The passing of longtime ESPN NFL insider Chris Mortensen has seen a lot of former colleagues, and those who he respected in the industry pay tribute to the legendary scribe. Tributes came from all over the sports world to Mortensen, including from Dan Patrick, who paid tribute to Mortensen, who passed away over the weekend at age 72, to open Monday’s The Dan Patrick Show.
While working together at ESPN during his 18 years there, Patrick hailed Mortensen as one of the most professional colleagues he’s ever had.
"Mort was one of the most professional people that I've ever met."
-DP lead today's show remembering the late Chris Mortensen pic.twitter.com/IxLyJYdPQy
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) March 4, 2024
Patrick credits sports journalists like Mortensen, along with Peter King and Mel Kiper Jr., for making the NFL relevant year-round. He attributes this to their consistent coverage throughout the year, including Mortensen’s breaking news, Kiper’s mock drafts, and King’s overall sports reporting.
“And Mort is, well, one of the most professional people I’ve ever met,” said Patrick of his late friend and former colleague. “And I remember saying this to one of our bosses at ESPN. We were waiting for a second source on something. Mort had reported something; we were waiting for a second source. And I said to my boss, ‘We don’t need one; Mort’s reporting it.’ And it turned out that it was true what Mort was reporting, but I had so much confidence in Mort whenever he had a story.
“And he was fun to be around. There was no ego around Chris Mortensen. He loved the sport. He appreciated the sport. If he gave you his word, then that meant everything to him. And to be able to have him on the show, whether it’s SportsCenter or radio, he was always available; always made himself available. Because he knew it was for the betterment of the sport but also for ESPN. And when it came to breaking news, Chris Mortensen was the guy. And a great reporter as well.
“Had stops at a few newspapers, but when we got him at ESPN — I give credit to John Walsh, who was my former boss. He understood what the content part of the business was all about. You can show highlights, but you had to break news. Brought in Peter Gammons, had Chris Mortensen. You had people who could, you know, change the sport by telling you something was going to happen before anybody else, and it became must-see TV.
Patrick ended his tribute by referring to the late Mortensen as a “good man” and a “great reporter.”
[The Dan Patrick Show on Twitter/X]
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.