ESPN Falcons reporter Vaughn McClure has died at the age of 48. McClure has been part of ESPN’s team since 2013 and was a very respected reporter covering the Falcons. McClure passed away in his home in Atlanta.
ESPN put out a statement on McClure’s passing:
“We all loved Vaughn,” said John Pluym, senior deputy editor for digital NFL coverage at ESPN. “He had a heart of gold. He was so helpful to our reporters. In the last few hours, we’ve heard so many stories about how Vaughn had helped them with a story or how he put in a good word for them with a coach or player.”
“Talking to Vaughn on the phone was always a joy. I loved how you could just sense the excitement in his voice for being able to cover the Falcons for ESPN. We will all miss him greatly. And I’ll end this the way Vaughn ended every phone call with a colleague: ‘Appreciate you. Love you.’ We all loved him, too.”
“People will probably remember how Vaughn was able to connect and develop trusting relationships with many of the athletes he covered, or how diligent he was about deadlines, or the countless times he volunteered to help out a colleague on another sport,” said Patricia Mays, senior director of content strategy and distribution at ESPN, who brought McClure to the company. “But what I respected most was how committed he was to continually improving. One of the last emails I received from him was asking for feedback. He wrote: ‘Would love to talk to you after the season about how I can get better at a lot of things. I want to be great at this job.’ “
Before joining ESPN, McClure spent six years with the Chicago Tribune. McClure, originally from Chicago, graduated from Northern Illinois University with a degree in journalism. RIP McClure. A good one was taken from the sports media world—prayers to him and his family.
