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

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 "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 biggest names at the network, people who knew him spoke of how gracious and friendly 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.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Stuart Scott. He was a great innovator and I was lucky to call him a friend.

— Barry Sanders (@BarrySanders) January 4, 2015

My heart is in pain for my lose of my soul brother Stuart Scott. And Joy for how he enriched my life! I love my strong brother! RIP Stuart!

— Merril Hoge (@merrilhoge) January 4, 2015

Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with Stuart Scott's family and friends. #RIPStuartScott

— San Diego Chargers (@Chargers) January 4, 2015

Really sad to hear about Stuart Scott. One of the best people I knew. Hosted the NFL Matchup show for a number of years. A tough day.

— Greg Cosell (@gregcosell) January 4, 2015

Words cannot express the grief. #RIPStuartScott

— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) January 4, 2015

Bro text me to ask about Stuart Scott passing...turned on TV to see it's true. Son asked me what happened...words couldn't come out. RIP STU

— Desmond Howard (@DesmondHoward) January 4, 2015

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, the Associated Press reported.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab

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