John Saunders, ESPN commentator and former WMU hockey player, passed away at the age of 61.

Saunders, one of ESPN’s longest tenured commentators, joined ESPN in 1986 as a “SportsCenter” anchor and took on various roles for the network. Some of his jobs included hosting studio and play-by-play programming for a variety of sports.

He was the host of ABC’s Saturday studio coverage of college football and special editions of ESPN’s “College Football Live.” He also hosted college basketball studio coverage, along with “The Sports Reporters.” This past year, Saunders anchored studio coverage from the College Football Playoff National Championship.

“John was an extraordinary talent and his friendly, informative style has been a warm welcome to sports fans for decades,” said ESPN President John Skipper in a release. “His wide range of accomplishments across numerous sports and championship events is among the most impressive this industry has ever seen.

“More importantly, John was a beloved and devoted family man who cared deeply about people and causes, as evidenced by his long-standing efforts as a passionate board member for The V Foundation for Cancer Research. He was one of the most significant and influential members of the ESPN family, as a colleague and mentor, and he will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this extremely difficult time.”

Saunders, a close friend of Jim Valvano, was a founding member and served on the board of directors for The V Foundation for Cancer Research.

Prior to Saunders’ broadcasting career, he was an all-star defenseman in the junior hockey leagues in Montreal, Canada. He later played at Western Michigan University.

The cause of death was not immediately known. Saunders is survived by his wife, Wanda, and two daughters, Aleah and Jenna.