American journalist (1951?2024)
Chris Mortensen
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Chris_Mortensen_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Chris_Mortensen_%28cropped%29.jpg) Mortensen in 2006
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Born
| Christian Anthony Mortensen
(
1951-11-07
)
November 7, 1951
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Died
| March 3, 2024
(2024-03-03)
(aged 72)
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Occupation(s)
| Sports reporter and columnist
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Years active
| 1991?2023
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Spouse
| Micki Mortensen
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Children
| Alex Mortensen
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Christian Anthony Mortensen
(November 7, 1951 ? March 3, 2024), known to friends as "
Mort
", was an American journalist regarded as a pioneer working year-round reporting news of the
National Football League
(NFL).
Mortensen is best-known for his work at the cable television network
ESPN
, frequently contributing to the network's award-winning
football
shows such as
NFL GameDay
,
Sunday NFL Countdown
, and
Monday Night Countdown
, as well as the network's
Outside the Lines
series. He was also a frequent contributor to the network's
SportsCenter
,
ESPN Radio
, and
ESPN.com
packages.
Early life
Chris Mortensen was born November 7, 1951, in
Torrance, California
,
[1]
Mortensen attended
North Torrance High School
in
Torrance, California
, and
El Camino College
before serving two years in the
U.S. Army
during the
Vietnam War
.
[2]
Career
Mortensen started his career with the
South Bay Daily Breeze
in 1969.
[3]
He received 18 awards in journalism. In 1978, he won the National Headliner Award for Investigative Reporting. In 2016, he received the
Dick McCann Award
from the
Pro Football Writers of America
and was honored by the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
during its enshrinement ceremony in August 2016.
[3]
Beginning in 1985, he covered every Super Bowl except for
Super Bowl 50
, which he did not cover after being diagnosed with
stage IV
throat cancer
.
[4]
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
From 1983 to 1990, Mortensen worked at the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, filing investigative reports and covering the
Atlanta Braves
(1983–85),
Atlanta Falcons
(1985–86) and the
National Football League
(NFL) (1987–89). In 1987, he was given the
George Polk Award
for his reporting.
[5]
The National
He once covered the
NFL
for
The National
(1989–90), where he was one of the first writers hired by editor
Frank Deford
.
[6]
ESPN
Mortensen first appeared on
ESPN
in 1991.
[7]
He was the first "insider" hired by ESPN. He soon gained recognition as a pioneer of "insider" reporting of the National Football League on national television, breaking some of the biggest news, such as
Peyton Manning
's retirement.
[4]
[7]
During his career, Mortensen reported for the network's
Emmy Award
?winning programs
NFL GameDay
,
NFL Countdown
, and the network's shows
Outside the Lines
and
SportsCenter
.
[3]
[7]
He worked as an analyst for ESPN's coverage of the
NFL draft
and changed how ESPN covered the draft.
[4]
[8]
Mortensen left the network in April 2023 following the
2023 NFL draft
due to health problems related to
throat cancer
.
[9]
Deflategate controversy
On January 21, 2015, Mortensen reported erroneously that 11 of the 12 footballs used in the AFC Championship Game on January 18, 2015, between the
New England Patriots
and the
Indianapolis Colts
were 2
pounds per square inch
(PSI; 13.8 kPa) under NFL regulation.
[10]
The Wells Report findings showed that only 1 of 22 readings (with each ball tested twice with different gauges except the intercepted ball) showed to be under by 2 PSI. The rest ranged from 1.8 to 0.2 PSI (12.4 to 1.4 kPa) below.
[11]
[12]
Despite being debunked in the Wells report, Mortensen's original story remained posted on ESPN as late as August 13, 2015, with no retraction, clarification or apology.
[10]
Mortensen was to appear on
WEEI
's
Dennis and Callahan
radio show on July 31, 2015, but cancelled. According to WEEI, Mortensen stated he "will not allow WEEI, [Patriots owner Robert]
Kraft
or anybody to make me the centerpiece of a story that has been misreported far beyond anything I did in the first 48 hours."
[13]
Other work
Mortensen was the author of the 1991 book
Playing for Keeps: How One Man Kept the Mob from Sinking Its Hooks into Pro Football
.
[14]
In 1999, he made a film called
The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling
.
[15]
Personal life and death
Mortensen was married to Micki Mortensen.
