Vaughn McClure, a member of ESPN‘s National Football League coverage team since 2013, died at his home near Atlanta this week. He was 48.
ESPN announced Vaughn’s death. No cause of death was given.
McClure covered the Atlanta Falcons team as part of NFL Nation. He covered the team during its run to Super Bowl LI in 2017 and contributed to ESPN’s television and radio coverage of the Falcons and the NFL.
“We all loved Vaughn,” John Pluym, senior deputy editor for digital NFL coverage at ESPN, said in ESPN’s obituary. “He had a heart of gold. He was so helpful to our reporters. In the last few hours, we’ve heard so many stories about how Vaughn had helped them with a story or how he put in a good word for them with a coach or player. Talking to Vaughn on the phone was always a joy. I loved how you could just sense the excitement in his voice for being able to cover the Falcons for ESPN. We will all miss him greatly. And I’ll end this the way Vaughn ended every phone call with a colleague: ‘Appreciate you. Love you.’ We all loved him, too.”
The Atlanta Falcons said in a statement: “We are saddened to learn of the passing of ESPN’s Vaughn McClure. He was an earnest, thoughtful reporter who had a passion for his craft and the relationships he held. He will be missed dearly and we are holding his family, friends and associates in our thoughts and prayers.”
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McClure joined came to ESPN after covering the Chicago Bears for the Chicago Tribune. Previously, he covered Notre Dame football for the Chicago Sun-Times and Fresno State basketball for The Fresno Bee. He also worked at the South Bend Tribune and DeKalb Daily Chronicle.
McClure was a Chicago native who graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1994.
