ESPN anchor Stuart Scott passed away Sunday morning after a battle with cancer, the network said.
One of the most influential broadcasters of his generation, the 49-year-old Scott rose to fame due to his work on a variety of ESPN shows, including SportsCenter, Monday Night Countdown, Sunday NFL Countdown and NFL PrimeTime.
This morning’s Countdown began with a tribute to Scott, with colleagues Chris Berman, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Wendi Nix and Merrill Hoge all offering their remembrances.
“Stuart made ESPN what it is. He made us better people,” Berman said.
Carter, the Hall of Fame wide receiver who has built a successful broadcast career, spoke of the standard Scott set.
“He was a role model for me and hundreds of other African-American journalists/athletes now who want to be legitimate and want people to take what we say seriously just like him,” Carter said.
Concluded Carter: “There will never be another Stu Scott.”
NFL Network’s Rich Eisen, a former ESPN colleague of Scott, offered an emotional tribute on NFL Gameday Morning, calling him “a groundbreaking broadcaster in sports television.”
In July, ESPN honored Scott with its Jimmy V Perseverance Award for his fight against cancer.
“When you die, that does not mean that you lose to cancer,” Scott said upon receiving the award, according to the network. “You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.
“So live. Live. Fight like hell.”
Scott is survived by two daughers, Taelor and Syndi.
