'Dick Enberg: Oh My!'
In his 50-year career, Dick Enberg has witnessed some of sports' most historic moments.
Whether it was on the radio or TV, doing play-by-play or video essays, Enberg's job has been, in his words, "a kid's dream come true."
And how many people get to have their own catch phrase as the title of their autobiography? You can read all about it in, "Dick Enberg: Oh My!"
Enberg's unlikely journey from poor Michigan farm boy to famous sports journalist is a story even he marvels at.
He used to sell apples on the weekends at his family's farm stand, with his radio by his side, listening to sports.
"No television at that time -- that's 1950, late 1940s," Enberg told The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm. "I would get to sell the apples while everyone was doing the hard work out on the farm. And I'd listen to all of my favorites and the Lions and the Tigers and University of Michigan and Michigan State, and I'd dream about someday maybe that would be me. Not ever knowing that someday, I would be the guy in the radio or the guy on television talking about the heroes."
As a college junior, he applied for a job as a custodian at a Michigan radio station and wound up working as a weekend announcer for $1 an hour.
"The program director said, 'You have a decent voice. Walk into that studio. Give me a five-minute news summary, and read it.' And I came back three weeks later and he said, 'You got the job.' I said, 'Where is the broom closet?' He said, 'No, you're our new weekend announcer,'" Enberg recalls. "That was the start."
From there, he's gone on to become one of the most accomplished sports broadcasters the industry has ever known. He's still a sports fan, and says that's what keeps him going as nears the age of 70. He still loves what he does and doesn't intend to stop doing it.
"Why have I been so fortunate?" Enberg asks. "Even today, and this weekend, I'll do a game and be on the 50 yard line and sitting next to a Hall of Famer, Dan Dierdorf. I would be paying to see that game. They actually pay me every couple of weeks to do something that I love.
"The passion is still there. The young guys say, 'When are you going to retire?' They want to get rid of me so they can move up the ladder. I'll retire when it isn't fun to prepare any more. I love the preparation -- maybe it's the college professor in me. I love getting ready for the game."
His book comes with a DVD containing extra interviews with Enberg and a chance to hear parts of the stories that were edited out of the book. Sports Publishing LLC has done four autobiographies with such "beyond the book" DVDs, and they say they are very excited about Enberg's, because he's such a great storyteller. John Starks, Clyde Drexler and Rick Telander are the other subjects of the DVD/book combinations.