ESPN colleagues devastated by sudden death of Kyle Brown

The ESPN family is coming to the grips with the death of director Kyle Brown.

Brown died suddenly Saturday after suffering a medical emergency prior to the start of an NCAA Tournament baseball game between Wake Forest and Alabama.

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit described Brown as a true professional in a field composed of some of the best.

“This is such devastating news that we received this weekend. I worked with Kyle for many years on our ABC Saturday Night Prime package,” Herbstreit, ESPN’s lead college football analyst, wrote on Twitter. “He was the epitome of professional and was as good of a teammate as you could hope for. He was our iso producer working hand in hand with our producer Bill Bonnell.

“He was gifted in this industry-caring-creative-passionate-just the total package. This is news you hear and you just can’t believe it’s true-he’s a young man with a lovely wife and 4 young children. All of our collective hearts are with Kyles family..thinking of you and remembering how fortunate we all were to know Kyle and to call him a colleague-friend and teammate. RIP Kyle-we love ya brother.”

Brown, a former Ohio State pitcher, is survived by his wife Megan, their four children, Makalya, 14, Carson, 11, Camden, 9, and Madyn 6, as well as their pet dog Rookie.

ESPN senior writer Ryan McGee wrote about Brown’s incredible work over the years.

“If you’re a sports fan who has consumed any ESPN over the last decade and a half then you have benefited from Kyle’s hard work,” McGee said. “Hug your loved ones. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.”

Former NFL defensive back and current ESPN broadcaster Louis Riddick tweeted about Brown’s caliber and how “unspeakably sad” the 42-year-old’ passing was.

“Kyle Brown was a rock of consistency as a professional and as a person,” Riddick wrote. “My interactions with him were ALWAYS upbeat, full of positivity, unconditionally supportive, full of laughter, and I left feeling better for having talked to him every time.”

ESPN college basketball analyst and former St. John’s coach Fran Fraschilla said it was “heartbreaking news.”

The network released a statement after the tragedy delayed the start of the game in Winston Salem, N.C. by two hours.

“On Saturday morning, beloved ESPN director Kyle Brown suffered a medical emergency and tragically passed away at the NCAA Baseball Super Regional in Winston Salem, N.C.,” the ESPN PR states.

“A 16-year ESPN employee, Kyle was a deeply admired member of our production team – and highly accomplished, having captured two Sports Emmy Awards while working a multitude of sports from baseball to basketball to Monday Night Football and college football.”