Edward Carmichael Aschoff (December 24, 1985 – December 24, 2019) was an American sports reporter for
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
and the
Gainesville Sun
''The Gainesville Sun'' () is a newspaper published daily in Gainesville, Florida, United States, covering the North-Central portion of the state. The paper is published by Lynni Henderson, the paper's Executive Editor is Douglas Ray and the edi ...
.
Career
Raised in
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is a city and college town in the U.S. state of Mississippi. Oxford lies 75 miles (121 km) south-southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, and is the county seat of Lafayette County. Founded in 1837, it was named after the British city of Oxf ...
, Aschoff graduated from the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in journalism.
From 2007 to 2011 he covered
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...
football, basketball and baseball for The Gainesville Sun.
Aschoff joined ESPN in 2011 as an
SEC reporter, where he rapidly distinguished himself as a "rising star."
Aschoff moved to Los Angeles in 2017 to begin an expanded national role for ESPN that included television and radio appearances on
SportsCenter
''SportsCenter'' (SC) is a daily sports news television show, television program that serves as the flagship program and brand of United States, American cable television, cable and satellite television television network, network ESPN. The show ...
,
SEC Network
The SEC Network is an American multinational sports network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which operates the network, through its 80% controlling ownership interest) and Hearst Communications (which holds ...
, and
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio, which is alternately platform-agnostically branded as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN". ...
, as well as television and radio sideline reporting during college football games.
Known for his "lively blog posts and thoughtfully reported features," Aschoff twice won first-place awards from the
Football Writers Association of America
The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media out ...
for his writing: in 2016, for a story about African-American college football players dealing with racism and profiling, and in 2018, for a column about the former Florida football coach
Jim McElwain
James Frank McElwain (born March 1, 1962) is an American football coach who is currently the head coach at Central Michigan University. He previously served as the head coach at Florida from 2015 to 2017, and Colorado State from 2012 to 2014, ...
.
Death and legacy
Aschoff died on his thirty-fourth birthday of
hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis
Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), also known as haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (British spelling), and hemophagocytic or haemophagocytic syndrome, is an uncommon hematologic disorder seen more often in children than in adults. It is a ...
, a complication of
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
and underlying undiagnosed stage 4
non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphomas except Hodgkin lymphomas. Symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and tiredness. ...
. He had planned to marry his fiancée, Katy Berteau, in
in April 2020.
Aschoff's untimely passing drew extensive coverage in national media outlets.
Colleagues remembered Aschoff as a dapper dresser, "one of the smartest, brightest reporters I've ever had the pleasure of working with" and a "ray of light" who "brought joy to the job."
In Aschoff's memory, the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of Oxford proclaimed January 18, 2020 as Edward Aschoff Day. The Football Writers Association of America created the Edward Aschoff Rising Star Award to "recognize one promising journalist no older than 34, who has not only the talent and work ethic it takes to succeed in this business, but also the passion to make it better." The
University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications
The College of Journalism and Communications is an academic college of the University of Florida. The centerpiece of the journalism programs at UF is WUFT, which consists of both a WUFT (TV) Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Public television a ...
established the Edward Aschoff Memorial Fund to provide support for students involved in sports journalism.
The Southeastern Conference created a communications internship in Aschoff's honor.
Bibliography (selected)
* . Winner of the 2016 Football Writers Association of America award for best enterprise story.
* . Winner of the 2018 Football Writers Association of America award for best column.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aschoff, Edward
1985 births
2019 deaths
People from Mississippi
American sports journalists
ESPN people
University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications alumni