Starting in 1994, Mitch Juricich and John Abendroth produced over 100 television shows and over 1500 radio programs based in the San Francisco area.
In 2002 the pair were awarded the Sports Media Representatives of the Year by the PGA of Northern California and in 2000 the Good Guy’s award by the California Golf Writers Association.
The show focused on Golf and Fun with insight from Tom Spencer from CBS Sports on the radio show and excellent production quality on the TV show from NBC Sports Bay Area.
Over the years listeners and viewers were treated to a view of new golf courses, interviews with some of the biggest names in golf along with entertainers and dignitaries who were Hooked on Golf.
John, the PGA Member and former PGA Tour Player along with Mitch the “Every Man’s Golfer” with great passion for the game brought humor, knowledge inside stories and even a few golf tips more clear understanding of the rules of golf with the help of Sandy Tatum and Grant Spaeth both former USGA Presidents.
What is this Hooked on Golf?
John Abendroth, PGA
John Abendroth is a San Francisco native, PGA Member, Former PGA-Tour Player and NCAA All American.
John was a co-founder of Celtic Golf Management, owned and operated the Golf Learning Center in San Mateo for nearly 10-years and has consulted with several golf related companies.
In later years Abendroth has served on several golf related charity boards, has been involved with the San Francisco City Golf Championship the SF Junior and was co-chair of the 2012 U.S. Open at The Olympic Club. John has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Northern California PGA and their Foundation.
Along with Mitch Juricich the pair founded the Hooked on Golf Foundation to benefit junior golf which was the idea and the seed to start the Youth On Course program operated now by the Northern California Golf Association providing affordable golf and scholarships. The program has expanded to nearly all of the United States and Canada.
Mitch and John co-hosted the Hooked on Golf radio program based in San Francisco at KNBR for 26+ years and produced the TV version for 15 years airing on NBC Sports Bay Area.
John is a member of the sports hall of fame of The Olympic Club, Weber State University, Lincoln High School of San Francisco and was golf professional of the year in 2008 with the NCPGA. John is married, is a resident of Burlingame Ca with two children.
Born, raised and educated in San Francisco, Mitch Juricich is a 43 year veteran of the local sports media, having covered professional and amateur sports for the print, broadcast, and electronic media. His professional services reside under the auspices of MJE, LLC.
He served as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for the California Golf Writers and Broadcasters Association and The California Golf Hall of Fame and in the past has emceed their prestigious annual awards dinner at Spanish Bay during AT&T week. In 2001 he was honored at the dinner, along with his broadcast partner, John Abendroth, with the “Good Guy Award”. Also receiving awards that evening were notables Clint Eastwood and Tiger Woods.
In 2002, the Nor-Cal Section of the PGA of America recognized both Mitch and John as their “Media Representative of the Year.”
His passion is golf. To that end, in 1989, he created and wrote the concept for Hooked on Golf, a program that was aired for 15 years on Comcast Sports Net Bay Area, as well as on their other affiliates nationwide. The radio version of H.O.G., heard on KNBR 680, ‘the sports leader’, recently ended a 28 year run on the biggest radio station in the fourth largest market in America. Sports Illustrated once called the radio program ‘the most successful of the few golf radio shows in existence.’
In 1994 he also created Tournament Event Enterprises, a highly successful out-source-provider of simplified and successful golf tournaments and events. The company has been involved in well over 750 charitable events that have raised in excess of $15,000,000!
In 2007 he created and launched Hooked on the Niners which is seen in over 1,000,000 households in the Bay Area on cable access television.
Mitch currently lives on the peninsula with his wife of 51 years. He has a daughter, a former NCAA athlete, who is a successful business owner in the mental health industry. His son, also an NCAA athlete, works in the Athletics Department at Stanford University as an Associate Director of Athletics
Mitch’s favorite saying is: “That’s the way life was headin’ west”.
Mitch Juricich, PGA
