Dan Miller (sportscaster)

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Dan Miller
Born1962 or 1963 (age 60–61)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
StatusActive
Occupation(s)TV: sportscaster, talk show host and Sports Department Director
radio: play-by-play announcer and host
Notable credit(s)TV: WTTG (1994)
WJLA-TV (1995-1997)
NFL on Fox (1994-1997-2000-2002-2007)
WJBK (1997-present)
Detroit Lions Television Network (2001-2003)
Radio: WTNT (1992-1994)
Detroit Lions Radio Network (2005-present)

Dan Miller (born 1962 or 1963)[1] is an American sportscaster based in Detroit, Michigan.[2] He works as the sports director and anchor on WJBK ("Fox 2") and as a radio play-by-play announcer on the Detroit Lions Radio Network.

Early life[edit]

Childhood[edit]

Miller was born in Washington, D.C.,[3] and raised there and in Northern Virginia. He played several sports as a child, including basketball, football, and baseball. He says his father wasn't a sports fan but he always took him to his games and practices.[3] As a teenager, Miller attended Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore Colts and Washington Redskins games with his father, who was a season ticket holder to the latter, even though "he didn't even know how to keep score". He also never missed one of his basketball, baseball or football games when his son was on the team.[3]

Early career[edit]

Upon graduating high school, Miller, got a job at Mutual Radio Network affiliates WJLA and WTEM as a college student to help as an engineer for their weekend sportscasts. At the job interview, he was asked if he knew how to edit audio tape. He lied and said he could. He kept the job for 11 years.[3] Miller attended George Mason University.[4]

In 1992, Miller got a job at WTNT ("Sports Radio 570") in Washington, D.C., as an overnight talk show host and Washington Redskins beat reporter. He only worked there for 3 months.[3]

In 1994, he got his first job in TV at WTTG as host of the Washington Redskins pre-game show. In 1995, he got a job at WJLA-TV as weekend sports anchor.[3]

From 1994 to 1997, Miller was a play-by-play announcer for NFL on Fox's regional broadcasts.[3]

Current positions[edit]

Television[edit]

In 1997, he joined Detroit's WJBK (Fox 2) as sports director and on-air personality. He is the sports director, sports anchor and host of weekly sports discussion show Sports Works on the station.[3] [5] Miller's voice can also be heard announcing during The Ford Lions Report when Lions highlights clips are shown. The program is broadcast statewide in Michigan.

Miller regularly appears via satellite to discuss the Lions on NFL Network's pre-game show NFL Game Day Morning during the "Word on the Street" segment.

Radio[edit]

Since 2005, Miller has been the radio play-by-play announcer for the NFL's Detroit Lions[6] as well the host of their official pre-game discussion show The Lions Roundtable on the Detroit Lions Radio Network, teaming with long-time color commentator Jim Brandstatter, and sideline reporter Tony Ortiz. Miller replaced longtime Lions play-by-play man Mark Champion. This is not Miller's first stint as a Lions broadcaster, however; he was the play-by-play announcer for pre-season games on the Detroit Lions Television Network from 2001 to 2003.

Miller also hosts The Lions Review Show on WXYT-FM during the NFL season.

Community involvement and awards[edit]

Miller is a member of the Detroit Sports Media (formerly Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association) founded in 1948 by pioneer Detroit Tigers announcer Ty Tyson.[7] The Detroit Free Press named Miller the "best local TV sportscaster" for 2004. In 2013, Miller was awarded the Ty Tyson Award by Detroit Sports Media for excellence in sports broadcasting.[citation needed]

Memorable calls[edit]

  • After the final game of the 0-16 2008 season, Miller eloquently summed up the whole year in a few sentences:[8]

Clock ticks down here in Green Bay. The Lions find themselves in a very familiar position. For sixteen weeks, starting in Atlanta back in September, they took the field thinking this was gonna be their day. Sixteen times they were wrong, and now there are no Sundays left. By record, they are the worst team in league history. Zero and sixteen, those are the numbers that will forever be associated with the Detroit Lions.

— Dan Miller, December 28, 2008, on the Detroit Lions Radio Network
  • After the Lions defeated the Washington Redskins on September 27, 2009, snapping a 19-game losing streak, the 2nd longest in NFL history, Miller proclaimed:[9]

Three receivers to the right side. They'll flood the right. The Lions showing three down linemen. Campbell out of the shotgun. Fourth-and-10. Eight seconds left. Campbell back, throws underneath. It's a hook and lateral and they get it to... Betts, and Betts is going to be taken down. It's going to be a first down but it doesn't matter. Three zeros on the clock. Game over. Losing streak over. Nightmare over. The Lions win it, 19-14!

— Dan Miller, September 27, 2009 on the Detroit Lions Radio Network.

Stafford up under center. Last Play of the game. Takes the Snap. Rolls, throws, endzone. TOUCHDOWN DETROIT LIONS! BRANDON PETTIGREW! ROOKIE TO ROOKIE! What a finish! And the Lions are an extra point away from the win!

— Dan Miller, November 22, 2009 on the Detroit Lions Radio Network.

Rivers back to pass, and IT'S PICKED OFF! PICKED OFF BY THE LIONS! Cliff Avril takes it to the house! Not only that, he takes the Lions to the playoffs! That's it! Put it away! Put a bow on it! Merry Christmas everybody! Touchdown Detroit Lions!

— Dan Miller, December 24, 2011 on the Detroit Lions Radio Network.

