Former Olympic swimmer and NBC Sports broadcaster Rowdy Gaines reflected on the loss of his friend and partner Dan Hicks, who died Wednesday, Nov. 11.
Hicks was 64 and died of an acute illness, according to his wife, ESPN broadcaster Hannah Storm.
"My heart is broken," Gaines posted on social media. "Danny wasn't just my partner in the booth for eight Olympics. He was one of my closest friends, someone I trusted with everything, both in and out of that arena. He was the glue that held us all together at all of those Games."
Gaines and Hicks were broadcast partners for eight Summer Olympics, calling iconic moments, including the men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay, during which the United States, led by Michael Phelps, staged an incredible comeback
to take the gold medal over France and set a world record.
During an interview on the "TODAY" show on Friday morning, Gaines again paid tribute to Hicks, who also served as NBC's play-by-play golf and Notre Dame football announcer.
In the interview, Gaines said no one ever prepared for a broadcast more than Hicks, and his preparation was so thorough that no one worried about the on-air product. He added that they called well over 2,000 races together.
"From a professional standpoint, there was no one better, in my opinion," Gaines said. "He was so kind and gentle. I wish people could know what kind of human being he was because I never met a kinder, gentler person in my life. Nobody ever had a bad word to say about Danny, and he never had a bad word to say about anybody else, and I think that just epitomizes the kind of person he was."
Dan Hicks cause of death
Hannah Storm, Hicks' wife and longtime sports broadcaster, posted on social media that Hicks died "following an acute illness." No other details have been given, but Storm said Hicks' death was "sudden and unexpected."
— Hannah Storm (@HannahStormESPN) November 12, 2026
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rowdy Gaines remembers Dan Hicks on 'TODAY' show: ‘My heart is broken’
