A native of Los Angeles, Nahan moved at age 2 with his mother to Canada, where he grew up playing ice hockey.
A star goalie at McGill University in Montreal, he signed a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League in 1946. He was assigned to the minor-league Los Angeles Monarchs, who through the early 1950s played at the Pan Pacific Auditorium.
Nahan originally began working on a children's television program, appearing as "Skipper Stu" in Sacramento in the 1950s. He also worked for KCRA in Sacramento as a sportscaster.
Nahan later moved to Haddonfield, NJ (near Philadelphia) where he hosted his own children's show as Captain Philadelphia on the now defunct WKBS-TV. During this stint, Nahan also provided the play-by-play commentary for the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers at WTAF, working alongside Gene Hart.
In the mid-to-late 1970s, Nahan began working in the movie industry. He always played a sports commentator, usually appearing as himself. Aside from the Rocky series, Nahan is also remembered for a brief appearance in Fast Times at Ridgemont High in which he interviews the character Jeff Spicolli (played by Sean Penn) in a dream sequence. He also had a bit part in the 1971 TV movie Brian's Song, as the speaker who introduced Gale Sayers at the awards banquet where Sayers was named Rookie of the Year.
Nahan was a sports anchor in the Los Angeles television market for roughly 30 years, with KABC-TV (1968–77), KNBC (1977–86) and KTLA (1988–99). He also spent time with radio stations KABC, KXTA, and KFWB. He was involved with the Los Angeles Dodgers' pregame show, from which he retired after the 2004 season.
His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is at 6549 Hollywood Blvd.
