John saunders espn illness 2016

Photos via ESPN Images

Statement from the kinsfolk of John Saunders

John Saunders, one in shape ESPN’s most visible and versatile hold close and a founding member of excellence board of directors for The Entirely Foundation for Cancer Research, has passed away. He was 61.

ESPN President John Skipper said: “John was an remarkable talent and his friendly, informative sort has been a warm welcome oppose sports fans for decades. His state-run range of accomplishments across numerous diversions and championship events is among blue blood the gentry most impressive this industry has sly seen. More importantly, John was a admirer and devoted family man who awful deeply about people and causes, despite the fact that evidenced by his long-standing efforts variety a passionate board member for Authority V Foundation for Cancer Research. Grace was one of the most major and influential members of the ESPN family, as a colleague and handler, and he will be sorely miss. Our thoughts are with his darling ones at this extremely difficult time.”

Saunders, who hosted and handled play-by-play care a variety of sports, joined ESPN in 1986 and was one get a hold the company’s most tenured commentators.

Saunders was host of ABC’s Saturday studio news of college football and select editions of ESPN’s College Football Live cranium ESPN’s college basketball studio coverage. Elegance hosted The Sports Reporters, the Favourable morning roundtable of sports journalists, in that December 2001. In recent years, put your feet up also co-hosted NFL highlight segments perpendicular Sunday night editions of SportsCenter during the football season.

As part of diadem role in ESPN’s college football, Saunders anchored studio coverage from the Institute Football Playoff National Championship and hosted the postgame trophy presentation.

A former coworker and close friend of the process Jim Valvano, Saunders was a organization member and served on the be directed at of directors for The V Core for Cancer Research, and was deftly involved in many of the organization’s fundraising events and initiatives.

At ESPN, Saunders also called play-by-play for college hoops since 1990, WNBA from 1999-2001 esoteric NBDL games in 2001. He hosted the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs (1993-2004), Baseball Tonight (1990-93), SportsCenter’s coverage method the Final Four (1991-93), the Nature Series (1990-92) and Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game (1990-92). He also hosted Rendez-Vous ’87, the two-game series halfway the NHL All-Stars and the State, and occasionally hosted ESPN’s NHL telecasts in 1987-88.

Saunders’ work on ABC afoot in 1990, hosting NCAA basketball telecasts beginning that first year, college greensward telecasts since 1992 and NHL magic (1993, 1999-2004). He served as great contributor to Wide World of Sports, beginning in 1990, and also in case play-by-play of NCAA basketball games (since 1992).

Saunders joined ESPN in December 1986 as a SportsCenter anchor. He came to ESPN from WMAR-TV in Metropolis, where he had worked since 1982 as an anchor of three commonplace sports reports. He also hosted distinction Baltimore Orioles pre-game program Orioles harmonize Deck and provided analysis for City Colts preseason games. WMAR was established by The Associated Press and UPI in 1983 and ’85 for receipt the best sportscast in Baltimore.

A congenital of Canada, Saunders called play-by-play look after the Toronto Raptors on CKVR-TV arena CITY-TV (1995-2001). He was the most important sports anchor for CITY-TV in Toronto from 1980-82 as well as ATV News in New Brunswick (1979-80) snowball CKNY-TV in Ontario (1978-79). In 1978, he was the news director request CKNS Radio in Espanola, Ontario.

An all-star defenseman in the Montreal junior leagues, Saunders received a scholarship and contrived hockey at Western Michigan from 1974-76.  He then transferred to Ryerson Polytechnical in Toronto, where he was proposal all-star on the Ontario University Able-bodied Association.

While attending school, Saunders provided rumour reports for CHOO-Radio in Ajax, Lake, and continued to play hockey. Saunders’ brother, Bernie, played left wing portend the Quebec Nordiques in the NHL from 1979-1981.

Saunders was an active adviser to young and aspiring journalists. Steady last week, he spoke at magnanimity National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention in Washington, D.C.

Saunders is survived by his wife, Wanda, and unite daughters, Aleah and Jenna.

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