ESPN's John Saunders dies at 61

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ESPN announced Wednesday that longtime anchor John Saunders died. Saunders was 61.

Saunders, a familiar face during ESPN’s college football coverage, joined the network in 1986. In addition to his college football hosting duties, Saunders hosted The Sports Reporters on Sunday morning. During his time at ESPN, Saunders was involved in the network’s coverage of the NBA, NFL, college basketball, NHL and ABC’s coverage of the 1995 World Series.

There were few things Saunders hadn’t done at ESPN, which is why he became one of the network’s most recognizable and trusted personalities.

“John was an extraordinary talent and his friendly, informative style has been a warm welcome to sports fans for decades,” ESPN president John Skipper 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.”

ESPN anchor Hannah Storm announced Saunders’ death live on SportsCenter. Storm was also the anchor on the air who announced the news of former ESPN anchor Stuart Scott’s death. It’s impossible to not feel for Storm and the job she did Wednesday.

A native of Canada, Saunders also served as the television play-by-play broadcaster for the Toronto Raptors’ local TV coverage from 1995-2001. Many media members agreed with Skipper’s sentiments about Saunders’ influence and personality.