Dan Hoard is an American radio and television sportscaster who calls games for theNational Football League'sCincinnati Bengals withDave Lapham. He is also the play-by-play announcer forUniversity of CincinnatiBearcats football andmen's basketball games.
Hoard grew up inLakewood, New York and attendedSouthwestern Central High School.[1] He graduated fromSyracuse University'sS. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 1985. At Syracuse, he was good friends withSean McDonough.[2][3][4]
He began his broadcasting career as the radio voice of theSyracuse Chiefs of theMinor League Baseball. He transitioned into television as the sports director atWTVH-TV in Syracuse before moving toWXIX-TV in Cincinnati in 1995.[5] In 2000, Hoard added University of Cincinnati football and basketball radio play-by-play duties and soon also began hosting theCincinnati Reds TV pregame show on Fox Sports Ohio.
In 2006, Hoard returned to baseball play-by-play broadcasting as the TV/radio voice of thePawtucket Red Sox.[6] In 2011, he moved back to Cincinnati when he was hired to replaceBrad Johansen as the radio voice of the Bengals.[7]
Hoard was named the Ohio Sportscaster of the Year in 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2020 by theNational Sports Media Association (NSMA).[1][4][5]
He was inducted into the University of Cincinnati James P. Kelly Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019 and the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.[8][9]
The minor league baseball broadcaster in theDancin' Homer episode ofThe Simpsons is named Dan Hoard. The episode was written by Ken Levine, Dan's former broadcasting partner with the Syracuse Chiefs.[10]