Coming up in September, legendary announcer Dick Enberg will receive the Eugene L. Scott Award by the International Tennis Hall of Fame. As this is Enberg’s last year for calling both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, Enberg will be honored for his contributions to tennis and his suport for the game. Enberg began calling tennis in 1980 and has continuously called Grand Slam events since then. He called his last Wimbledon for ESPN2 in June and will call his final U.S. Open for CBS in September. After this year, Dick will focus on calling the San Diego Padres as the team moves to Fox Sports West in 2012.
We have the press release from the International Tennis Hall of Fame and CBS Sports.
Sportscaster Dick Enberg to be honored for commitment to tennis at The Legends Ball
Enberg, a 13-time Emmy award winning broadcaster, will be presented with the Eugene L. Scott Award. The award will be presented at The Legends Ball, a gala social event during the US Open for the benefit of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum.
NEWPORT, R.I. — On Friday, September 9, the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum will gather hundreds of tennis enthusiasts and industry leaders at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City for The Legends Ball, an annual social event that celebrates tennis and honors some of the sport’s greatest champions and contributors. In addition to paying tribute to the International Tennis Hall of Fame Class of 2011 inductees – Andre Agassi and Peachy Kellmeyer, who received the highest honor in the game on July 9 – the event will salute a great contributor and long time supporter of tennis, Dick Enberg.
Enberg will be presented with Eugene L. Scott Award which honors an individual who embodies Scott’s commitment to communicating honestly and critically about the game, and who has had a significant impact on the tennis world. Scott founded Tennis Week magazine and wrote the most widely read and well-respected column about the sport, “Vantage Point” until his death in 2005. Previous recipients of the award have been: John McEnroe (2006); Andre Agassi (2007); Billie Jean King (2008); Arthur Ashe and his wife Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe (2009); and Martina Navratilova (2010).
“The International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Legends Ball is an opportunity to pay tribute to the outstanding contributors to the sport of tennis who have played an instrumental role in its growth, and Dick Enberg is at the very top of that list. We are pleased to be able to say thank you at this very special event, and invite the tennis community to join us in doing so,” said Christopher E. Clouser, chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum.
Thirteen-time Emmy award winning sportscaster Dick Enberg is widely regarded as one of the most versatile, engaging sportscasters on the national level. In his 50-year career, Enberg has called sports ranging from all four Grand Slam tennis tournaments to NCAA basketball, NBA, NFL, MLB and PGA TOUR events. Enberg’s poignant delivery has brought a vivid impression of the energy and emotion of some of the biggest events in sports from courts, fields, and courses around the world to living rooms across the nation. He has been the voice of four Summer Olympics, Super Bowls, The Masters, The PGA Championship, the Breeders Cup and the four tennis Grand Slams— the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. In addition to his Emmy awards, Enberg has been named National Sportscaster of the Year nine times by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, and was inducted to that organization’s Hall of Fame. He was also recognized as Sportscaster of the Year five times by the American Sportscasters Association. He is one of just four sportscasters to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1989, Enberg was named Tennis Play-by-Play Man of the Year by Tennis Magazine. Enberg is retiring from the Grand Slam tournaments this year, after more than two decades of broadcasting the world’s most exciting tennis events. He will be focusing his energy on the San Diego Padres MLB team, where he is the play-by-play announcer. In September, Enberg will deliver his final US Open broadcast on CBS.
Former WTA Tour Pro and Emmy award winning broadcaster Mary Carillo will serve as master of ceremonies for The Legends Ball. A legendary line-up of tennis greats will be in attendance, including current players, Hall of Famers, officials from the ATP World Tour, WTA, ITF and Grand Slam tournaments and tennis fans from around the world. In celebration of their Hall of Fame induction, which occurred in July, speaking programs and video presentations will pay tribute to the one-and-only Andre Agassi, former world No. 1 and eight-time grand slam tournament champion, and Peachy Kellmeyer, an influential tennis executive whose vision, dedication and hard work has been a driving force behind the growth of women’s pro tennis since the 1970s. The evening will also feature a very special tribute presentation honoring the remarkable life and career of Hall of Famer and humanitarian Arthur Ashe, in recognition of the 25th anniversary of his Hall of Fame induction.
Always a highlight of the evening, The Legends Ball auction will feature an array of exclusive experiences and luxury items that will excite tennis fans and non-tennis fans alike. In the past, auction items have included hit sessions with tennis luminaries Pete Sampras, Jim Courier and Monica Seles; ticket and travel packages to Grand Slam events; golf at legendary courses like Winged Foot; autographed tennis memorabilia from Roger Federer and Andre Agassi; exotic vacation packages; and golf, baseball, hockey, basketball and football tickets and memorabilia.
Proceeds of The Legends Ball, which has been held annually since 1980, will benefit the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum and support the mission of preserving the history of the game, honoring the legends and inspiring the future.
That is all.
