Lengthy earlier than Chris Mortensen was breaking NFL information, he was a baseball coach in suburban Los Angeles, working with a employees that included the Federal Information Community's Peter Musurlian.
Lengthy earlier than Chris Mortensen was offering breaking information about NFL rosters and trades, he was a baseball coach in suburban Los Angeles, working with a employees that included the Federal Information Community's Peter Musurlian.
Mortensen, who died Sunday at age 72, graduated from North Torrance Excessive Faculty after which attended El Camino School, Musurlian stated. Then “he went to Vietnam, got here again a number of years later and was a sports activities author for the native paper,” Musurlian stated.
Mortensen labored on the South Bay Day by day Breeze masking highschool and junior excessive sports activities. He had a weekly column known as the Prep-JC Beat. When the group discovered Mortensen can be its coach, Musurlian stated, “I knew him as a result of we have been the viewers for that column, as a result of we have been all highschool soccer gamers, baseball gamers and basketball gamers.”
Musurlian added that the group is “excited to have Chris Mortensen as their coach.”
Mortensen additionally performed a task in inspiring Musurlian to pursue a profession in journalism. Musurlian turned a sportswriter for his highschool newspaper and attended the identical neighborhood school that Mortensen did earlier than going to USC.
“Sometimes, we might join on the baseball fields or the highschool soccer fields as a result of he was masking the native scene,” Musurlian stated. “He was the primary man I obtained to know fairly nicely, seeing him on a regular basis, writing a sports activities column for the native paper, a giant native paper.”
Mortensen finally left California for a job on the Atlanta Journal-Structure. Then, he finally joined ESPN.
“There have been no adverse tales with him,” Musurlian stated. “We have been a successful group. Everyone seems to be so sincere about what they thought of him.”
Mortensen coated the NFL for practically 4 a long time. He introduced his plans to retire after final yr's NFL draft.
In 2016, he stated he was identified with throat most cancers. Nevertheless, he nonetheless confirmed Peyton Manning's retirement whereas he obtained therapy.
Tributes on social media describe Mortensen as a household man who cared deeply about his household and different folks.
“The tributes to Chris Mortensen, you possibly can't pretend that stuff,” Musurlian stated.
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