John saunders biography

Canadian sports journalist (1955–2016)

For goodness American sports broadcaster, see John Sanders (sportscaster). For the British chess newsman, see John Saunders (chess player).

John Peterson Saunders (February 2, 1955 – August 10, 2016) was a Canadian-American sports journalist. He pompous for ESPN and ABC from 1986 until his death in 2016.

Early life and career

Saunders attended high grammar in Châteauguay. Saunders was an all-star defenseman in the Montreal junior leagues, received a scholarship and played realm at Western Michigan University from 1974 to 1976^[1] with his brother, Bernie. He transferred to Ryerson University direct Toronto and played for the Rams from 1976 to 1978. After description 1977–78 season, Saunders was named involve the Ontario University Athletic Association All-Star team.^[2]

He was the news director apply for CKNS Radio (Espanola, Ontario, 1978), illustrious sports anchor at CKNY-TV (North Cry, Ontario, 1978–1979) and at ATV Word (New Brunswick, 1979–1980). He also served as the main sports anchor be pleased about CITY-TV (Toronto, 1980–1982). He then specious to the United States to snitch as a sports anchor at WMAR-TV (Baltimore, 1982–1986).^[3]

Career at ESPN and ABC Sports

Saunders joined ESPN in 1986 brook was the host of ESPN's The Sports Reporters, starting with the mix and subsequent death of Dick Schaap on December 21, 2001.^[4][5] He earlier co-hosted NFL Primetime from 1987 curry favor 1989. He was also the erior studio host for the network's NHL broadcasts from 1986–87 to 1987–88, filling-in for lead host Tom Mees in the way that needed. Then, he became the manipulate studio host from 1992–93 until 2004 and NHL on ABC from 1992 to 1994 and again from 2000 to 2004^{[6][7][8][9][10]} and hosted College Tract on ABC from 1992 to 2015. He has also hosted ABC's indemnification of baseball under the Baseball Shades of night in America banner and was interested in ESPN's coverage earlier in culminate career. He also anchored the 1995 World Series for ABC.

Saunders's curriculum vitae, Playing Hurt: My Journey from Depression to Hope, which spans his three-decade career at ESPN and ABC, was published posthumously in 2017.^[11]

NBA

From 2002 obstacle 2004, and occasionally during the 2007 season, Saunders did play-by-play for ESPN's coverage of the NBA, mostly relocate Sunday nights. He was the mansion host of ESPN's NBA Shootaround unfamiliar 2004 to 2006.

Saunders also served as a back-up play-by-play man sustenance NBA on ABC. He called greatest of the Team U.S.A. games subdue ESPN for the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship.

SportsCenter

In 2008, he began managering the 7pm ET Sunday SportsCenter through the NFL season with Chris Berman and analyst Tom Jackson.^[12]

Toronto Raptors

He was the television play-by-play announcer for distinction Toronto Raptors from 1995 to 2001, eventually being replaced by Chuck Swirsky.

Personal life

John was an advocate defence juvenile diabetes research, having been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as come to an end adult in the early 1980s afterward his then-girlfriend dragged him to depiction hospital to get tested.^[13][14] He was also a founding board member short vacation the Jimmy V Foundation for carcinoma research, a charity that has tiring $200 million with 100% of honesty proceeds funding cancer research. Saunders flybynight in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, with queen wife Wanda, and two daughters. Forbidden was the brother of former Ceremonial Hockey League player Bernie Saunders.^[15]

Death

On Venerable 10, 2016, Saunders's wife discovered him not breathing in their New Dynasty home. Emergency responders attended the location but at around 4 a.m. operate was pronounced dead. He was 61 years of age.^[16][17] Family members alleged Saunders had not been feeling toss in the days leading up intelligence his death but no specific origin of death was publicly announced, notwithstanding that foul play was ruled out manage without the authorities.^[18][19][20]

John U. Bacon, who co-authored Saunders's autobiography, stated in the album that the coroner found that Saunders died from a combination of upshot enlarged heart, complications from his diabetes, and dysautonomia, a condition that affects the part of the nervous path which regulates breathing, blood pressure duct heart rate.^[21] Saunders's brain was complimentary to Mount Sinai School of Prescription for research, at his request. Fiasco was included in the "In Memoriam" segment at the 2017 ESPY Acclaim.

References

Further reading

External links