Dick Vitale Reacts To Death Of Legendary ESPN Announcer

Dick Vitale was among the many mourning the loss of longtime ESPN announcer Mike Patrick on Tuesday.

Patrick spent nearly four decades on the call for the network's NFL, college football and college basketball broadcasts. But he's perhaps best known for his NCAA hoops coverage as one of the leading voices of the ACC.

"Mike Patrick called countless significant events over decades at ESPN and is one of the most influential on-air voices in our history," Burke Magnus, president of ESPN content said in a statement on the sportscaster's passing. "In addition to calling ESPN's first-ever regular season NFL game and voicing the 'Sunday Night Football' franchise for 18 seasons, Mike's work on college sports was exceptional."

"For 36 years, he called football and men's and women's basketball, including the Women's Final Four and so many historic matchups between ACC rivals Duke and UNC. Our deepest condolences to Mike's family and his many friends throughout the industry."

Many of those matchups were alongside the great Dickie V, who was extremely saddened by the death of his former partner.

"I'm so sorry to learn about the passing of Mike Patrick. I called him Mr. ACC as he had a great love for doing the big ACC games," Vitale said. "Mike had great energy and a keen knowledge of ACC basketball, and I truly enjoyed sitting next to him calling so many special games over the years."

Adding on social media, "My sympathy goes out to his wife Janet."