Hannah Storm, Stephen A. Smith emotionally react to John Saunders untimely passing

The sports world has lost a giant.

Hannah Storm announced live on SportsCenter Wednesday morning that legendary broadcaster John Saunders had tragically passed away at the age of 61.

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Saunders had been with ESPN since 1986 and established himself as a prominent voice on ESPN's college football Saturdays. Most recently a studio host during coverage of the College Football Playoff, Saunders started with ESPN as a SportsCenter anchor. He was an in-studio host and did play-by-play, covering college football, basketball and the NHL.

He meant a great deal to the sports world, and was one of the founders of The V Foundation for Cancer Research.

Saunders is survived by his wife and two children.