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Chris Mortenson-RIP (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter menobrown
- Start date
finfansteve
Footballguy
RIP Mort I always enjoyed your reports…
rockaction
Footballguy
Oh my. RIP. Condolences to his family.
FarFromHome
Footballguy
Here to pay my respect. Before cell phones he was a fixture for breaking news. RIP buddy.
zamboni
Footballguy
Indeed - before everyone had a platform on social media, he was the one you relied on for breaking news. RIP to a legend in our football community.
ESPN was a great place to go for highlights and breaking news. NFL "Primetime" with Chris Berman was a Sunday evening must to see all the highlights.
Good times and RIP Mr. Mortenson
FarFromHome
Footballguy
Yep. I remember before the magical black cable box. When we had just local news for sports on a few channels and newspapers. Then the black box brought us ESPN. Life changing. I think JohnnyU remembers before we had TVs. Like before sports even started.
Snoopy
Footballguy
First Olympics were in Greece in 776 BC.
From the Email Update tonight:
Welcome In.
We're tipping a cap today as long-time ESPN award-winning journalist Chris Mortensen died Sunday morning. Hats off to a legend and the man who set the bar in our industry for class and professionalism.
Many people have a "Mort" story. Mine is from years ago when we met at a conference in Minneapolis. He was at the very top of his game and yet couldn't have been more friendly and courteous to a young nobody like me.
The next day as I was flying home, I discovered we were on the same flight to Atlanta as he was sitting in the gate area when I arrived. I sat next to him and reintroduced myself and even though I'm sure he'd met hundreds of people that weekend, he seemed to gladly pick back up our conversation.
I mentioned something about being on the same flight. He said he wasn't actually on the flight yet but was on the Stand-By list.
I said, "Stand-By? You're Chris Mortensen! You don't have to do Stand-By do you?"
There had been a mix-up in his reservations and he indeed was on Stand-By.
I said, "Can't ESPN pull some strings and make something happen?"
He said, "I guess they could. Or even outside of ESPN, I have a ton of miles with Delta and I could maybe do something but all these people want to get home just as much as I do. Doesn't seem right to throw any weight around."
They called my section to board and I said goodbye and expected to see him a few minutes later on the plane. The plane fully boarded and the Stand-By passengers got on. And Mort was not among them.
I've always appreciated the grace and humility he showed that day. He was one of us.
Rock on, Mr. Mortensen. Thank you for showing us the way.
Peace and Grace.
J
Welcome In.
We're tipping a cap today as long-time ESPN award-winning journalist Chris Mortensen died Sunday morning. Hats off to a legend and the man who set the bar in our industry for class and professionalism.
Many people have a "Mort" story. Mine is from years ago when we met at a conference in Minneapolis. He was at the very top of his game and yet couldn't have been more friendly and courteous to a young nobody like me.
The next day as I was flying home, I discovered we were on the same flight to Atlanta as he was sitting in the gate area when I arrived. I sat next to him and reintroduced myself and even though I'm sure he'd met hundreds of people that weekend, he seemed to gladly pick back up our conversation.
I mentioned something about being on the same flight. He said he wasn't actually on the flight yet but was on the Stand-By list.
I said, "Stand-By? You're Chris Mortensen! You don't have to do Stand-By do you?"
There had been a mix-up in his reservations and he indeed was on Stand-By.
I said, "Can't ESPN pull some strings and make something happen?"
He said, "I guess they could. Or even outside of ESPN, I have a ton of miles with Delta and I could maybe do something but all these people want to get home just as much as I do. Doesn't seem right to throw any weight around."
They called my section to board and I said goodbye and expected to see him a few minutes later on the plane. The plane fully boarded and the Stand-By passengers got on. And Mort was not among them.
I've always appreciated the grace and humility he showed that day. He was one of us.
Rock on, Mr. Mortensen. Thank you for showing us the way.
Peace and Grace.
J
greenmountaingoat
Footballguy
11 out of 12 fans agree, he was a great journalist.
I met him at Giants camp. Hi how are you nice to meet you- bout it.
(I lived in NY and visited TEN)
Then I met him at Titans camp. He turned his head, didn't I just see you? I laughed yep
Next week at Giants camp, he came up behind me and said "hey do you mind me asking who you're working for?"
I laughed n said largely myself just visited the Titans for USAToday. He kept looking over at me a few times I guess in disbelief.
Soooo I have a friend that's a Jets fan and (mind you this is not close to NYG camp) we met at their camp most years. I went there a day or two later and Mort walked past and about stopped in his tracks.
I said I swear I'm just some smalltime writer 
He asked me and my friend if we'd grab a bite after and we of course said sure.
He was gone maybe twenty minutes. I was in the stands w friend. He came n sat next to me. He had a different look. He said I want you to call me, could ya do that? And handed me a card. Could you tell your friend I'm sorry I gotta go? I said he's right there. He smirked n said "sorry I have to go it's been nice meeting you both."
