Mike Patrick
{{Short description|American journalist (1944–2025)}}
{{for|the American football player|Mike Patrick (American football)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mike Patrick
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1944|9|9}}
| birth_place = Clarksburg, West Virginia, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2025|04|20|1944|9|9}}
| death_place = Fairfax, Virginia, U.S.
| education = George Washington University
(BA)
| occupation = TV and radio sportscaster
Television personality{{force singular}}
| years_active = 1982–2018
| known_for = Sportscaster for ESPN
Sunday Night Football
| spouse = Janet
| children =
| family =
| birthname = Michael Patrick
}}
Michael Patrick (September 9, 1944 – April 20, 2025) was an American sportscaster, known for his long tenure with ESPN.{{Cite web |url=http://espnmediazone.com/us/bios/patrick_mike/ |title=Mike Patrick − ESPN MediaZone U.S. |access-date=February 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614221213/https://espnmediazone.com/us/bios/patrick_mike/ |archive-date=June 14, 2018 |url-status=dead }}
Early career
Patrick began his broadcasting career in the fall of 1966 at WVSC-Radio (now WGGI) in Somerset, Pennsylvania. In 1970, he was named Sports Director at WJXT-TV in Jacksonville, Florida, where he provided play-by-play for Jacksonville Sharks' World Football League (WFL) telecasts (1973–74). He also called Jacksonville University basketball games on both radio and television.{{cite web|last=Elliott|first=Jeff|title=ESPN'S Mike Patrick to receive JU honor|url=http://jacksonville.com/sports/college/jacksonville_dolphins/2009-04-18/story/espns_mike_patrick_to_receive_ju_honor|publisher=Jacksonville.com|access-date=September 16, 2012|date=April 18, 2009}}
From 1975 until 1982, he worked for WJLA-TV as a sports reporter and weekend anchor. During this period, Patrick also did play-by-play for Maryland Terrapins football and basketball broadcasts (1975–1978) as well as pre-season games for the Washington Redskins (1975–1982) when WJLA had the TV rights to broadcast those games.
In 1984 and 1985 Patrick called ACC games for Jefferson-Pilot Sports, with color commentators Kevin Kiley in 1984 and Haven Moses and Ken Willard in 1985.
He also called the October 19, 1985, Auburn vs Georgia Tech for CBS with color commentator Steve Davis. On December 21, 1985, Patrick called the Division 1-AA National Championship game on ESPN between Georgia Southern and Furman with color commentator Sam Adkins.
ESPN
Patrick joined ESPN in 1982. He was best known for his role as play-by-play announcer on the network's Sunday Night Football telecasts, with Paul Maguire and Joe Theismann from 1987–2005.{{cite news|last=Hiestand|first=Michael|title='06 night teams just about set|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2005-07-27-hiestand-mnf_x.htm|newspaper=USA Today|date=July 27, 2005|access-date=August 3, 2016}} Patrick was briefly replaced in 2004 by Pat Summerall, while he recovered from heart bypass surgery.
For three seasons, from 1986 to 1988, he called college football on ESPN with color commentators Pat McInally (1986), Lee Corso (1987) and Kiley (1988). In 1989 he called three college games, two with commentators Gene Washington and one with Ben Bennett, while in 1990 he would call three more college games, two with Davis and on September 29 he would call his first game with commentator Mike Gottfried, calling the South Carolina vs Georgia Tech game. From 1991 through 1997, Patrick and Gottfried would call Thursday Night college football games on ESPN. In 2006, Patrick became the lead play-by-play announcer for ESPN on College Football Primetime, along with Todd Blackledge and field reporter Holly Rowe.
During the 2007 season, Patrick famously asked broadcast partner Todd Blackledge "what is Britney [Spears] doing with her life?" during overtime of an Alabama-Georgia game.{{cite news|last=Curtis|first=Charles|title=Mike Patrick once brought up Britney Spears on air|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ftw/2018/02/21/mike-patrick-once-brought-up-britney-spears-air/110669626/|newspaper=USA Today|date=February 21, 2018|access-date=March 15, 2024}}
In July 2009, ESPN announced that Patrick would begin calling Saturday afternoon ESPN/ABC college football for the 2009 college football season, which he did through 2017.
In addition, Patrick called men's and women's college basketball, including the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship from 1996 through 2009 and the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska from 2003 until 2014, as well as several NFL playoff games for ABC Sports while the network held the Monday Night Football television package.
On February 21, 2018, Patrick retired from ESPN after 35 years with the network.{{cite news|url=http://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/22527929/mike-patrick-ended-long-run-espn|title=Mike Patrick has ended his long run at ESPN|publisher=ESPN|date=February 21, 2018|access-date=February 21, 2018}} His last event was the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on December 30, 2017.{{Cite web |date=2025-04-22 |title=Mike Patrick, ESPN play-by-play voice for 36 years, dies at 80 |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/44803930/mike-patrick-espn-play-play-voice-36-years-dies-80 |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}
Personal life and death
Patrick was inducted into the Jacksonville University Hall of Fame in 2009.{{Cite web |title=Mike Patrick (2009) − Hall of Fame |url=https://judolphins.com/honors/hall-of-fame/mike-patrick/50 |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=Jacksonville University |language=en}}
Patrick resided in northern Virginia with his wife, Janet.{{Cite news |last=Bates|first=Daniel|title=Tributes Pour In Following Death Of Legendary ESPN Announcer|url=https://thespun.com/sports-media/tributes-pour-in-following-death-of-legendary-espn-announcer|newspaper=The Spun|date=April 22, 2025|access-date=April 22, 2025}}
On April 20, 2025, Patrick died at his home in Fairfax, Virginia, at the age of 80.{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/44803930/mike-patrick-espn-play-play-voice-36-years-dies-80|title=Mike Patrick, ESPN play-by-play voice for 36 years, dies at 80|publisher=ESPN|date=April 22, 2025|accessdate=April 22, 2025}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name| 2848686}}
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{{succession box|before=None| title=NFL play-by-play broadcaster on Sunday Night Football | years=1987–2005| after=Al Michaels}}
{{succession box|before=Ron Franklin| title=ESPN play-by-play broadcaster on Saturday Night College Football Primetime | years=2006–2008| after=Brad Nessler}}
{{succession box|before=Sean McDonough| title=play-by-play announcer, NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship | years=1996–2009| after=Dave O'Brien}}
{{s-end}}
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{{NHL on ESPN}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Patrick, Mike}}
Category:American television sports announcers
Category:College baseball announcers in the United States
Category:Women's college basketball announcers in the United States
Category:College basketball announcers in the United States
Category:College football announcers
Category:George Washington University alumni
Category:Maryland Terrapins men's basketball announcers
Category:Maryland Terrapins football announcers
Category:People from Clarksburg, West Virginia
Category:World Football League announcers