NBA, WNBA, horse racing, tennis, beach volleyball, skiing, and more. He also hosted the Tournament of Roses Parade for six years.

In 2018, Terry said that golf was the hardest sport to announce, even though he played it and loved it since he was a kid. He plays golf with former pros and fellow broadcasters like Nick Faldo.

Joining NBC Sports

In 2010, Terry Gannon joined the Golf Channel, which is part of the NBC Sports Group. NBC Sports calls him one of their "most versatile voices." He announces for the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour, Olympic figure skating, and gymnastics. He has covered five Olympic Games, hosting and commentating on figure skating, short track speed skating, rowing, canoeing, and golf.

At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Terry was a commentator for figure skating. He worked with 1998 Olympic champion Tara Lipinski and three-time U.S. national champion Johnny Weir. They quickly realized they had great chemistry and asked to work together. Their broadcasts became very popular, leading to them becoming NBC's main figure skating announcing team. Tara and Johnny even helped Terry improve his wardrobe, calling him "dapper" and "stylish." In 2017, Terry signed a new five-year contract with NBC and the Golf Channel.

In 2018, Terry, Tara Lipinski, and Johnny Weir announced figure skating at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Terry also called ice dancing with former ice dancer Tanith White. That same year, Terry started commentating for gymnastics with gold medalist Tim Daggett and champion Nastia Liukin. Terry said it was an "honor" to announce gymnastics at such a high level. He was also the play-by-play commentator for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Terry, Tara, and Johnny have also hosted the closing ceremonies for four Olympic Games: Pyeongchang (2018), Tokyo (2020), Beijing (2022), and Paris (2024).