Stuart Scott, a veteran ESPN anchor and "SportsCenter" staple, died Sunday after a long battle with cancer. He was 49.
Scott started his ESPN career in 1993, helping usher in the fledgling ESPN2 network, and quickly made a name for himself thanks to his signature style and instant-classic catchphrases, including "Boo-Yah!" and "As cool as the other side of the pillow." According to an obituary posted by ESPN.com, Scott was both popular and divisive in his early years at the network, with ESPN president John Skipper remembering that the anchor "changed everything."
"He didn't just push the envelope," added sports radio host and former ESPN anchor Dan Patrick. "He bulldozed the envelope."
Numerous tributes from fans, colleagues, athletes, and celebrities poured in for Scott Sunday, including remembrances from Michael Jordan, former co-anchor Rich Eisen, and President Barack Obama.
"Twenty years ago, Stu helped usher in a new way to talk about our favorite teams and the day's best plays," Obama said in a statement. "For much of those twenty years, public service and campaigns have kept me from my family -- but wherever I went, I could flip on the TV and Stu and his colleagues on SportsCenter were there. Over the years, he entertained us, and in the end, he inspired us -- with courage and love."
Scott was diagnosed with cancer in November 2007, and went on to face two more recurrences of the disease. He accepted ESPN's Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPYS on July 16, 2014, and gave an impassioned speech about his fight.
"When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer," Scott said. "You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live."
Scott is survived by his two daughters, Taelor, 19, and Sydni, 15.
[via: ESPN]
Photo credit: John Shearer/Invision/AP
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