Dave O'Brien (sportscaster)

Dave O'Brien (born August 3, 1963) is an American sportscaster who currently works for ESPN, Westwood One, and New England Sports Network.

Broadcasting career

Early career

Born in Quincy, Massachusetts, O'Brien grew up in Marshfield and later New Hampshire before studying broadcasting at Syracuse University. From 1987 to 1992 he worked as a sportscaster in Atlanta, Georgia, calling play-by-play for Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves in 1990-91 as well as college football and basketball games for Georgia and Miami, garnering the Georgia Associated Press' "Best Sports Play-by-Play" accolade in 1988 and 1991. O'Brien then broadcast for the Florida Marlins from the team's inaugural year in 1993 through 2001, including their first World Series win in 1997. He has also occasionally called Atlanta Falcons games.

Other baseball commentary

O'Brien recorded play-by-play "commentary" for the High Heat Major League Baseball video game series for its 2002, 2003, and 2004 installments, along with color commentator Chuck Valenches.^[1]

O'Brien provided commentary for MLB's international coverage of the World Series from 2004 until 2009. O'Brien was television voice of the New York Mets on WPIX-TV from 2003 through 2005. He won the Achievements in Radio (A.I.R.) award for Best Play-by-Play for his call of Mark McGwire's 59th home run in 1998.^[2]

Prior to the 2005 season, O'Brien was denied permission by ESPN to join the Chicago Cubs' broadcast team.^[3]

In 2007, O'Brien joined the Boston Red Sox Radio Network, calling games alongside primary play-by-play announcer Joe Castiglione. In 2011, O'Brien became the primary play-by-play announcer with Castiglione becoming the secondary announcer. On August 25, 2015, it was announced that O'Brien would be the primary play-by-play announcer for Red Sox telecasts on NESN beginning in 2016, replacing Don Orsillo.^[4][5]

ESPN

O'Brien has called play-by-play for ESPN from 2002-2017, handling MLB, the NBA, college basketball, and soccer (including Major League Soccer's MLS Primetime Thursday and United States men's national soccer team telecasts).

2006 FIFA World Cup

O'Brien joined Marcelo Balboa on the primary broadcast team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup coverage on ESPN and ABC Sports, despite having no experience calling soccer matches prior to that year. Because The Walt Disney Company, owner of both television outlets, retained control over on-air talent, the appointment of O'Brien as the main play-by-play voice was made over the objections of Soccer United Marketing, who wanted JP Dellacamera to continue in that role. Disney stated that their broadcast strategy was intended, in voice and style, to target the vast majority of Americans who do not follow the sport on a regular basis. Mispronunciation and incorrect addressing of names, misuse of soccer terminology, and lack of insight into tactics and history plagued the telecasts, resulting in heavy criticism from English-speaking soccer fans, many of whom ended up watching the games on Univision instead.^[6][7]

Notable games broadcast by O'Brien

In 2007, O'Brien called play-by-play for an ESPN broadcast of a game between the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres, in which Barry Bonds tied the major league all-time home run record with his 755th home run. He also called the August 7, 2007, game between the Giants and the Washington Nationals in which Bonds hit his 756th home run, breaking the record that was held by Hank Aaron for more than 33 years.

O'Brien called a triple-overtime college basketball game between Oklahoma State and Texas on January 16, 2007. He called the game on ESPN2 alongside Rick Majerus. Oklahoma State won 105-103.

O'Brien also called David Ortiz's grand slam off Joaquin Benoit in Game 2 of the 2013 American League Championship Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers.

On March 31, 2017, O'Brien called the Mississippi State Bulldogs womens basketball team's epic Final Four victory over the UConn Huskies, snapping the latter's record 111-game winning streak and advancing the Bulldogs to the tournament's championship game. During the broadcast, in the game's final minutes, O'Brien declared it to be "one of the greatest" women's basketball games ever played.

Family

Dave O'Brien has been married to his high school sweetheart, Debbie Nason O'Brien, for over 25 years. The couple has a son, Michael, and two daughters, Samantha and Katie. They live in Rye, New Hampshire. Michael serves with the 82nd Airborne Division.

Notes

References

• Dave O'Brien's ESPN Bio
• USA Today article in which O'Brien answers criticism
• Slate.com article