In sports, not all the long shots who succeed are athletes. In 1984, Tom Hammond, a forty-year-old sportscaster who had primarily worked in Kentucky and the Southeast, got an unlikely opportunity to appear on the NBC Sports telecast of the inaugural Breeders' Cup. Assigned to report from the stall area on what was supposed to be a single broadcast, Hammond performed so well that an NBC executive offered him a chance to call NFL games on the spot. That broadcast launched Hammond's thirty-four-year career with NBC Sports and his rise to the top levels of American television sportscasting. Along with cowriter Mark Story, Hammond pulls back the curtain to reveal how a Kentucky native who started out reading horse racing results on Lexington radio went on to broadcast from thirteen Olympic Games. While covering Thoroughbred racing for NBC, Hammond broadcast sixteen Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes races and eleven runnings of the Belmont Stakes, including American Pharoah's historic 2015 Triple Crown victory. Hammond offers glimpses into his time as the play-by-play voice for Notre Dame football, calling NBA and NFL games, and his long-running stint announcing Southeastern Conference men's basketball for the league's syndicated TV package. Races, Games, and Olympic Dreams is an intimate and gripping look at Hammond's experiences, including his coverage of Olympic track and field, figure skating, speed skating, ice dancing, diving, and basketball events. Hammond worked with broadcasting luminaries such as Dick Enberg, Bob Costas, Cris Collinsworth, and Bill Walton, and encountered world-class athletes like Allyson Felix, Michael Jordan, Sarah Hughes, and Peyton Manning. Although his career has spanned the nation and the world, Hammond's roots have always remained firmly planted in the Bluegrass State. "That Hammond reached star status as a national broadcaster and as one of NBC's main voices at more than a dozen Olympic Games is a sign that nice guys can also finish first. A feel-good story that readers will love."―Lenny Shulman, Emmy Award–winning writer and author of Justify: 111 Days to Triple Crown Glory "Absolutely fascinating. This book is a winner."―Joe Cox, author of Almost Perfect: The Heartbreaking Pursuit of Pitching's Holy Grail "Tom never ceases to amaze me with the stories; so many sports, countries, people, and experiences...and he remembers every detail. He sets the scene and paints the picture like a master at work."―Donna Brothers, NBC Sports "Looking back on almost thirty years of my career, my professional and personal relationship with Tom Hammond is by far the most significant and meaningful to me―from our first World Outdoor Track and Field Championships together in Seville, Spain, in 1999, to our first Summer Olympic Games, where I sat right next to Tom as a sprint analyst in the track and field booth in Sydney, Australia, in 2000. At those Games he taught me, by example, the critical skills of storytelling, writing, and when to simply shut up, like in the iconic women's 400 meter final when Australia's Cathy Freeman won gold, a moment that rocked 112,000 at Stadium Australia, her own Aboriginal people, and indeed the entire continent. Those are lessons I still employ today, across all sports broadcasts."―Lewis Johnson, NBC Sports "Tom Hammond is the most talented, professional, humble sportscaster to ever sit behind a microphone. His story will certainly entertain you."―Dan Issel, former NBA and University of Kentucky basketball star "Tom Hammond is the best sports announcer I have ever known."―Larry Conley, former SEC basketball television analyst and University of Kentucky basketball standout "I've had the honor of working with one of the great broadcasters for two decades and a cherished friend for forty years. Enjoy a special journey as Tom shares his remarkable life and extraordinary career."―Kenny Rice, NBC Sports "This is the story behind one of the most iconic voices in sports, and a chance to go behind the scenes of a legendary sports broadcasting career."―Alex Flanagan, sports agent and former network sports broadcaster "Tom Hammond has had a storied broadcasting career, covering virtually every great event, bringing his audience a fron- row seat. His insightful storytelling is a real joy to behold."―Pat Haden, former USC, Los Angeles Rams quarterback and former NBC Sports football analyst "Every show with Tom Hammond was a treat. "Big Daddy" always kept the train on the tracks."―Gary Stevens, Hall of Fame jockey, former NBC Sports horse racing analyst "While sharing the booth with Tom for over twenty years, I witnessed firsthand his flawless timing and understated genius as he so perfectly framed some of the greatest moments of Olympic figure skating."―Sandra Bezic, former Olympic figure skater and former NBC Sports figure skating analyst "I never understood why artists would describe each other as 'generous' until I met Tom Hammond. I was very fortunate to