More on the death of our good friend George Michael at ESPN.com

from www.espn.com:

WASHINGTON — George Michael, a veteran Washington sportscaster who gained national recognition with his syndicated “The George Michael Sports Machine” highlights show, died Thursday. He was 70.

Michael’s daughter, Michelle Allen, said Michael died from complications of chronic lymphocytic leukemia at Sibley Memorial Hospital.

Michael worked at Washington’s WRC-TV for 28 years until his resignation in 2008. The Washington Post said Michael left the station over budget cuts his programs were facing.

“George Michael was our friend and colleague for more than 25 years. He was a dynamic force around our newsroom and in the entire Washington area,” the station said in a statement Thursday. “George was a pioneer in sports broadcasting. He was a gifted interviewer, a master storyteller, and one of the hardest working journalists out there. Our hearts go out to his wife Pat and his daughter Michelle, both of whom also worked with us for many years, as well as the rest of his family.”

Michael’s highlight-rich program, which launched in 1984, eventually morphed into “The George Michael Sports Machine” and was syndicated to more than 200 stations at its peak.

“George was the consummate reporter and a valuable friend,” Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder said in a statement. “I doubt we’ll ever again see a sports reporter who was so admired by the people he covered.”

5 thoughts on “More on the death of our good friend George Michael at ESPN.com

  1. i always loved his show on sunday nights. It was syndicated here for some time forgot when but liked his bloopers as well.

  2. There will never be another George Michael and the work he did on TV and on radio was fabulous. The sports guys these days do not have the passion that George had.

    There was something different about this man. He was much better than the network guys we have seen over the years. When you look back at Gifford, Sumerall, Musburger, C. Berman, D. Patrick, and the lot, he was the best and much better than the higher paid fellows who were with bigger name organizations.

    George Michael was the measuring stick by which others in his position of sports personality will be measured and you won’t find anyone that will exceed George Michael’s talents or his presentation.

    This has been tough time here at the end of the year for sports personalities in general after what happened to Tiger Woods and to David Letterman on TV with his revelations.

    George Michael carried us from one extreme to another as he led us through the
    transition to modern sports personalities becoming a part of the normal every day lives of fans who don’t really know sports like George did, but they are willing to learn more about the world of sports from the top sports broadcaster in the history of TV and radio.

    George gave others a chance to see the games as he saw and understood them and all viewers learned from this man.

  3. I couldn’t agree more with all the poistive and good comments that I am hearing about Mr. Michael.

    He was an innovator in the world of sports broadcasting and he set the standard for the sports highlights shows with his Sports Machine.

    We need more comments since this has pretty much become like a tribute to George Michael and I’m sure his family would appreciate it and especially with it all coming from a sports site with the magnitude and influence that we have throughout the world.

  4. I’m not sold on the fact that this man was as great as you people are making him out to be.

    You are making him sound like he was George Washington. I don’t think so.

  5. He was certainly ahead of his time. In the days when you didn’t have twenty or so 24 hour sports channels to watch it was great to see his highlight show for us sports nuts

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