Longtime ESPN commentator Chris Mortensen has died at the age of 72, the cable sports channel announced Sunday.
“Mort was widely respected as an industry pioneer and universally loved as a supportive, hard-working teammate,” said ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro. social media statement. “He covered the NFL with extraordinary skill and passion and was at the top of his field for decades. He will be truly missed by his colleagues and fans, and our hearts and thoughts are with his loved ones.”
Mortensen retired last April After covering the 33rd NFL draft. Since joining ESPN in 1991, he has reported for the network’s top NFL broadcast shows, as well as the SportsCenter segment “Inside the Huddle.”
Mortensen, who has been battling esophageal cancer for years He wrote in X said in September that he decided to focus on his health, family and faith. He initially took a leave of absence after announcing his diagnosis in early 2016.
“Gratitude and humility are great. This is not a classic scholarship. I will still speak here,” he wrote about his retirement. “It’s just time. God bless you all.”
Before his distinguished sports broadcasting career, Mortensen covered the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Falcons and the NFL for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, winning the 1987 George Polk Award for his reporting. He later covered the NFL for the now-defunct National Sports Daily before joining ESPN.
In 1991, he published Playing for Keeps: How One Man Shook the Mob from the Hooks Bath into Pro Football.
Mortensen is survived by his wife, Micki Mortensen, and son Alex Mortensen, a football coach and former professional linebacker.