'", His offer of friendship took on a deeper meaning for ESPN vice president Tim Scanlan: "When he found out that my wife had the same type of cancer he had, he was one of the first people to reach out to me and offer help. I'm not sure the dance steps were up to Baryshnikov, but certainly the intentions were.". A phenomenal man. Behind the scenes, no one knew, including his co-workers and management at ESPN, that John Saunders battled life-long depression. "He just takes so much pride in the girls, and you can't see him without him taking out his phone and showing you a video of Taelor or Sydni singing or dancing or playing soccer. By Clicking "OK" or any content on this site, you agree to allow cookies to be placed. reporter nicknamed the Professor who was noted for his football analysis and his concise game recaps for ESPN, died on Friday at a hospital in Bellevue, Wash. "He had that great balance of being entertaining and being right.". In 1987, when ESPN signed a contract with the NHL, Mees took on the responsibility of host for NHL broadcasts. Longtime ESPN reporter Pedro Gomez died unexpectedly at his home Sunday afternoon, the company announced. He was a phenomenal television friend and a loyal life friend to me. Antibiotics did not work and he got worse. He was a terrific journalist, producer, friend, husband and father. 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Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Bay Area weather: After thunderstorms and hail, snow could be on the way this weekend, ESPN reporters sudden death at 34: The surprise that autopsy revealed. The Steelers called Clayton "a Pittsburgh media icon.". Scott Stump is a staff reporter and the writer of the daily newsletter This is TODAY. Ive often said John would be the guy who would stop everything he was doing to make sure anyone would have everything they needed. Suzy Kolber, the ESPN anchor who also began at ESPN2, says, "Stuart called me his TV wife, but we really were like a family, trying to launch this brand-new network and spending all this time together. Tragically, he died unexpectedly at age 61. He loved hockey and started playing it at a young age. "But once he sat down in the chair he would just start to click in and get that zero focus 'Where's this guy from?' Our friendship was special.. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. African-American. John Saunders was a proud Canadian. Seattle Sports 710 AM confirmed the news on Twitter. That part hasnt changed much in 2012, as we get set to present our 50,000thSportsCenter. We talked regularly. He was 61. The award is presented annually by the Pro Football Writers of America in recognition of "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football.''. 2023 ABG-SI LLC. Joe Valerio, who produced The Sports Reporters for nearly three decades, has died at the age of 71, from cancer. It was the Wild West of sports coverage. When Keith Olbermann graduated from "SportsNight" to ESPN's "SportsCenter," Stuart took his place in the anchor chair. And yet, when the red light came on, when he was on camera, you had no idea. '", That was the future, and it looked and sounded different from the present. Our condolences to his wife Pat, and to his friends and family. NBC New York reporter Katherine Creag dies suddenly. Follow Boston.com on Instagram (Opens in a New Tab), Follow Boston.com on Twitter (Opens in a New Tab), Like Boston.com on Facebook (Opens in a New Tab). Dickerson's wife, Caitlin, died two years ago from melanoma, and. Doctors also diagnosed him with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare autoimmune disorder, after bone marrow and lung biopsies. Unfortunately, those watching at home on television let him know. For full obituary and coverage from Legacy.com, click . Stuart went to R.J. Reynolds High in Winston-Salem and then the University of North Carolina, where he played wide receiver and defensive back on the club football team, joined Alpha Phi Alpha and worked at the student radio station, WXYC. He spent the next six months in therapy relearning how to walk, talk, read, and write. Clayton also wrote for several outlets, including the Washington Post, in recent years after his long stint at ESPN, and had been the sideline reporter for the Seahawks radio network for five seasons. Receive the latest news and breaking updates, straight from our newsroom to your inbox. "It has helped me knowing that his passing was inevitable, and Im at least grateful he didnt have to go through the painful treatment and drawn out process of battling the disease,'' Katy Berteau wrote about Edward Aschoff's condition. On August 10, 2016, John Saunders collapsed on his bathroom floor and died. (Joe Faraoni / ESPN Image) (KCTV) -- In a groundswell of support that began in Chicago and has since gone nationwide, the GoFundMe for the 11-year-old son of ESPN . IE 11 is not supported. ", "I've called him Boo-Yah forever," says Norby Williamson, the ESPN senior vice president who helped guide Stuart during those early years. (AP file photo) Bill Conlin, the legendary former Philadelphia sports columnist whose career came to a crashing end 25 months ago after he was accused of . A special man. Chris Chelios. Before the millennium arrived, he was covering the MLB playoffs, the Final Four and the NBA Finals. Stay up to date with everything Boston. The fiance of ESPN college football reporter Edward Aschoff shared that his sudden death at 34 on Christmas Eve was actually caused by stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and not pneumonia, as doctors previously thought. