Longtime ESPN host John Saunders dead at age 61

John Saunders is Dead - HD Version

John Saunders, one of the familiar on-air faces of ESPN for nearly 30 years, has died. He was 61.

Saunders hosted studio and play-by-play programming. He covered college football, basketball and the NHL for the network, in addition to anchoring SportsCenter. He was also host of The Sports Reporters.

• It should"ve been a hard thing for John Saunders to follow d**k Schaap as host of The Sports Reporters. It became one more thing that Saunders made look extraordinarily easy, Mike Lupica writes.

• The death of ESPN broadcaster John Saunders, announced Wednesday, prompted an outpouring of grief on Twitter.

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"This tragic news brings us unspeakable sorrow," Saunders" family said in a statement. "John was the patriarch of our family, and we can"t believe he is gone. We are sincerely touched by the outpouring of support and sadness, which is a reflection of the character and integrity that defined him.

"While we don"t yet have all the specifics, John wasn"t feeling well physically in recent days and sadly, he was unresponsive earlier this morning. We appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers for our cherished father, husband, brother and uncle."

Born in Canada, Saunders was an all-star defenseman in the junior hockey leagues of Montreal. He played at Western Michigan and Ryerson Polytechnical in Toronto before becoming one of the most prominent broadcasters of his time.

Saunders was a founding member of The V Foundation for Cancer Research and served on its board of directors.

"John was an extraordinary talent and his friendly, informative style has been a warm welcome to sports fans for decades," John Skipper, ESPN president and Disney Media Networks co-chairman, said in a statement. "His wide range of accomplishments across numerous sports and championship events is among the most impressive this industry has ever seen.

"More importantly, John was a beloved and devoted family man who cared deeply about people and causes, as evidenced by his long-standing efforts as a passionate board member for The V Foundation for Cancer Research.

"He was one of the most significant and influential members of the ESPN family, as a colleague and mentor, and he will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this extremely difficult time."

Chris Berman, left, John Saunders and Bob Ley, right, during the SportsCenter 30th anniversary special in 2009.John Atashian/ESPN Images

Saunders joined ESPN in December 1986 to anchor SportsCenter. He also became a regular voice on college basketball and the WNBA and hosted ESPN"s coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs from 1993 to 2004. He also worked on coverage of the World Series and Major League Baseball"s All-Star Game.

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of John Saunders," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "As the studio host of NBA Shootaround, a play-by-play announcer for nationally televised NBA and WNBA games and one of the Toronto Raptors" first television voices, John was a vital member of the NBA family for more than two decades and was a friendly and familiar face to our players and fans.

"His achievements in journalism are matched only by his commitment to his community, particularly his service as a founding member of the V Foundation."

d**k Vitale, a longtime colleague of Saunders, said his friend "represented everything that was good in a human being."

"He was all about family and helping people," Vitale said. "He was as good as it gets, and he had deep loyalty and love for others. His work with The V Foundation was so special. He loved Jimmy V and poured his heart and soul into the cause. He was always willing to share and give, and he played a vital role in the success of helping so many. I can"t believe this stunning and horrible news. He will be forever in our thoughts."

Chris Berman, who worked with Saunders during his entire 30 years at ESPN, said it was easy for anyone to relate to his former colleague.

"John Saunders was our friend, and he was your friend. You were immediately comfortable with John in 30 seconds," Berman said. "I was fortunate enough to be comfortable with him for 30 years. We knew him for his understated demeanor and understated smile, but we also knew him for his firm commitment to getting things right and treating people right. John was old school, even Old World. Maybe because he was Canadian. Maybe because he was John.

"Professionally he was always willing to be out of the limelight, but make no mistake, with John Saunders, you knew you were in special company. His mark on ESPN is indelible. His mark on all of us even more so."

Other on-air colleagues of Saunders at ESPN took to social media to express their sorrow.

Western Michigan honored Saunders as well, as did retired NBA star Kobe Bryant.

Saunders" survivors include his wife, Wanda, and daughters Aleah and Jenna.

Source: http://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/17263104/john-saunders-long-familiar-air-face-espn-nearly-30-years-died-age-61

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Stan Verrett to Host College Football Saturdays on ABC, Replacing John Saunders

Mike Tirico Announces The Passing Of John Saunders

By: Kyle Koster| August 25, 2016 11:57 am ETFollow @KyleKoster

Stan Verrett will host ABCs Saturday college football studio coverage this year, the company announced Thursday morning. John Saunders, who passed away on Aug. 10, had held the role since 1992.

John Saunders was a mentor and friend who helped me navigate my career at ESPN and was always ready with a kind word and timely advice, said Verrett. His easy manner and comfortable style welcomed college football fans every week for years on ESPN and ABC. He was a fantastic host.

Theres a tremendous legacy there, and I am both humbled and excited to have the opportunity to add to it.

Verrett does the 1 a.m. SportsCenter from Los Angeles. The college football show will continue airing from Bristol, with Mack Brown and Mark May flanking Verrett.

[ESPN Media Zone]

ESPN, John Saunders, Stan Verrett, ESPN

Source: http://thebiglead.com/2016/08/25/stan-verrett-to-host-college-football-saturdays-on-abc-replacing-john-saunders/

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Albom: ESPN"s John Saunders was calm in middle of debates

John Saunders is Dead - HD Version

Longtime ESPN broadcaster John Saunders has died at the age of 61

John Saunders(Photo: Joe Faraoni)

I was sitting at my computer Wednesday morning when the phone rang.

I have some terrible news.

