Remembering Mike Patrick: The Voice of ESPN's Sunday Night Football
On April 20, 2025, the sports broadcasting world lost a legend with the passing of Mike Patrick at age 80. Patrick, who died of natural causes in Fairfax, Virginia, had a 36-year legacy at ESPN, where his voice became synonymous with some of the most thrilling moments in sports. Most notably, he was the play-by-play announcer for ESPN's Sunday Night Football from 1987 to 2005, where he became one of the network's most influential voices.
Patrick's journey began in 1982 when he joined ESPN, just three years after its inception. He had the honor of calling the network's first-ever regular-season NFL game in 1987, a matchup between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants, he launched ESPN's Sunday Night Football's 18-year run. Alongside analysts like Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire, Patrick's energetic delivery and insight brought games to life. His ability to capture the intensity of NFL Sundays made him a household name.
Beyond football, Patrick had the same kind of excitement covering college basketball, where he called over 30 ACC championships, and the Women's Final Four from 1996 to 2009. "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." said Dick Vitale, his longtime broadcast partner and who gave Patrick the nickname 'Mr ACC'.
Patrick's final call was the 2017 AutoZone Liberty Bowl, marking the end of an illustrious career. His voice, a soundtrack to American sports, will echo in the hearts of fans forever.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jets owner Woody Johnson completes purchase of stake in Premier League club Crystal Palace
LONDON (AP) — Crystal Palace confirmed Thursday that New York Jets owner Woody Johnson's purchase of Eagle Football's shareholding in the Premier League club has been completed. 'I am honored and privileged to be joining the ownership group of Crystal Palace Football Club,' Johnson told the club website. Palace announced last month that Johnson had signed 'a legally binding contract' to buy the shares of fellow American John Textor, who had a 43% stake in the London club, with reports at the time placing the price between $220 million and $260 million. The latest club statement gave no financial details. Johnson joins chairman Steve Parish, Josh Harris and David Blitzer as a partner and director of the club, and has also signed the Premier League's Owners' Charter. 'It is an organization with a proud history, tradition, and deep roots in English football in South London, which I came to admire during my time as US Ambassador to the United Kingdom," Johnson said. Palace finished 12th last season in the 20-team Premier League. Competition dispute Johnson's arrival at Palace comes with the club in dispute with UEFA over which European competition it will play in next season after winning the FA Cup in May — its first major trophy in 120 years of existence. Palace was demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League after falling foul of UEFA's rules governing multi-club ownership, but has submitted an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. UEFA determined that as of March 1, Textor had control or influence in Palace and French club Lyon. Textor said he had agreed to sell his stake in Palace to Johnson, but the move came too late to satisfy UEFA. ___ AP soccer:
Associated Press
6 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Jets owner Woody Johnson completes purchase of stake in Premier League club Crystal Palace
LONDON (AP) — Crystal Palace confirmed Thursday that New York Jets owner Woody Johnson's purchase of Eagle Football's shareholding in the Premier League club has been completed. 'I am honored and privileged to be joining the ownership group of Crystal Palace Football Club,' Johnson told the club website. Palace announced last month that Johnson had signed 'a legally binding contract' to buy the shares of fellow American John Textor, who had a 43% stake in the London club, with reports at the time placing the price between $220 million and $260 million. The latest club statement gave no financial details. Johnson joins chairman Steve Parish, Josh Harris and David Blitzer as a partner and director of the club, and has also signed the Premier League's Owners' Charter. 'It is an organization with a proud history, tradition, and deep roots in English football in South London, which I came to admire during my time as US Ambassador to the United Kingdom,' Johnson said. Palace finished 12th last season in the 20-team Premier League. Competition dispute Johnson's arrival at Palace comes with the club in dispute with UEFA over which European competition it will play in next season after winning the FA Cup in May — its first major trophy in 120 years of existence. Palace was demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League after falling foul of UEFA's rules governing multi-club ownership, but has submitted an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. UEFA determined that as of March 1, Textor had control or influence in Palace and French club Lyon. Textor said he had agreed to sell his stake in Palace to Johnson, but the move came too late to satisfy UEFA. ___ AP soccer:
USA Today
7 minutes ago
- USA Today
WATCH: Patrick Mahomes connects with Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown at Chiefs Training Camp
15 throws one to 5 🎬@PatrickMahomes x @Primetime_jet Veteran wide receiver Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown missed most of his first season with the Kansas City Chiefs due to an injury he sustained in the preseason, but returned to the field in time to make modest contributions in the team's run to Super Bowl LIX. Brown, who entered the league as a first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2019 NFL draft, has shown flashes of brilliance at training camp and was spotted reeling in a pass from star quarterback Patrick Mahomes at practice on Thursday, July 24. Check out this video of Brown's latest outstanding reception, which was posted to Twitter by the Chiefs' official account: While it remains to be seen if Brown will be able to return to form with Kansas City in 2025, the likely absence of fan-favorite wideout Rashee Rice due to a probable multi-week suspension could make the former Raven a top target for Mahomes early this season. Stay tuned for more videos of Brown, Mahomes, and the rest of the defending AFC champions as Chiefs Training Camp continues.
