Tom Hammond facts for kids

Thomas Taylor Hammond (born May 10, 1944) is an American former sports commentator. He is well-known for his work with NBC Sports, where he covered many exciting events from 1984 to 2021. Tom Hammond was a familiar voice for fans of Thoroughbred Racing on NBC and Notre Dame Football on NBC.

He also announced track and field events at the Summer Olympic Games and speed skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Tom Hammond's Career at NBC Sports

Tom Hammond started his career at NBC Sports in 1984. He became a very important part of their sports coverage for many years.

Horse Racing Coverage

Tom Hammond began his time at NBC as a co-host for the very first Breeders' Cup horse race in 1984. He was supposed to only do this one event. However, the people at NBC were so impressed with his work that they offered him a long-term contract. He then became the main host for NBC's thoroughbred racing coverage. He continued in this role until 2017.

Football Announcing

Tom Hammond's work at NBC grew to include many other sports, especially football. He was the main play-by-play announcer for Notre Dame Football on NBC from 2000 to 2012. He also called games for The AFL on NBC.

From 1985 to 1997, he regularly announced regional NFL games on Sundays. He was considered for the main announcer role for NBC Sunday Night Football when it started in 2006. However, Al Michaels ended up getting that job. Tom Hammond did call several important NFL playoff games for NBC. He also lent his voice to the Madden NFL 09 and Madden NFL 10 video games.

Olympic Games Coverage

Tom Hammond was also a big part of NBC's coverage of the Olympic Games.

Summer Olympics Track and Field

At the Summer Olympics, he was the main commentator for track and field events. He first took on this role at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He continued to be the lead track and field commentator for NBC through the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

Winter Olympics Figure Skating and Speed Skating

For the Winter Olympics, Tom Hammond was the main commentator for figure skating and ice dancing. He covered these events from the 2002 Winter Olympics through the 2014 Winter Olympics. For his final Olympic Games in 2018, he moved to cover speed skating.

Basketball Announcing

Tom Hammond was a play-by-play announcer for the NBA on NBC during its entire run from 1990 to 2002. In the later years of the NBA coverage, he often worked with Steve "Snapper" Jones and Bill Walton.

Regional Sports Coverage

SEC Basketball Games

In 1980, Tom Hammond started announcing Southeastern Conference (SEC) basketball games for various regional networks. He continued to cover these games until the end of the 2008–09 season. After that, ESPN took over the broadcasting rights for SEC games.

Awards and Recognition

Tom Hammond has received many honors for his work. He was the first person to receive the Outstanding Kentuckian Award from the A.B. Chandler Foundation. He is also a founding member of the Lafayette High School Hall of Fame. He has been inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame, the University of Kentucky Hall of Distinguished Alumni, and the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame. In 2006, he was inducted into the KY Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Career Timeline