Sports Illustrated chose him for honour of the decade.

By Mike Zeisberger, QMI Agency.

TORONTO — From Barrie to broadcasting royalty.

That, in a nutshell, is the story of Toronto native Dan Shulman, whose two-decade climb up the journalistic ladder was capped off today when Sports Illustrated named him best national play-by-play announcer of the decade.

Shulman beat out runner-up Al Michaels, the longtime voice of Monday Night Football and the current play-by-play man on NBC’s Sunday NFL telecasts. Michaels is perhaps best known for his “Do You Believe In Miracles? Yes!” call of the 1980 Miracle on Ice U.S. Olympic Hockey team victory, an event that took place while Shulman barely was a teenager.

Now, almost 30 years later, Shulman, who got his start on Western’s CHRW while a student in London, is humbled by this award.

“When my agent told me about it (yesterday) morning, I couldn’t believe it,” Shulman, 41, said yesterday from Cleveland, where he was preparing to call the NBA game between the Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers last night.

“This goes beyond flattering. I was stunned. There are so many people in my profession that I look up to, that I respect . . . It really hasn’t sunk in yet.”

Having graduated from Western in 1989, Shulman took a job at radio station CKBB in Barrie. His hope at the time was “just to get a job one day in Toronto, where my fiancee (Sarah) lived.”

After moving on to stints at The Fan 1430 (now 590), CTV and TSN, where he was the voice of the Blue Jays until 2001, Shulman became one of ESPN’s most reliable go-to guys, calling both NBA and major league baseball games.

Perhaps his most notable trademark, however, is being partnered with the always-excitable Dick Vitale on the network’s NCAA college basketball telecasts.

Yes, the same Dick Vitale who makes Don Cherry seem introverted.

“Dick is exactly who you think he is,” Shulman said with a chuckle. “He’s the most energetic person I’ve ever met. He’s like a rock star when he walks into the building.”