Mike Patrick, longtime ESPN broadcaster and ‘Sunday Night Football’ voice, dead at 80

Mike Patrick, who spent nearly four decades at ESPN as a broadcaster, died on Sunday.

He was 80.

The network said Patrick passed away in Virginia from natural causes.

“Mike Patrick called countless significant events over decades at ESPN and is one of the most influential on-air voices in our history,” said Burke Magnus, president of content for ESPN. “In addition to calling ESPN’s first-ever regular season NFL game and voicing the ‘Sunday Night Football’ franchise for 18 seasons, Mike’s work on college sports was exceptional.

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“For 36 years, he called football and men’s and women’s basketball, including the Women’s Final Four and so many historic matchups between ACC rivals Duke and UNC. Our deepest condolences to Mike’s family and his many friends throughout the industry.”

Patrick, a graduate of George Washington University, started broadcasting in the 1960s and joined ESPN in 1982 after calling games for Maryland’s basketball and football teams and preseason contests for Washington’s NFL franchise.

He was on the call for the channel’s first-ever regular season NFL game and was the play-by-play voice of “Sunday Night Football” from 1987-2005.

He was also a prominent fixture for ESPN’s college basketball coverage and called at least three dozen ACC men’s tournaments while also announcing women’s March Madness for 13 years (1996-2009).

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He called his final game during the 2017 AutoZone Liberty Bowl and officially retired a few months later in 2018.

There was an outpouring of memories and tributes from around sports and sports media following the news of his death.

“So sorry to learn of the passing of the great Mike Patrick. Mike was the voice of ACC Basketball when I was a player, and I had the honor of working with him and calling him a friend,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas wrote on X. “Mike Patrick was a pro’s pro. RIP Mike Patrick.”

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“This is heart breaking,” ESPN colleague Holly Rowe wrote. We spent many wonderful days mostly laughing then sprinkled in calling games. Mike Patrick was always an absolute delight.”

I was so saddened to just learn of the passing of MIKE PATRICK – loved working with Mike on many fantastic ⁦@theACC⁩ hoop games,” Dick Vitale added.

“I called Mike Mr ACC ! My sympathy goes out to his wife Janet.”