Stuart Scott obit

ESPN’s Stuart Scott dies of cancer at 49 

He was not on the list.

He did it with a wink, a smile and style. Stuart Scott, the anchor who energized ESPN’s sportscasts with a fresh vibe filled with pop-culture references and catchphrases so out of the norm that viewers and sometimes his bosses didn’t know what to make of him, died Sunday of the cancer he had fought three times over the past seven years.

Scott, 49, was one of the most recognizable and popular faces of ESPN, eventually joining the network’s “SportsCenter” and NFL and NBA shows. The highest-profile black sportscaster at the network, he joined ESPN in 1993 and his exuberant expressions, like “booyah,” cool as the other side of the pillow” and “just call him butter ‘cause he’s on a roll,” became his trademarks. It was a different tone, something LeBron James called an unmistakable “swag.” Scott “didn’t push the envelope,” former ESPN anchor Dan Patrick said in a video tribute produced by the network, “he bulldozed it.”

On the network's NFL pregame show, Chris Berman said, "Stuart made ESPN what it is, he made us better people."

“While he is now considered a trailblazer, he was once considered a leper,” his former colleague, Bonnie Bernstein, wrote on Facebook. “ESPN executives didn’t know what to make of him in the early ’90s. The hip-hop slang. The catchphrases the bosses didn’t understand. BOOYAH! What the hell does that mean?? Stu also had a polarizing effect on the air. There were plenty of viewers out there who felt Stu’s shtick was like proverbial nails on a chalkboard.

“And Stu knew it. We would talk about it. But you know what? He never wavered. Not one bit. He actually reveled in it. I always admired that about him and hoped the bosses would come to understand what I saw when Stu and I were on the road together covering the NBA Playoffs. The guy was a superstar. The black players and the fans would flock to him. His star was as bright as Jordan’s. Or Shaq’s. Finally, there was someone on the air who spoke their language. It was incredibly refreshing.”

Scott’s death resonated with top sports stars, so many of whom had seen him work firsthand through bouts with the disease. Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, among so many, tweeted their sympathy. “I’m so sad to hear the news that Stuart has passed away,” Jordan said in a statement. Like Scott, he had attended the University of North Carolina. “He was truly a trailblazer in his field and, by refusing to change his style, made himself into a star. I always enjoyed sitting down to talk to him. But to me he wasn’t just a broadcaster, he was an old friend who I’d known since college. He fought so hard against cancer and I hoped he’d win the battle. I sent my sincerest condolences to his daughters, Taelor and Sydni, and his family and friends. Booyah, my brother.”

President Barak Obama added that he would miss Scott, saying in a statement released by the White House: “Twenty years ago, Stu helped usher in a new way to talk about our favorite teams and the day’s best plays. For much of those twenty years, public service and campaigns have kept me from my family — but wherever I went, I could flip on the TV and Stu and his colleagues on ‘SportsCenter’ were there. Over the years, he entertained us, and in the end, he inspired us — with courage and love. Michelle and I offer our thoughts and prayers to his family, friends, and colleagues.”