ESPN's Stuart Scott dies at age 49 after long battle against cancer

Any sports fan of a certain age will always remember Stuart Scott's catchphrases.
Scott died at age 49 after a long battle with cancer, ESPN reported on Sunday morning. That sad news brought an outpouring of grief and memories from sports fans who will remember Scott as one of the most memorable and influential "SportsCenter" anchors in ESPN's long history.
When Scott first appeared on ESPN's networks a little more than two decades ago, joining the company in 1993 for its launch of ESPN2, his unique style was an instant hit. He became famous for phrases like "Boo-yah!" and "cool as the other side of the pillow." Despite becoming one of the most famous names at the network, people who knew him spoke of how gracious, friendly and down-to-earth he was.
The messages that filled social media on Sunday, including many from the NFL community (Scott hosted ESPN's pre- and post-game shows for "Monday Night Football" for many years) reflected the man Scott was.

Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians also remembered Scott in his Sunday morning press conference, less than 24 hours after his team's loss to the Carolina Panthers on Saturday.

Scott valiantly battled cancer since he was first diagnosed in late 2007. His courageous fight was documented in many ways, but nothing was better than his own words, when he won the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the 2014 ESPYs and gave an inspiring speech.

Scott is survived by his parents, O. Ray and Jacqueline Scott; siblings Stephen Scott, Synthia Kearney and Susan Scott; his daughters Taelor, 19, and Sydni, 15; and girlfriend Kristin Spodobalski,