I called him at whatever day he told me to. He told me he'd call me back and did. He said the reason I wanted to call was I saw some of the basketball articles you wrote for ESPN. That's some of the best I've ever read. What is your background? I said I played til 30, for these teams ....famous coaches, relatives were well known coaches and just the game is easy for me. He asked me what I thought of a few players and then why do you talk like that? What are you thinking? I said well what I did when I scouted as the scrub. It's habit n what would I do if I were guarding them. He asked me if I knew some reporters and I told him Wojo literally went to my games and ...so he said, Keep it up, this is some of the best breakdowns I ever read.
I said I write about football. I saw you at football camps. He said you're missing your calling. I said no. I mean I have an impeccable basketball background but it's not fun to me. Football especially fantasy football is. It was dead silent for a good minute and he said you played for Hurley? I said yep. He said well then I'm not going to try and...you won't write about basketball. I said no, absolutely not.
A month or so later, ESPN offered me a job writing about basketball and I framed it and emailed them no thank you.
I thought Jene Bramel was the bees knees and bragged about him on Twitter then over the phone to Mort He listened and I don't think me vouching for him meant a thing, he was just polite that way I guess.
I never saw him again nor got a reply to an email except once. He replied- wasn't that your uncle w George Mason? Did you change your mind about basketball? I said yes n no what about the questions I wrote? No reply.
Last year, during the final four, I tweeted how cool it was to see my uncle coaching against a kid I used to play basketball with on the weekends. He commented "what a waste" and then deleted it.
He didn't follow me. I'm a nobody. He had to remember something to even find me on Twitter and look. I was touched. I could care less if he deleted it. He remembered me.
People today are saying how he helped them n got their careers rolling and...I think he tried with me. I think I know what they mean. I wonder what if (only today, very much don't want to write about hoops) and .. idk. That's my Mort story
(I lived in NY and visited TEN)
Then I met him at Titans camp. He turned his head, didn't I just see you? I laughed yep
Next week at Giants camp, he came up behind me and said "hey do you mind me asking who you're working for?"
I laughed n said largely myself just visited the Titans for USAToday. He kept looking over at me a few times I guess in disbelief.
Soooo I have a friend that's a Jets fan and (mind you this is not close to NYG camp) we met at their camp most years. I went there a day or two later and Mort walked past and about stopped in his tracks.
I said I swear I'm just some smalltime writer He asked me and my friend if we'd grab a bite after and we of course said sure.He was gone maybe twenty minutes. I was in the stands w friend. He came n sat next to me. He had a different look. He said I want you to call me, could ya do that? And handed me a card. Could you tell your friend I'm sorry I gotta go? I said he's right there. He smirked n said "sorry I have to go it's been nice meeting you both."
I called him at whatever day he told me to. He told me he'd call me back and did. He said the reason I wanted to call was I saw some of the basketball articles you wrote for ESPN. That's some of the best I've ever read. What is your background? I said I played til 30, for these teams ....famous coaches, relatives were well known coaches and just the game is easy for me. He asked me what I thought of a few players and then why do you talk like that? What are you thinking? I said well what I did when I scouted as the scrub. It's habit n what would I do if I were guarding them. He asked me if I knew some reporters and I told him Wojo literally went to my games and ...so he said, Keep it up, this is some of the best breakdowns I ever read.
I said I write about football. I saw you at football camps. He said you're missing your calling. I said no. I mean I have an impeccable basketball background but it's not fun to me. Football especially fantasy football is. It was dead silent for a good minute and he said you played for Hurley? I said yep. He said well then I'm not going to try and...you won't write about basketball. I said no, absolutely not.
A month or so later, ESPN offered me a job writing about basketball and I framed it and emailed them no thank you.
I thought Jene Bramel was the bees knees and bragged about him on Twitter then over the phone to Mort He listened and I don't think me vouching for him meant a thing, he was just polite that way I guess.
I never saw him again nor got a reply to an email except once. He replied- wasn't that your uncle w George Mason? Did you change your mind about basketball? I said yes n no what about the questions I wrote? No reply.
Last year, during the final four, I tweeted how cool it was to see my uncle coaching against a kid I used to play basketball with on the weekends. He commented "what a waste" and then deleted it.
He didn't follow me. I'm a nobody. He had to remember something to even find me on Twitter and look. I was touched. I could care less if he deleted it. He remembered me.
People today are saying how he helped them n got their careers rolling and...I think he tried with me. I think I know what they mean. I wonder what if (only today, very much don't want to write about hoops) and .. idk. That's my Mort story
johnnyboy8102
Footballguy
RIP Mort
This was excellent https://x.com/NFL/status/1764412272095494444?s=20
