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Eric Nadel | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Nadel in 2006 | |
| Born | (1951-05-16)May 16, 1951 (age 74) |
| Alma mater | Brown University |
| Sports commentary career | |
| Team | Texas Rangers (1979–present) |
| Genre | Play-by-play |
| Sport | Baseball |
Eric Nadel (born May 16, 1951)[1] is an American sports announcer onradio broadcasts for theTexas Rangers baseball organization. In 2014, he was honored with theFord C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence by theNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Nadel grew up inBrooklyn, New York, as a fan of theBrooklyn Dodgers, though it was listening to aNew York Yankees broadcast fromMel Allen andRed Barber that first sparked his interest in sportscasting when he was eight years old.[2] He developed his skills atBrown University (class of 1972), announcing hockey and football games on radio stationWBRU.[2] He had minor league hockey play-by-play stints inMuskegon,Oklahoma City, andDallas, and was also the radio voice of theDallas Diamonds of theWomen's Professional Basketball League.
The Rangers hired Nadel in 1979,[2] and he called games on television and radio in his first three seasons. Beginning in 1982, he began a 13-year run withMark Holtz as the radio team onWBAP, returning to the television booth for one year in 1984. Nadel became the team's lead radio voice when Holtz moved to television in 1995.[3] Since becoming the primary play-by-play voice for the Rangers, Nadel has worked alongsideBrad Sham,Vince Cotroneo, andVictor Rojas.
In May 2006, Nadel announced that he had signed a "lifetime contract" with the Rangers, allowing him to continue on their broadcast team until he chooses to retire. He later said that he hopes to outlive his contract.[4] Beginning in 2009, he was partnered with longtimeESPN and formerDallas Mavericks andSan Antonio Spurs announcerDave Barnett, who also did Rangers games on television with Brad Sham in the late 80s and early 90s. After Barnett moved to television, former MLB pitcherSteve Busby was Nadel's partner. Since July 2012 after Busby replaced Barnett on television, Nadel has been joined byMatt Hicks in the radio booth. Rangers games are now primarily on105.3 The Fan, which has been the Rangers' flagship station since the 2015 season. At the conclusion of the 2018 season, Nadel joined a handful of broadcasters to call Major League Baseball games for 40 years, with the added distinction of calling all of them for one franchise. Among Nadel's most memorable calls was the 5000th strikeout ofNolan Ryan's career on August 22, 1989. His main home run call is "That ball is history!"[5] Both he and Public Address (PA) announcer Chuck Morgan have been affectionately referred to as "the Voice[s] of the Texas Rangers".
The arrival ofRubén Sierra in Texas motivated Nadel to learn Spanish. Nadel is now a fluent Spanish speaker, having taken part in Spanish-language game broadcasts in a number of Latin American countries.
Nadel took aleave of absence through the first 109 games of the2023 season, in order to seek treatment for anxiety, depression, and insomnia.[3][6] He returned to the booth in August, and called the Rangers'first World Series win that November.[3][7]
"Sborz kicks and fires - he struck him out looking! It's over! It's over! The Rangers have won the World Series! Ranger fans, you're not dreaming - the Rangers are the World Series champions! After 52 years in Texas, 63 years of the franchise, the wait is over, and the celebration has begun! ... May the ghosts of2011 be forever erased!"
In 1991, Nadel was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame. He has received theNational Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Texas Sportscaster of the Year Award seven times (1999, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011) and won theAssociated Press award for Best Play-by-Play in Texas three times. On August 11, 2012, Nadel became the 15th member inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame.
On December 11, 2013, Nadel was selected as the 2014 recipient of theFord C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in broadcasting by theNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.[1] Nadel received the award at a ceremony atDoubleday Field on Saturday, July 26, 2014, as part of the Hall of Fame 2014 weekend festivities.
In recognition of his achievements, Nadel's high school alma mater,Midwood High School atBrooklyn College, has created the Eric Nadel Memorial Award for Athletic Improvement and Character. It will be awarded annually to a deserving student athlete.
On January 21, 2023, Eric was awarded the Shalom Award by the Temple Shalom Brotherhood in recognition of his many years of community service and humanitarian work.
Nadel appeared as the Rangers' radio announcer in the filmThe Rookie in 2002.
Nadel is active in animal causes and was one of the founders of the first leash-free dog park in theDFW Metroplex atWhite Rock Lake in Dallas. He stages benefit concerts for non-profit organizations, including Focus on Teens and Cafe Momentum, and is an active advocate for mental health organizations such as NAMI and The Campaign to Change Direction. In 2018,The Intercept reported on Nadel's longtime advocacy for Wendell Lindsey, a Texas inmate who has maintained his innocence for a murder conviction in 1991.[4]
Nadel married his wife Jeannie[8] in 1987.[9]
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