ESPN said Sunday that director Kyle Brown died while working at a college baseball game on Saturday. Brown was 42 years old.
The network said Brown suffered a medical emergency while at the scene in Winston-Salem, North Carolina during 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 a highly accomplished one, having won two Sports Emmy Awards while working in 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 pursue a career in the sport. His ESPN family would like to express their 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 college baseball coverage on Sunday with a tribute to Brown’s life.
Brown knew early on that he wanted to work in sports and for ESPN. In a 2003 article on the Ohio State website, he said he fell in love with sports television production after following a neighbor who was a manager at ESPN. He had started working for ESPN productions at various network-televised Ohio State games since he was a freshman in high school.
“When Dick Vitale came to town, I was pretty much his driver for the day,” Brown told the Ohio State website 20 years ago. “You watch him on TV and you think ‘This guy must be drinking Red Bull a litre’ but off the air he’s one of the most laid back, nice guys in the world.”