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ESPN broadcaster, state native, Mike Patrick dead at 80

Mike Patrick, one of the most recognizable and accomplished sports broadcasters for several decades, has died at 80.

Patrick died Sunday of natural causes in Fairfax, Va.

A native of Clarksburg and graduate of Washington Irving High School and George Washington University, Patrick had an accomplished broadcasting career for ESPN from 1982 up until 2018.

A sign dedicated to Mike Patrick in Clarksburg. Photo courtesy of City of Clarksburg

Patrick served as the voice of Sunday Night Football on ESPN from 1987-2005 working alongside Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire. He underwent bypass surgery in 2004 and returned to the booth a little more than two months later.

Patrick also regularly called college football and college basketball games, including more than 30 Atlantic Coast Conference basketball championships as well as the Women’s Final Four from 1996-2009. 

From 2003-2014, Patrick was in on annual broadcasts of the College World Series.

The 2017 Liberty Bowl between Iowa State and Memphis, held on December 30 of that year, marked the last game Patrick called for ESPN. 

He announced his retirement from ESPN in February 2018.





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