Mike Patrick, Longtime ESPN Announcer and Voice of Sunday Night Football, Dies at 80 -

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Mike Patrick, the first play-by-play announcer for ESPN’s NFL coverage, has died at 80.

Patrick died on Sunday in Fairfax, Virginia, due to natural causes, according to a message sent by his physician and longtime friend.

Patrick’s voice became familiar with ESPN’s rise as a sports media powerhouse. He joined the network in 1982 and stayed a prominent figure for 35 years, covering everything from NFL games to college basketball and the Women’s Final Four.

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“Mike Patrick called countless significant events over decades at ESPN and is one of the most influential on-air voices in our history,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN’s president of content. “From our first regular-season NFL broadcast to iconic ACC basketball clashes, Mike brought passion, insight, and professionalism to every call.”

Patrick was best known for his work on ESPN’s Sunday Night Football, where he was the lead play-by-play announcer from 1987 to 2005. He began alongside Roy Firestone before being paired with former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann and, later, Paul Maguire in a popular three-man booth. The trio became a Sunday night staple for millions of football fans across the country.

In 2004, Patrick briefly stepped away from the booth to undergo open-heart surgery but returned later that season. His tenure came to an end when NBC acquired the Sunday night NFL rights in 2006, and ESPN shifted its focus to Monday Night Football.

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Beyond the NFL, Patrick had a deep love for college sports. Dick Vitale famously dubbed him “Mr. ACC” due to his longstanding role in covering Atlantic Coast Conference basketball. Patrick was a fixture in games featuring storied rivals like Duke and North Carolina, often capturing the electric atmosphere with his trademark energy.

He also lent his voice to the Women’s Final Four from 1996 to 2009 and the College World Series from 2003 to 2014, showcasing his versatility and dedication to a wide range of sports.

Patrick began his career in radio in Somerset, Pennsylvania, and served as a sports director for television stations in Jacksonville, Florida, and Washington, D.C., before making his mark at ESPN.

Born in Clarksburg, West Virginia, Patrick earned a bachelor’s degree in speech from George Washington University. His legacy as a pioneering voice in sports broadcasting lives on through decades of memorable moments.