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. As SportsCenter approaches its 50,000th episode, Chris Berman honors the memory of former SC colleague Tom Mees http://t.co/povJ9ztJ. "I never ask what stage I'm in," Stuart told Sandomir. Grant Wahl, one of the best known football writers in the United States, died early Saturday while covering the World Cup match between Argentina and the Netherlands. This was all new territory. Recalls Eisen: "He would write down the catchphrases on the specific portion of the highlight, so I would watch him do this, and it wasn't 'Boo-Yah,' it was 'Boo-Yow.' John Clayton, the veteran N.F.L. "It's the highest honor any writer covering this sport can receive,'' Clayton said at the time. Clayton was also a longtime member of the Board of Selectors for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His love for football never wavered from those early days. We got there mid-first quarter, and we just kind of walked up to the sidelines, and one by one, the kids start comin' over to him. His family told ESPN Clayton died following a . He defied convention and criticism to help bring this network into a new century. Read more in our, This undated photo provided by ESPN images shows ESPN college football reporter Edward Aschoff. That's my Stuart. Know more in just minutes with our free newsletters. John Saunders, the sports anchor whose baritone voice was a fixture on ESPN programming for 30 years, has died, the network announced Wednesday. Then along came the Apollo astronauts, like Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick, Rich Eisen and Stuart. HLH is a rare disorder that affects the immune system, making certain white blood cells attack other blood cells and enlarging the spleen and liver, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. I turned around, got back in my car, and drove off, heading for home.. CBS Sports journalist Grant Wahl -- one of the most respected soccer reporters in the country -- died while covering the World Cup, his brother announced Friday. "Listen to his lead-ins," says Buccigross. Stuart and I had to do the 11 o'clock 'SportsCenter,' so with a lead foot, we got to Times Square at around 2 in the morning, and the party at the All-Star Cafe with Gretzky and Shaq and Tiger is letting out. 'The Professor' was a friend to so many in our business. Stuart Scott, a longtime anchor at ESPN, died at the age of 49. He did not shy away from the fact that he was a black man, and that allowed the rest of us who came along to just be ourselves. Pat has asked theSeahawksto release further information.. "Well, that's who Stuart is. Clayton wrote for multiple newspapers early in his career, including The Pittsburgh Press and The Tacoma News Tribune in Washington, before joining ESPN in 1996. ", Stuart was born in Chicago, but he, along with two sisters and a brother, spent his formative years in North Carolina, where their father was a postal inspector who always had time to play after work. "His wife Pat and sister Amy were at his side and communicated. They had entertaining chemistry in the nerd vs. jock genre. ", He first met ESPN anchor Chris Berman in Tampa, Florida. Over the years, he entertained us, and in the end, he inspired us -- with courage and love. 5 min read John Clayton was an ESPN mainstay. And he continued to do "SportsCenter." ", Champion. 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ESPN.com senior writer Andy Katz and ESPN feature producer Miriam Greenfield contributed to this story. Disputed loan at center of Commanders probe, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Covered Broncos for nine years for Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News, Previously covered Steelers, Bills and Titans, Member of Pro Football Hall of Fame Board. "John was the PFWA's 19th president (1999-2000) and the organization's 2007 Bill Nunn Jr. Award recipient. Unbeknownst to us, Edward had stage 4, non-Hodgkins lymphoma in his lungs. A ton of work with everyone rolling up their sleeves. Twenty years ago, Stu helped usher in a new way to talk about our favorite teams and the day's best plays. He was memorable in Natural Born Killers and True Romance.. His marriage to Kimberly Scott, the mother of their daughters, came to an end. "The PFWA mourns the passing of John Clayton," the organization said in a statement. Some of Claytons most memorable segments on ESPN television were his regular debates with former NFL quarterback Sean Salisbury. All of this combined is what led to his very rapid decline those last few days, and ultimately his passing.. Also wrote for Time, Sports Illustrated, the Fort Lauderdale News and The Evening Sun in Norwich, NY. John Clayton, a former ESPN NFL writer and current contributor to Seattle Sports 710 AM, died Friday. A memorable and original voice over the past two decades, Scott was known for his colorful. When it comes to females who blazed a trail in the male-dominated world of sports journalism, the name Jeannie Morris rarely gets mentioned. Relive one of the best This is SportsCenter commercials of all time, featuring hard rock fan John Clayton. The Seahawks also confirmed the news and expressed their condolences. Among the features of the new ESPN studio in Bristol is a wall of catchphrases made famous by on-air talent over the years. He was 67. He worked for a year at WECA-TV covering the sports scene, including the Florida State Seminoles and other Florida-area sports teams. ", His career path took him from Florence to Raleigh, North Carolina, to Orlando, Florida, and in his pre-ESPN clips, you can feel his energy, hear his music and sense his on-camera charisma. I stood there motionless, taking it all in. The Seattle Seahawks, through Clayton's family, announced the death in a statement. He sent me a tape, and even then, he had an amazing presence -- I felt the viewer would sit up and take notice when he was on the air. But then you think to turn the pillow over, and, wow, it's cool, and it feels so good. While Mees focused on hockey, he also worked in other sports, including college basketball, college football, and MLB. "He was that good. I love you, the white guy!' ESPN issued a statement, . From 1979 to 1987, Mees worked exclusively as a lead anchor for the networks nightly highlight news show, SportsCenter. 