Calvert, longtime voice of UNLV, among six-member class

Dick Calvert is supposedly retired.

But the 74-year-old's idea of retirement doesn't include daily games of shuffleboard with guys named Mortie.

Whether serving as the public-address announcer for UNLV basketball or football or for the NBA and USA Basketball during their summer visits to Las Vegas, Calvert maintains a schedule that rivals those of many full-time workers nowhere close to retirement age.

He works more than 150 events each year, including the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony. But he didn't emcee Friday night's dinner at the Orleans Arena because Calvert is part of this year's class.

The rest of the class comprises former UNLV basketball player Freddie Banks; Fred Darling, who was instrumental in Las Vegas' American Legion baseball program; Ralph Meder, who coached Greg Maddux, Marty Barrett and other future major leaguers; longtime umpire and referee Bruce Bayne; and the Fertitta family, who helped turn the Ultimate Fighting Championship into a billion-dollar venture.

Calvert has a hard time believing that his name is associated with that class.

"I know how hard these guys on this board work because I am a board member," Calvert said. "I know the significance of it."

He never saw himself earning a living behind a microphone.

Calvert was a scouting supervisor for the Los Angeles Dodgers. His wide area of responsibility included Las Vegas, and the city grew on him.

As much as he enjoyed working for the Dodgers, Calvert reached a point where he wanted to better support his young family. He had made contacts at UNLV and in 1971 went to work for the 14-year-old university.

Calvert's deep voice became as much a part of games as dunks and touchdown passes.

Like others with a long-term association with UNLV, Calvert has fond memories of the basketball team's 1990 national championship season.

The men's golf team's 1998 national title is also special to him. Calvert grabbed the flag on the 18th green for Rebels coach Dwaine Knight.

But Calvert's fondest memories are not of sporting events but the people involved in them.

"The thing that stands out most is being able to be around the young athletes," he said.

Not all his work has been limited to UNLV and Las Vegas. Calvert, who was an announcer in the North American and Major Indoor soccer leagues, will be more than just an interested observer when this year's World Cup in South Africa begins Friday.

After attending the 1982 event in Spain as a spectator, Calvert went on to serve as a play-by-play announcer at World Cups in 1986 in Mexico, 1990 in Italy and 1994 in the United States.

"If you haven't been there, you don't realize that it truly is the world's game," Calvert said. "I'm not putting anything down, don't get me wrong, (but) there is nothing that compares to World Cup. So many of these nations live and breathe what their national team does.

"Just the passion and the nationalism and (fans) don't ever shut up at the games."

Or after the games.

Brazilian fans partied all night at Calvert's Guadalajara hotel in 1986.

"In one month, none of them went to bed," he said. "It was unbelievable."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at
manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.