Dan Davis, the voice ESPN Radio listeners knew as “The Duke,” died Wednesday, ESPN announced. Davis was a founding member of ESPN Radio and joined the network at its launch in January 1992.
ESPN remembers Dan Davis, an ESPN Radio founding member, who passed away Wednesday
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) October 21, 2026
Starting Jan. ’92, Davis served as a host & update reporter
Upon retiring in ’11, colleagues paid tribute to ‘The Duke’ celebrating his unmistakable voice & contributions: https://bit.ly/4jyXJLE
For nearly 20 years, Davis worked as a host and update reporter at ESPN Radio, and from 1999 he was the network’s best-known SportsCenter update reporter.
Five Decades Behind The Mic
Davis started in radio in 1962 at WEMJ in Laconia, New Hampshire, and spent the next five decades in New England broadcasting. He was part of ESPN Radio’s original lineup, and in 1993 he was picked to co-host Brent Musburger’s SportsBeat.
He covered college football and basketball; NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB games; and major events including the Super Bowl, the World Series, the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Finals, the Olympics, the Kentucky Derby and the NCAA Final Four, plus more than 50 PGA Tour events, the Masters, U.S. Open and PGA Championship among them.
In 1984, he was on the call when Doug Flutie threw a final-play touchdown pass to Gerard Phelan to beat Miami 47-45 for Boston College. Wheaties used Davis’ call of that play in its “Winning Moments” commercial in 2004.
“The Best Update Man”
Davis retired from ESPN Radio in December 2011, signing off at 3:30 p.m. Eastern from the network’s studios in Bristol, Connecticut, with plans to spend more time golfing in Florida while still doing some radio work. “He is the best update man sports radio has ever known,” Mike Tirico said at the time, according to ESPN’s press room.
Colin Cowherd said, “The Duke even sounds good when he yawns.” Bob Picozzi said, “He will be impossible to replace,” and Scott Van Pelt called working alongside Davis “one of the proudest notches on my belt in this business.”
Davis said as he retired, “ESPN is everything a sports guy could want, and more.”
ESPN has not shared a cause of death or details about services.
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