Longtime ESPN announcer Mike Patrick dies at 80

Longtime ESPN announcer Mike Patrick has died at the age of 80.

ESPN confirmed Tuesday that Patrick died Sunday of natural causes in Fairfax, Virginia. His death was confirmed by Patrick’s doctor, as well as his hometown of Clarksburg, West Virginia.

Patrick began his broadcasting career in 1966 and went on to spend 36 years at ESPN, joining the network in 1982 before retiring in December 2017. He is perhaps best remembered as the play-by-play voice of “Sunday Night Football,” a role in which he served from 1987-2005. He was also a regular on the network’s coverage of college sports, including the ACC basketball tournament, the Women’s Final Four and the College World Series.

Patrick claimed several historic accomplishments, as he was on the mic for the first NFL game ESPN ever televised in 1987.