A voice that is as distinct as Mickey Mouse, opinions that come across as facts, and an eagerness to talk betting when the subject was still in the closet, there is zero comp’ to Norm Hitzges.
Even as the sports media scene flooded with names, opinions and voices, Norm always stood out for nearly 50 years.
The sports knowledge that embarrassed even the most dedicated of sports trivia nerds. A laugh that didn’t sound real but was authentic. A delivery that was the same with or without a microphone.
On Thursday morning, the long, long, long, looooooooong time sports radio voice in DFW formally announced his retirement. Sportsradio 96.7FM/1310 AM The Ticket/KTCK-FM said in a statement that Norm’s last morning show will be Friday, June 23.
“I’m so proud to be a part of what The Ticket has built — a ratings dominator in a fantastic sports city,” Norm said in a statement. “I shall so miss the daily ‘rush’ of being on the air. But after 48 consecutive years on the air in Dallas doing sports talk, it’s time to move on to the next phase of my life, whatever that may be.”
Norm has hosted a morning show on The Ticket with Donovan Lewis since 2000.
Hitzges is credited as hosting the first full-time sports talk show in the morning in the United States, when he worked for KLIF.
The station said Norm plans to be a part of the station’s special events, such as its coverage of the NFL Draft and his annual Norm-A-Thon charity fundraiser.
“His enthusiasm for the genre (sports talk radio) is extraordinary,” said current Dallas Mavericks radio voice, and former DFW sports talk radio voice, Chuck Cooperstein. “I did it for a long time, but ultimately, as the model changed, my love for it faded away. His love never did.
“And for 48 years? Remarkable is not nearly an adequate enough description.”
This is one of those announcements that you commend, and bemoan.
Good for Norm. Bad for us. The current culture in the media world would never give the time to allow a voice like Norm’s to grow and develop into what it is.
He started in a different time, but he still had a place in a new one.
Norm’s retirement is another departure from the DFW sports scene over the last few years that includes the retirements of Randy Galloway, Jim Reeves, Dale Hansen, among others.
Everyone had their own voice, and not a one of them was like Norm.
He could talk the NFL Draft, as in every single player available, just as easily as he could handicapping a horse race.
For a brief period he was a part of ESPN’s coverage of Major League Baseball. When the cable network secured the rights to televise MLB games back in the ‘80s, there was Norm in the booth serving as a color announcer that national audiences had no clue what to make of.
It was a collective, “Who is this guy?” For DFW residents, the response was, “That’s Norm.”
It was a baseball version of Dick Vitale.
Norm maintained a firm grasp of every statistic for every single player, with a delivery that was distinctly Norm. You either got it, or you got it.
“Norm is an institution in our business and an inspiration for those of us who came after him,” said sports talk show host, Bob Sturm, Norm’s colleague at 1310 The Ticket. “Yes, he always had a great supply of knowledge and expertise, but he combined it with an unquenchable thirst and curiosity to explore what the day’s news might ultimately mean.
“He built enduring relationships and had a tireless faithfulness to his craft. He has had a singular career in this city and will be remembered long after his retirement.”
Hitzges, 78, is an inductee of the Texas Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame, the Dallas All Sports Association as well as the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame.
The Ticket will have a successor for Norm’s show, but there is no replacement for Norm Hitzges.
