Which sportscaster inspired Dana Scully's surname?

The sportscaster who inspired Dana Scully’s surname was Vin Scully.

Vin Scully was the celebrated play-by-play broadcaster for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. He joined the Dodgers in 1950 and continued calling their games until retiring after the 2016 season, a 67-year run with the same franchise.

The X-Files creator Chris Carter was a Dodgers fan and chose “Scully” as an homage to the broadcaster. The character Dana Scully, played by Gillian Anderson, was designed as a scientific and skeptical counterweight to Fox Mulder’s belief in paranormal explanations.

This inspiration concerns only the surname, not the character’s biography or profession. Dana Scully is an FBI special agent and medical doctor, while Vin Scully was a baseball broadcaster. Fans may also recognize Scully’s voice in the sixth-season episode “The Unnatural,” where he calls a baseball game.