Jason Benetti had some heartbreaking words speaking about his late colleague Dan Hicks on Saturday.
Taking his spot in the booth for Notre Dame-Boston College on NBC, Benetti opened his portion of the broadcast with an emotional tribute to the man he was filling in for.
“Our broadcast booth feels very hollow right now here at NBC Sports,” Benetti said. “Our colleague of 35 years, Dan Hicks, passed away on Wednesday. And I wish I wasn’t here right now … I wish Dan was here right now, and I know everybody does.”
Benetti then kicked it to NBC analyst Jason Garrett, who worked three seasons alongside Hicks, for a long monologue honoring the legendary broadcaster.
“Hicksy had some of the most iconic calls in any sporting event in history,” Garrett said. “And what I always loved about Hicksy is it never was about him. It was always about embracing the moment and highlighting the people involved. And that’s how he lived his life. As legendary broadcaster as he was, he was a better guy. A devoted husband, father and friend.”
NBC later aired a montage of Hicks’ most famous moments and calls, with longtime friend and colleague Jimmy Roberts introducing the video.
Hicks passed away at the age of 64 on Wednesday after an acute illness, according to his wife, Hannah Storm, an ESPN broadcaster.
He worked at NBC for 35 years, spending the past 26 years as the network’s lead golf play-by-play announcer while also covering 15 Olympic Games, the NFL and the NBA.
Hicks was set to call Saturday’s game in South Bend before his sudden passing.
Benetti, 43, joined NBC Sports full-time in March, taking over as the play-by-play voice of “Sunday Night Baseball” after the package moved from ESPN to NBC and has called select college football and NBA games for the network this fall. He is the Tigers’ primary TV play-by-play announcer.
