From Tape Recorder to the Voice of the Bengals: Dan Hoard

From a very early age Dan Hoard watched sports. He was interested in what the players were doing on the field, what play changes were being called, what the coaches reaction are; But it was the voices behind the action he quickly grew enamored with. 

Hoard would turn down the TV, plug in his tape recorder and record himself calling games. Little did he know, fast forward a job change from the announcer of the Syracuse Chiefs to a Cincinnati sports director at WXIX, Dan Hoard would become the next “voice of the Bengals.”

Hoard has one of the most successful podcasts in Cincinnati called “Bengals Booth Podcast.” Every week he sits down with former Bengal Dave “Lap” Lapham. Hoard owes the success of the show to the chemistry he has with his co-host. He said there is a little bit of luck involved, but when it comes to Lap, it’s hard not to have chemistry with him.

From their very first broadcast in 2011, Hoard knew the potential of his broadcast, even on what was said to be the beginning of a difficult season. Hoard recounts the Cincinnati duos first broadcast: “The Bengals were coming off a 4-12 season, Carson Palmer was holding out. They had just signed Andy Dalton, expectations from the national media were cold. The Bengals were suspected to be the worst team in the NFL. We did a preseason opener at Detroit and lost. Very badly. As we get on the bus to go home, it’s silent, because things did not go well. And I’m sitting in the front of the bus giddy with excitement. Because I thought the broadcast went extremely well. Lap and I had great chemistry right off the bat.” 

Except for the six weeks between mini camp and training camp, Hoard is constantly preparing for the next game. In addition to Bengals games, he also broadcasts University of Cincinnati football, basketball games. Nothing compares to Gameday says Hoard, “This is the closest I get to becoming a professional athlete.” 

For future broadcasters, Hoard says broadcasting can’t be taught in a classroom. You can learn important building blocks, but you can’t become a broadcaster without getting out there.”