At just 49 years old, ESPN anchor, Stuart Scott, has passed away from stomach cancer. Although he had undergone multiple surgeries, radiation, chemotherapy, and even various clinical trials after begin diagnosed with cancer in 2007, he finally lost the battle. However, he never looked at his battle as losing.
While fighting for his life, Stuart made a profound statement that will inspire and encourage other people dealing with cancer for many years to come. “You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live. So live. Live. Fight like hell”.
In 1993, Stuart joined the ESPN family, quickly reaching the top spot on the SportsCenter program. He was full of life, always enthusiastic and best known for his colorful phrases and descriptions of stories that pertained to sports. As explained by Dan Patrick, former ESPN anchor and sports radio host, Scott did not push the envelope but bulldozed it.
Since his passing, millions of people to include family, friends, celebrities, professional sports figures, and even government officials such as Former US President Bill Clinton and President Barak Obama, have expressed their sadness over this great loss.
Commonly referred to as “Stu”, he did not just report on sports but provided viewers with pure entertainment. Forever, he will leave a legacy of being an exceptional anchor but also for his many catch-phrases such as “As cool as the other side of the pillow” and “Boo-ya”.
Throughout his long career, Stuart covered a wide range of professional and college sporting events to include the Super Bowl, the World’s Series, the NBA Finals, and the NCAA Final Four, among many others. However, for many, it was also Stuart’s love for inner city kids that earned him so much respect.
Over the years, Stuart worked hard to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to help organizations in their quest to find a cure for cancer. In honor of such an amazing man, both players and fans throughout the country stopped for a moment of silence on Sunday.
Tiger Woods summed up the emotions surrounding Scott Stuart’s death best when he said, “Stuart was not covering champions and heroes – it was the other way around”.
There is no question that virtually everyone in the world of sports lost an inspirational person and genuine friend. Even while going through difficult chemotherapy treatments, he never quit, walking out of the hospital to get back to the ESPN set or participate in mixed martial arts training.
Stuart leaves behind 15 and 19-year old daughters, a supportive girlfriend, his parents, two sisters, and one brother who together have thanked the world for their outpouring of kindness and love.
