John Saunders (journalist)
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John Saunders | |
|---|---|
Ryerson University (1976-78) | |
| Occupation(s) | Sports journalist, television personality, commentator, announcer |
| Years active | 1977–2016 |
| Employer | The Walt Disney Company |
| Television | SportsCenter NFL Primetime Baseball Night in America NBA Shootaround The Sports Reporters |
| Spouse | Wanda Saunders (1987–2016) |
| Children | 2 |
John Peterson Saunders (February 2, 1955 – August 10, 2016) was a Canadian-American sports journalist. He worked for ESPN and ABC from 1986 until his death in 2016.
Early life and career
Saunders attended high school in
He was the news director for
Career at ESPN and ABC Sports
Saunders joined ESPN in 1986 and was the host of ESPN's The Sports Reporters, starting with the illness and subsequent death of Dick Schaap on December 21, 2001.[4][5] He previously co-hosted NFL Primetime from 1987 to 1989. He was also the secondary studio host for the network's NHL broadcasts from 1986–87 to 1987–88, filling-in for lead host Tom Mees when needed. Then, he became the lead 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 Football on ABC from 1992 to 2015. He has also hosted ABC's coverage of baseball under the Baseball Night in America banner and was involved in ESPN's coverage earlier in his career. He also anchored the 1995 World Series for ABC.
Saunders's memoir, Playing Hurt: My Journey from Despair to Hope, which spans his three-decade career at ESPN and ABC, was published posthumously in 2017.[11]
NBA
From
Saunders also served as a back-up play-by-play man for NBA on ABC. He called most of the Team U.S.A. games on ESPN for the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship.
SportsCenter
In 2008, he began hosting the 7pm ET Sunday SportsCenter during the NFL season with Chris Berman and analyst Tom Jackson.[12]
Toronto Raptors
He was the television play-by-play announcer for the Toronto Raptors from 1995 to 2001, eventually being replaced by Chuck Swirsky.
Personal life
John was an advocate for juvenile diabetes research, having been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as an adult in the early 1980s after his then-girlfriend dragged him to the hospital to get tested.[13][14] He was also a founding board member of the Jimmy V Foundation for cancer research, a charity that has raised $200 million with 100% of the proceeds funding cancer research. Saunders lived in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, with his wife Wanda, and two daughters. He was the brother of former National Hockey League player Bernie Saunders.[15]
Death
On August 10, 2016, Saunders's wife discovered him not breathing in their New York home. Emergency responders attended the scene but at around 4 a.m. he was pronounced dead. He was 61 years of age.[16][17] Family members stated Saunders had not been feeling well in the days leading up to his death but no specific cause of death was publicly announced, though foul play was ruled out by the authorities.[18][19][20]
References
- ^ "ABC Sports - Saunders, John". Archived from the original on June 5, 2004. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
- ^ "ABC Medianet". Archived from the original on April 26, 2006. Retrieved May 30, 2006.
- ^ Stewart, Larry (December 21, 2001). "Hearn Is Fine but Schaap Isn't". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ Penner, Mike (December 22, 2001). "Dick Schaap, 67; Sports Journalist". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ Frager, Ray (May 28, 1993). "ESPN gives hockey its moment on center ice". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ By (April 16, 1993). "REECE SAYS TAYLOR'S STRATEGY IS TO PLAY TO HIS STRENGTH". Hartford Courant. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ Nidetz, Steve (April 19, 1993). "ABC DROPS PUCK IN HAWKS PLAYOFF BROADCAST". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ Pergament, Alan (April 20, 1993). "PRESIDENT DAZZLES KB'S BOYD; ESPN SWITCHES JIM SCHOENFELD". Buffalo News. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ Nidetz, Steve (April 18, 1994). "LITTLE WONDER PANG A TOP HOCKEY ANALYST". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ Richard Deitsch (June 17, 2017). "In posthumous memoir, John Saunders details depression struggles, suicidal thoughts". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
- ^ "Co-Anchors Chris Berman and John Saunders, NFL Analyst". Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved September 11, 2008.
- )
- ^ "Saunders made it look easy, as broadcaster and friend". ESPN.com. August 10, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ Hawthorn, Tom (August 11, 2016). "Late Canadian sportscaster John Saunders found fame on ESPN". Retrieved August 21, 2020.
- ^ News, Stefan Bondy | New York Daily (August 11, 2016). "John Saunders, longtime ESPN personality, found not breathing in middle of night by wife who called 911". New York Daily News. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Staff, Variety (August 10, 2016). "John Saunders, Veteran ESPN Broadcaster, Dies at 61". Variety. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ "Longtime ESPN host Saunders dead at age 61". ESPN.com. August 10, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ "John Saunders: My Dad Turned Best Day Of My Life Into One Of The Worst". ThePostGame.com. December 31, 1969. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ Deitsch, Richard (June 12, 2017). "John Saunders' memoir details depression struggles". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
Further reading
- Saunders, John; Bacon, John U. (2017). ISBN 978-0306824739.
External links
- John Saunders' ESPN Bio
- ABC Sports - John Saunders at the Wayback Machine (archived June 5, 2004)
- John Saunders at IMDb
- Biographical information and career statistics from The Internet Hockey Database
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