[16]
Their son,
Alex Mortensen
, is a coach and former professional quarterback.
[17]
Chris Mortensen was a Christian, and lived in
Bella Vista, Arkansas
.
[1]
[16]
On January 15, 2016, Mortensen announced via an ESPN statement that he had been diagnosed with stage IV throat cancer and would consequently be taking a leave of absence from his on-air work at the cable network.
[18]
Mortensen survived eight years past the diagnosis, and died at his son's home in
Irondale, Alabama
, on March 3, 2024, at the age of 72.
[1]
[3]
References
- ^
a
b
c
Sandomir, Richard (March 4, 2024).
"Chris Mortensen, ESPN's Longtime N.F.L. Insider, Dies at 72"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
March 4,
2024
.
- ^
"Chris Mortensen profile"
. Retrieved
August 6,
2015
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Award-winning ESPN reporter Mortensen dies"
.
ESPN.com
. March 3, 2024
. Retrieved
March 3,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
c
Chris Mortensen, longtime ESPN journalist, dies at 72
, The Athletic
- ^
"ESPN's Chris Mortensen selected as PFWA 2016 Dick McCann Award winner"
.
profootballwriters.org
. Pro Football Writers of America. June 22, 2016
. Retrieved
August 3,
2019
.
- ^
"ESPN'S CHRIS MORTENSEN NAMED 2016 MCCANN AWARD WINNER"
.
profootballhof.com
. Pro Football Hall of Fame
. Retrieved
July 27,
2019
.
- ^
a
b
c
Lauren Campbell,
"Chris Mortensen, Longtime ESPN Reporter, Dies at 72,"
Masslive.com, March 3, 2024.
- ^
Bieler, Des.
"After battling throat cancer, Chris Mortensen returns for ESPN's NFL draft coverage"
.
washingtonpost.com
. WP Company LLC
. Retrieved
July 27,
2019
.
- ^
Bumbaca, Chris (September 5, 2023).
"Longtime ESPN reporter, NFL insider Chris Mortensen reveals he has retired from TV network"
.
USA Today
. Retrieved
September 7,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
Chris Mortensen,
"11 of 12 Pats footballs underinflated"
, ESPN, January 21, 2015; retrieved August 2, 2015.
- ^
Kyed, Doug (May 7, 2015).
"DeflateGate Fact Or Fiction: Wells Report Findings Expose Media Leaks"
.
NESN.com
. Retrieved
March 3,
2024
.
- ^
Smith, Michael David (August 4, 2015).
"Six months later, Mortensen deletes inaccurate Deflategate tweet"
. Retrieved
August 5,
2015
.
- ^
Mike Florio,
"Mortensen pulls plug on WEEI appearance"
, profootballtalk.nbcsports.com, July 31, 2015; retrieved August 2, 2015.
- ^
"Chris Mortensen bio"
.
espn.com
. ESPN, Inc
. Retrieved
August 3,
2019
.
- ^
Ingle, Zachary; Sutera, David M. (2013).
Gender and Genre in Sports Documentaries: Critical Essays
. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 171.
ISBN
9780810887879
.
- ^
a
b
Romano, Jason (October 26, 2017).
"ESPN's Chris Mortensen clings to God as he continues to battle cancer"
.
Sports Spectrum
. Retrieved
October 27,
2020
.
- ^
Casagrande, Michael (February 19, 2014).
"Alex Mortensen, son of ESPN's Chris Mortensen, to join Alabama staff (report)"
.
al.com
. Retrieved
August 3,
2019
.
- ^
"Chris Mortensen taking break to treat throat cancer"
.
ESPN.com
. January 15, 2016
. Retrieved
March 3,
2024
.
External links
- Rich Eisen,
"A Beautiful Soul"
,
The Rich Eisen Show
, via
YouTube
, March 4, 2024.
(Video.)
- Dan Patrick,
"Chris Mortensen Was Integral in Making NFL 'Year-Round
'
"
,
The Dan Patrick Show
, via YouTube, March 4, 2024.
(Video.)
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Host
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Analyst
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Contributor/reporter
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Play-by-play
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Color commentator
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Sideline reporter
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Former hosts
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Former analysts
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Former contributor /
reporter / sideline reporter
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Former play-by-play
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Former color commentator
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Former sideline reporter
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Former rules analysts
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