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Eric Nadel (born May 16, 1951) is an American sports announcer on for the Texas Rangers baseball organization. In 2014, he was honored with the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
The Rangers hired Nadel in 1979, and he called games on television and radio in his first three seasons. Beginning in 1982, he began a 13-year run with Mark Holtz as the radio team on WBAP, returning to the television booth for one year in 1984. Nadel became the team's lead radio voice when Holtz moved to television in 1995. Since becoming the primary play-by-play voice for the Rangers, Nadel has worked alongside Brad Sham, Vince Cotroneo, and Victor Rojas.
In May 2006, Nadel announced that he had signed a "lifetime contract" with the Rangers, allowing him to continue on their broadcast team until he chooses to retire. He later said that he hopes to outlive his contract. Beginning in 2009, he was partnered with longtime ESPN and former Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs announcer Dave Barnett, who also did Rangers games on television with Brad Sham in the late 80s and early 90s. After Barnett moved to television, former MLB pitcher Steve Busby was Nadel's partner. Since July 2012 after Busby replaced Barnett on television, Nadel has been joined by Matt Hicks in the radio booth. Rangers games are now primarily on 105.3 The Fan, which has been the Rangers' flagship station since the 2015 season. At the conclusion of the 2018 season, Nadel joined a handful of broadcasters to call Major League Baseball games for 40 years, with the added distinction of calling all of them for one franchise. Among Nadel's most memorable calls was the 5000th strikeout of Nolan Ryan's career on August 22, 1989. His main home run call is "That ball is history!" Both he and Public Address (PA) announcer Chuck Morgan have been affectionately referred to as "the Voices of the Texas Rangers".
The arrival of Rubén Sierra in Texas motivated Nadel to learn Spanish. Nadel is now a fluent Spanish speaker, having taken part in Spanish-language game broadcasts in a number of Latin American countries.
Nadel took a leave of absence through the first 109 games of the 2023 season, in order to seek treatment for anxiety, depression, and insomnia. He returned to the booth in August, and called the Rangers' first World Series win that November.
On December 11, 2013, Nadel was selected as the 2014 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Nadel received the award at a ceremony at Doubleday Field on Saturday, July 26, 2014, as part of the Hall of Fame 2014 weekend festivities.
In recognition of his achievements, Nadel's high school alma mater, Midwood High School at Brooklyn College, has created the Eric Nadel Memorial Award for Athletic Improvement and Character. It will be awarded annually to a deserving student athlete.
On January 21, 2023, Eric was awarded the Shalom Award by the Temple Shalom Brotherhood in recognition of his many years of community service and humanitarian work.
Nadel is active in animal causes and was one of the founders of the first leash-free dog park in the DFW Metroplex at White Rock Lake in Dallas. He stages benefit concerts for non-profit organizations, including Focus on Teens and Cafe Momentum, and is an active advocate for mental health organizations such as NAMI and The Campaign to Change Direction. In 2018, The Intercept reported on Nadel's longtime advocacy for Wendell Lindsey, a Texas inmate who has maintained his innocence for a murder conviction in 1991.
Awards
In 1991, Nadel was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame. He has received the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Texas Sportscaster of the Year Award seven times (1999, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011) and won the Associated Press award for Best Play-by-Play in Texas three times. On August 11, 2012, Nadel became the 15th member inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame.
Other work
Nadel appeared as the Rangers' radio announcer in the film The Rookie in 2002.
Personal life
Nadel married his wife Jeannie in 1987.
Bibliography
External links
Categories: 1951 Births, Living People, 20th-century American Male Writers, 21st-century American Male Writers, American Radio Personalities, American Radio Sports Announcers, Brown University Alumni, College Basketball Announcers In The United States, College Hockey Announcers In The United States, Ford C. Frick Award Recipients, Jewish American Sports Announcers, Major League Baseball Broadcasters, Midwood High School Alumni, Sportspeople From Brooklyn, Texas Rangers Announcers, Writers From Brooklyn
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