25 views, 1 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from West cameroon state news: She die for lack of care in the Buea general hospital. Larkin, 26, leads the Red Wings in scoring this season with 22 goals and 35 assists for 57 points in 59 games. We have been friends since 1986. David Benner, who spent nearly 30 years as the director of media relations for the Indiana Pacers, died Wednesday after a long illness. He would easily take Stuart Scott, dad, over Stuart Scott, 'SportsCenter' anchor. "I love this stuff. "The Seahawks are heartbroken to learn of the passing of John Clayton," the team said in a statement. He then attended Duquesne University and was hired by the Pittsburgh Press when he was a senior at Duquesne. "Stuart was playing like it was the seventh game of the NBA Finals, and he's guarding me like I'm Michael Jordan. In 1994, when ESPN celebrated its 15th anniversary, Mees, Berman, and Ley were the only three originalSportsCenteranchors still working at the network. Guillermo Celis. And he sat there for my kid. Scott saved his best for his last year on the air. After graduating in 1987 with a degree in speech communication, Stuart was hired by WPDE-TV in Florence, South Carolina. ", Friend. Clayton's close friend Jeff Muzzy announced the news of Clayton's death on Twitter on March 18, 2022, in an emotional statement. When he wasnt delivering the days sports news from the SportsCenter desk, viewers regularly watched him on Sundays as host of the popular Sports Reporters roundtable. ESPN reporter Vaughn McClure has died. Harris calls it his "Stuartness." But after I got out of my car and walked to the side I encountered girders and fences designed to keep people from jumping. Once he got into the show, you just forgot about everything, and it was just Stuart Scott doin' 'SportsCenter,' havin' fun. John was family to me. Olivia Harlan Dekker. Once I finally looked over the edge, I saw a drop of about 140 feet, equivalent to a 14-story skyscraper. "SportsCenter" anchor Jay Crawford. not scoring titles and-MVPs, We loved John. Saunders stood up too quickly, blacked out, fell backward on the tile floor, and hit his head. Dickerson is survived by his 11-year-old son, Parker, and parents, George and Sandy Dickerson. "He was like a ball of fire walking in the door," says ESPN senior vice president Mark Gross, a coordinating producer at the time. Benner's death was announced by the team, which learned of it from his family. ", Occasionally, Stuart would give a shout-out to Sydni's soccer team, but that was easy compared to another commitment he made to his daughters. At the ESPYS on July 16, shortly before his 49th birthday and following another round of cancer surgery, Stuart accepted the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance with strength, humor, grace and these eloquent words: "When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. ESPN NFL reporter Jeff Dickerson has died aged 44 from complications of colon cancer. John Madden, Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster, dies at 85, Rush Limbaugh, voice of American conservatism, has died. ", Ten years later, Levy watched a different kind of warrior go to work. WAIT Asking for two friends my lungs.. On a personal level, John was incredibly generous to me when I succeeded him as the Seahawks beat reporter at the Tacoma News Tribune many years ago. Clayton worked for the. https://t.co/QbBsi9bg4j, Also memorable were Clayton's appearances on "This is SportsCenter" commercials for ESPN, which to this day are among the best of the popular segments. He was 48. Clayton, a native of Braddock, Pennsylvania, began his career in 1972 as a teenager covering the Pittsburgh Steelers in a season that included the "Immaculate Reception.'' About a quarter of cases are passed down through families, and the rest come from infections, a weakened immune system or cancer. Joined ESPN The Magazine as a founding editor in 1998. He was 61. She is a regular contributor to ESPN's "The Jump" and NBA Today, where she serves as a co-host alongside Michael Wilbon. "There was the Mercury program, which gave us Chris Berman and Bob Ley, great pilots who went up there without teleprompters or whatever. What will the Buffalo Bills do without defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier? Olivia Harlan Dekker. Four years later, he got the call to head up the coast to Bristol, Connecticut and ESPN. At one point in 2012, Saunders planned to take his life by jumping off the Tappan Zee Bridge in New York, as he described in his book. His legendary, Hall of Fame career will forever have a lasting legacy on football fans across the world. (14:52). He had first gone to the emergency room three weeks earlier for flu-like symptoms and tweeted on Dec. 4 about having pneumonia. SportsCenter producers created a weekly segment called "Four Downs'' pitting Clayton against NFL analyst and former quarterback Sean Salisbury. into MORE than GREAT! He had a spirit and energy, and, dare I say, a sense of purity in his love of sports and his delivering of the evenings news through the TV to his fellow sports fans that all of us envy to this day. The ESPN reporter who died on his 34th birthday last month didn't realize it, but he had stage 4 cancer. He was 44. He was 67. Clayton's pursuit of news and information was done with such fervor that, as ESPN's Chris Mortensen said, "Anyone paying attention walked away a little more educated. (0:30). He was 58 years old. This is an aggressive type of cancer that is usually undetectable until it is very advanced," she writes. The ESPN reporter who died on his 34th birthday last month didn't realize it, but he had stage 4 cancer.

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