Dan Leach has that impeccable voice that you hear at your University of Detroit Mercy men’s basketball games.
No, not the one you hear saying the starting lineup; the one that you hear on the radio providing the city of Detroit and state of Michigan information about the Detroit Titans.
But who is Dan Leach? And how did he become the full-time voice of the Detroit Titans?
Leach was born on May 19, 1977, at 12:02 p.m. in Sinai Hospital in Detroit to Susie and Harold Leach.
Years later Leach moved to outside of the city to Farmington Hills where he attended grade school at Forrest Elementary and completed middle school at Warner.
During middle school Leach realized he had found a new love, a love for broadcasting.
“I realized at a very young age that I wanted to be a broadcaster,” said Leach. “I used to go down to my basement, record my voice over songs on the radio with my old Star Studio recorder and pretend I was a DJ.”
Leach also had a love for sports.
“I always loved playing sports and wished I could have been a professional athlete,” he said. “But once I realized that wasn't going to happen, I knew that I wanted to be a broadcaster to help bring those sports to people all over the world and put smiles on their faces the best I could do.”
A few months into his freshman year at North Farmington, Leach saw his dreams of being a broadcaster put on hold when his parents shipped him to Cascade boarding school in California.
Completing Cascade’s three-year program, he transferred to Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.
While there, Leach shared a dorm with Topher Grace, the future star of TV’s “That ’70s Show.”
After graduating, Leach returned home to Michigan to attend Eastern Michigan University. He ran for student president his junior year but fell short.
After finishing college, Leach didn't have a career in mind. He worked as a camp counselor for six years, as a server at some of Michigan’s most popular restaurants, including J. Alexander's, and as a DJ and emcee at weddings.
Deciding he wanted to purse a broadcast career, Leach met with a friend who asked him to join as a host on a city radio sports show. Leach became known around the city for his enthusiastic and distinctive voice.
A few years later, Leach received a job offer from his hometown, Division One college, the University of Detroit Mercy.
“It was an offer I couldn't turn down,” he said. “I grew up watching basketball here at Calihan Hall. … So when I got the offer, I had to jump on it. I found my career.”