Clock moving, now with twenty seconds to go. The Lions will have to clock the ball. Stafford gets the offense in position. He dives in for the touchdown, did he get it? YES SIR HE DID! TOUCHDOWN DETROIT LIONS! MATTHEW TOOK IT ACROSS, AND THE LIONS HAVE TAKEN THE LEAD, WITH TWELVE SECONDS TO GO!

— Dan Miller, October 27, 2013 on the Detroit Lions Radio Network.

Final play of the game. Rodgers out of the gun. He's back. They need sixty-one yards and a touchdown. Rodgers rolling to his left, being chased, slips the tackle, Rodgers is stepping up, and lofting it deep down the field into the endzone. It is up, and it is....CAUGHT! CAUGHT BY THE PACKERS! RICHARD RODGERS FOR THE TOUCHDOWN! OH NO! Unbelivable! Rodgers on the final play of the game, slipped inside of all the defenders in the endzone, and made the catch for the score. Sixty-one yards, and the Lions have lost.

— Dan Miller, December 3, 2015 on the Detroit Lions Radio Network.

Matthew's got it back to pass, looking left, throwing, it is... CAUGHT! INSIDE THE FIVE, DIVING INTO THE ENDZONE. TOUCHDOWN DETROIT LIONS! AN! QUAN! BOLDIN! FIRES THAT BALL INTO THE STANDS AND THE LIONS HAVE THE LEAD BACK WITH SIXTEEN SECONDS LEFT. How about that quarterback? He is something else.

— Dan Miller, October 23, 2016 on the Detroit Lions Radio Network.

Stafford's got it. Sets, looks, throws. He's got Golden Tate, who makes the catch, inside the fifteen. INSIDE THE TEN!!! HE'S BREAKING AWAY! HE'S INTO THE ENDZONE! PACK THE BAGS, START THE PLANE! THIS! GAME! IS! OVER!

— Dan Miller, November 6, 2016 on the Detroit Lions Radio Network.

Let's see what the Lions dial up, two seconds to go. From the Falcon 11 yard line, down by 6, final play of the game. Stafford empty out of the gun, he's got it. Back, looks, looks, pumps once, steps up, looks, throws, end zone...CAUGHT! TOUCHDOWN DETROIT LIONS! T. J. HOCKENSON! THEY'VE DID IT! THEY'VE TIED IT! THEY'RE AN EXTRA POINT AWAY FROM WINNING THIS GAME! OH BABY, HOW BIG IS THAT! HOW BIG IS THAT! Matthew Stafford, MAGIC!

— Dan Miller, October 25, 2020 on the Detroit Lions Radio Network.

First victory of the year on the line. Goff’s got it, back, looks, throws, end zone. CAUGHT! TOUCHDOWN DETROIT LIONS! THEY DID IT! AMON-RA ST. BROWN ON THE RECEIVING END! OH, THEY’RE RUSHING THE FIELD! THEY’VE DONE IT. THREE ZEROES ON THE CLOCK! THIS GAME IS OVER! IT’S OVER! Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown, his first career touchdown, AND HOW BIG IS THAT?!?!? OH. MY. GOODNESS. Have a day, boys. Have a day.

— Dan Miller, December 5, 2021 on the Detroit Lions Radio Network.
  • Jared Goff's pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown to secure the Lions' first playoff win since the 1991 season in the final drive of the game against the Los Angeles Rams on January 14, 2024:

Here we go, Goff works out of the gun, second down and nine, two minutes to go. There's Goff, back, looking, looking, throws, is it caught! AMON-RA ST. BROWN! FIRST DOWN!!! THAT'S GONNA DO IT!!! THAT'S GONNA DO IT!!! THAT'S GONNA DO IT!!! JARED GOFF! DELIVERS AGAINST HIS FORMER TEAM! NOW ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS TAKE A KNEE THREE TIMES, AND THIS GAME WILL BE OVER! FOR THE SECOND TIME SINCE 1957, FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE JANUARY 5TH 1992, THESE DETROIT LIONS ARE GONNA WIN A PLAYOFF GAME! DETROIT, STAND UP, YOU'VE WAITED FOR THIS! ONE PRIDE NATION, STAND UP, YOU'VE WAITED FOR THIS! Sheila Hamp, Rod Wood, Mike Disner, Chris Spielman, Brad Holmes, Dan Campbell, they've brought it back to Detroit, they've given it to us.

— Dan Miller, January 14, 2024 on the Detroit Lions Radio Network.

Personal life[edit]

Miller is married and has four children.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Crowe, Steve (September 1, 2000). "Another Miller in the Booth". The Detroit Free Press. p. 9G. Dan Miller, 37...
  2. ^ Eichorn, George B. (2003). Detroit's Sports Broadcasters on the Air (illustrated ed.). Arcadia Publishing. p. 96. ISBN 978-0-7385-3166-3.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "WJBK-TV Fox 2 Personalities". myfoxdetroit.com. Archived from the original on April 26, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  4. ^ "Dream job: A conversation with Detroit Lions broadcaster Dan Miller".
  5. ^ "About Dan Miller". mlive.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  6. ^ "Lions Radio Network Affiliates (as of June 15, 2008)". detroitlions.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  7. ^ "DSBA Member Roster: Dan Miller biography". Detroit Sports Broadcasting Association. Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  8. ^ NFL Network - State of the Lions
  9. ^ NFL.com Highlights 2009 week 3 with radio calls
  10. ^ NFL.com 2009 Browns at Lions week 11 highlights with radio calls
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