ESPN director Kyle Brown died while working during a college baseball game on Saturday, the network announced on Sunday. Brown was 42.
ESPN said Brown suffered a medical emergency while on site in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, at Wake Forest’s Super Regional game against Alabama and died.
“A 16-year ESPN employee, Kyle was a deeply admired member of our production team — and highly accomplished, having captured two Sports Emmy Awards while working a multitude of sports from baseball and basketball to ‘Monday Night Football’ and college football,” the network said in a statement.
“A former Ohio State pitcher, Kyle cherished the opportunity to have a career in sports. His ESPN family wishes to extend our deepest condolences and full support to Kyle’s loved ones, including his wife Megan, their four children Makayla, Carson, Camden and Madyn and their beloved dog Rookie.”
ESPN opened its Sunday college baseball coverage with a tribute to Brown’s life.
Brown knew early on that he wanted to work in sports and for ESPN. In a 2003 story on Ohio State’s website, he said he fell in love with television production of sporting events after tagging along with a neighbor who was a director at ESPN. He had started working for ESPN productions at various Ohio State games televised by the network since he was a freshman in high school.
“When Dick Vitale came into town I was pretty much his chauffeur for the day,” Brown told Ohio State’s site 20 years ago. “You listen to him on TV and think, ‘This guy must drink Red Bull by the gallon,’ but off the air he is one of the most laid-back, nicest guys in the world.”
Originally published