The trembling voice belonged to Joe Valerio, the longtime producer of ESPNs The Sports Reporters. I have been a part of that show for more than 20 years. But in a million years, I would not have guessed the next words out of Joes mouth.

John Saunders died last night.

Im still at that computer now, hours later, writing these words because I dont know how else to steel myself against the oncoming grief. I saw John every few weeks for the last 15 years. I was to see him this weekend. Now hes gone. That fast?

That fast. The quickest trip we take is the journey from this world to the next. But life, not death, should be the John Saunders story today.

So let me tell you about his life.

John was, quite simply, the best of us. He did his job without ego, prejudice or overacting a rare thing in TV journalism these days. Blessed with one of those booming voices that turns your head, John, for 30 years, was a fixture on ESPN. He hosted SportsCenter, NFL Prime Time, college football, NBA and NHL shows, even a World Series.

He was terrific at all those things. But where he truly shone, and where, he once told me, he most enjoyed the work, was sitting in the middle of our weekly debate Sunday mornings. The Sports Reporters has been on the air for 28 years an amazing run in television and John has been host for more than half of that. So if the regular panelists want to claim him as our own, the world will forgive us.

Who didnt want to claim John as family?

He became one of us

Born just outside of Toronto, and a college hockey player at Western Michigan and Ryerson University, John rose through the ranks at ESPN and took over, temporarily, the center seat on The Sports Reporters 15 years ago, on a set in New York City that was still shaking from 9/11.

It was dire circumstances on many levels. The shows previous longtime host, d**k Schaap, was as beloved a man as there was in broadcasting. Hed fallen ill with complications from surgery. John was a fill-in, and at first had no interest in the job or doing it one week longer than necessary.

Those guys are egomaniacs, he told his wife, and I can only hope he said it with a smile on his face.

But as the weeks passed, Schaap did not get better. And John, despite his initial hesitations, seemed born to that center chair. It is not easy to sit amid highly-opinionated, strongly-vocal sportswriters and not get buried in their wake. But John was always a presence, a strong, authoritative master of the ceremony, yet a guy who you instantly liked and trusted. He gave the show a professional elegance. He all but sang us into breaks and segments. He quizzed us, tested us, calmed us and honored us.

And finally, when d**k Schaap died that December, he became one of us for good.

Educated in his opinions

In 15 years, you get to know a guy. I knew about Johns family as he knew about mine. I knew he adored his wife and daughters, and was passionate about any issue concerning womens safety or rights. Our achievements, family photos, milestones and travels were all shared in the early hours Sunday morning in the green room, over coffee and fruit.

John had the best laugh. Hearty is the word that comes to mind, and he was hearty in so many ways. He loved good jokes and good food and if you slapped his back, you felt the hearty, thick muscle that served him in his younger athletic years. Yet if you told him a moving story, you could see tears form in his eyes. He was sensitive while being strong, passionate while being even-handed, and the star of the show when he did the least talking.

It is hard to meet anyone in the TV business who doesnt have detractors, but if anyone had an unkind word to say about John Saunders, Im yet to hear it. He loved hockey, and fought to get it into the program, despite the audiences obvious preference for football or baseball. And while he was often cast as the neutral party as a host, John was extremely opinionated, and educated in those opinions. You could hear this in his wonderful parting shots on The Sports Reporters that closed the show, often on topics of race, abuse, womens issues or players bad behavior.

He gave a memorable rant in 2014 about fellow African Americans complaining that certain athletes werent black enough, ending with this fine zinger:

There was another African American some labeled as not black enough. Now they call him Mr. President.

The anchor to us all

John, who was 61, was not always healthy. We knew that. He suffered from diabetes, and many Sundays began with his hands shaking as he lurched for an orange juice and gave himself an insulin injection. Hed suffered through two auto accidents and had multiple concussions in his hockey years.

There were also many mornings where hed worked past midnight the night before, hosting hours and hours of college football, and the only word to describe his entrance was dragging. He looked like the air had been let out of his body, and we did our best to make him laugh and get back into it.

Shortly after I got the phone call Wednesday morning, I called Mike Lupica, the New York Daily News columnist who sits across from me on the show, and who has been with the program the longest. He likened Johns first shows to Sidney Poitier in To Sir With Love, taking care of the wayward kids.

If so, he was the best teacher. He was never envious in a world full of envy, never whispered about in a world full of whispers. He was a friend in front of and behind your back, and a fierce advocate for those stricken with cancer, helping on the board of the V Foundation for years and raising millions in the battle against the disease that killed his friend, Jim Valvano.

He seemed compelled to make good out of grief.

And now we are left to do the same.

There is a reason that the ESPN broadcasters bringing you the news of his death seem to be shaken, their voices trembling. He was a friend to that many. And a dear friend to me.

I am scheduled to do the show this Sunday. I dont know how. I know I will be waiting for the door to swing open and John to come trudging through, to hear that booming voice, to talk hockey, or children, as he grabs a paper plate and some fruit.

It takes years to make a true friend, and an instant to lose one. As I age, I dont want to answer my phone anymore. This Sunday, no matter who is sitting in the center chair, Ill be seeing someone else, the big, hearty guy. We revolved around him, planets to the sun, John Saunders, the anchor to us all.

Contact Mitch Albom: malbom@freepress.com. Check out the latest updates with his charities, books and events at mitchalbom.com. Catch "The Mitch Albom Show" 5-7 p.m. weekdays on WJR-AM (760). Follow him on Twitter @mitchalbom. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/mitch-albom.

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Source: http://www.freep.com/story/sports/columnists/mitch-albom/2016/08/10/mitch-albom-espn-john-saunders-died/88547330/

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