Mike Patrick, longtime ESPN announcer, dies at 80

Longtime ESPN play-by-play commentator Mike Patrick passed away Sunday at the age of 80.

Per ESPN, Patrick's doctor confirmed that the West Virginia native — who was the voice of ESPN's "Sunday Night Football" for 18 seasons — died of natural causes in Fairfax, Va.

Patrick rose to national prominence at ESPN starting in 1982, and was a consistent presence on the network's football and basketball broadcasts for over 30 years. His final ESPN call came in the 2017 AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

That career included being the play-by-play announcer for the first NFL regular-season game ever broadcast on ESPN, back in 1987, with Joe Thiesmann and Paul Maguire frequently joining him as color commentators…