Saunders, with ESPN for almost 30 years, hosted studio and play-by-play programming.
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ESPN host John Saunders speaks on stage at the Paley Prize Gala honoring ESPN’s 35th anniversary presented by Roc Nation Sports on May 28, 2014 in New York City.
Saunders joined ESPN in 1986. Since 2001, he has hosted the round-table program “The Sports Reporters” on Sunday mornings.
Saunders was also a founding member of The V Foundation for Cancer Research, for which he served on the board of directors.
“ESPN president John Skipper saluted Saunders for his extraordinary talent and friendly, informative style”.
Before starting his broadcasting career, Saunders played hockey in the Montreal junior leagues. The publisher’s synopsis of the book reads: “His story unfolds as so many of our lives do-among family, friends, and colleagues-but it also peers into places we don’t often discuss openly-psych wards and hospitals. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this extremely hard time”.
Saunders became a voice for ESPN on college basketball, the WNBA and hosted ESPN’s coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs from 1993-2004. “He was all about family and helping people”, said Dick Vitale, a longtime colleague of Saunders. I can’t believe this stunning and awful news.
Western Michigan, one of the schools where Saunders played in the 1970s, remembered him too.
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Just last week, Saunders spoke at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Washington, D.C. He is survived by his wife, Wanda, and daughters Aleah and Jenna.
