I can still remember the first time I heard Stuart Scott on ESPN.

It is almost like yesterday.

It was a late night broadcast of SportsCenter as I had been to a game, written a story and was just settling down for the night.

I really did not notice Scott at first and I have no idea who was alongside him.

To be honest, I really was not paying attention to the broadcast until I heard Scott, who died Sunday at 49 after a lengthy battle with cancer, utter his now famous “Boo-yah!”

I remember sitting up and taking notice. Who was this person and what was he talking about?

I watched the rest of the broadcast before turning in for the night and enjoyed this fresh, new face that was giving me more than just the scores and the dry conversation I was used to getting from sportcasters.

I cannot say that I followed Scott’s career, but I certainly paid more attention to ESPN when he was working than I did most of the time.

He was a person who was able to draw me in and keep my attention span when many could not. Was he the only person on ESPN who could do that? Of course he was not. But of all the ESPN employees, Scott was one of the best.

Watching him accept the Jimmy V Award for Preservation at last year’s ESPYs, I cried like a baby listening to how eloquently he spoke about his family and how he was battling cancer, which was first diagnosed in 2007.

I was fine until he began to speak about his daughters, Taelor, 19, and Sydni, 15.

I thought about my own daughter and how I would do anything to keep her from the pain they must have felt knowing that eventually they were going to lose their father.

Perhaps President Barack Obama said it best:

“I will miss Stuart Scott,” he said in a press release. “Twenty years ago, Stu helped usher in a new way to talk about our favorite teams and the day’s best plays. For much of those 20 years, public service and campaigns have kept me from my family — but wherever I went, I could flip on the TV and Stu and his colleagues on SportsCenter were there.

“Over the years, he entertained us, and in the end, he inspired us — with courage and love. Michelle and I offer our thoughts and prayers to his family, friends, and colleagues.”

Scott changed how America viewed sports. He will be missed.

If you never had a chance to listen to Scott do an ESPN broadcast, search the internet and find one of those gems.

“Boo-yah!” Stuart Scott, “Boo-yah!”

 

Scott Novak is sports editor for Leader Publications. He can be reached at scott.novak@leaderpub.com.