Mike Patrick (photo from Google images)
On Sunday, longtime ESPN play-by-play commentator, Mike Patrick, passed away at the age of 80. Mike spent 36 years with ESPN and he was the network’s NFL voice for ” Sunday Night Football ” for 18 seasons.
Mike wasn’t the loud, flashy fixture in sports broadcast. He was a structural fixture that helped build a network and grow the game of sports. His soothing voice was a constant reminder of comfort and knowledge. Mike’s voice will forever be ingrained in the fabric of sports broadcast.
Firsts
Mike was a part of many ‘firsts’ at ESPN. In 1987, Mike was the first to call the regular season debut of ‘ESPN Sunday Night NFL’ that ever aired on cable television. (The New York Giants vs the New England Patriots.)
When ESPN was the first network to introduce the virtual yellow 1st & 10 line in 1998, it was Mike Patrick who voiced the explanation of the new tech innovation on Sunday Night Football.
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Mike was also the voice for the Women’s Final Four from 1996 – 2009. He spent more than three decades calling ACC basketball championships. He was the voice of the College World Series for over a decade.
A Great Game
I was lucky enough to have met Mike in 2013. We were guests of a mutual friend who had great seats in Nationals Park. We watched the Washington Nationals play his beloved St. Louis Cardinals. It was one of the most enjoyable baseball games I have ever attended. We talked about the game, how it’s changed, and the umpires. I loved former MLB umpire Joe West and Mike hated former MLB umpire Angel Hernandez. He could have spent the entire game telling me all the examples of why Hernandez was simply the worst! And he wasn’t wrong. Angel Hernandez was the worst umpire in MLB for more than 24 years.
Mike and I also talked about how college softball is a great game and that most fans are not watching (and how it was hard to find games on TV). Fast forward twelve years and now viewership has almost doubled with most games being available on the ESPN or conference network apps. There is a little part of me that will always believe Mike told his bosses at ESPN that we need to give the fans more college softball.
College World Series
Another conversation I had with Mike was about the College World Series. His eyes lit up when he talked about Omaha. “Alison, there is nothing like it” he told me. He talked about how the magic of Omaha made everyone friendly and kind. How teams and fans support each other only happens in Omaha. The tickets were cheap, the hot dogs were good, and the sunsets were some of the most beautiful you’ll ever see. I promised Mike that if my teams (Coastal Carolina University and the University of Tennessee) ever made it to the holy grail of college baseball, I would be there. In 2016, I kept my promise and watched Coastal win their first CWS game and then when they won the College World Series in Omaha. I also went back to the CWS in 2021 to watch the University of Tennessee. Mike was right about everything in Omaha, there is truly nothing like it.
Mike Patrick lived a great life and his contributions to sports broadcast make him one of the most influential voices in ESPN and sports broadcast history.
When the CWS played their last game in Rosenblatt Stadium, (now played in Charles Schwab Field), Mike voiced the farewell video where he said: thank you, and goodbye. And now we say to you, Mike, thank you and goodbye.
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