H
e has one of the most distinguishable voices anywhere, whether you recognize it from his nationally syndicated radio show, his studio hosting every Sunday night during NFL season on NBC’s Football Night in America, his hosting gig on Crackle’s Sports Jeopardy, his broadcasting duties for the Olympics, his various characters in Adam Sandler movies or his occasional sighting on late night television talk shows. Dan Patrick is easy to locate these days, and that’s a blessing because he’s one of the very best in the sports television business – and has been for a few decades now. Chances are slim that you’re outhustling Patrick. Whether it’s attributed to his Mason, Ohio roots and a Midwest culture that breeds that hard work mentality or just through his general competitive nature, expect to have your hands full if you’re one of his adversaries. Early on, even before getting his career off the ground, Patrick knew where his initial strengths were, “I didn’t want to have someone know more than I did and, if they did, that I couldn’t outwork them. So, from a skill set, I may not have been the smartest, but I was going to work and do whatever it took to get some kind of job in the field.”
BY KEVIN MARR
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SIR AND SP ORT • SPRING | SUMMER 2016