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 ESPNs Sunday Night Football from 1987 to 2005, where he became one of the networks most influential voices.Patricks journey began in 1982 when he joined ESPN, just three years after its inception.

He had the honor of calling the networks first-ever regular-season NFL game in 1987, a matchup between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants, he launched ESPNs Sunday Night Footballs 18-year run.

Alongside analysts like Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire, Patricks 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 Womens 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.

Patricks 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.This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Mike Patrick iconic voice of ESPN's Sunday Night Football passes away.

This article has been shared from the original article on yahoo, here is the link to the original article.