ESPN NFL Reporter Jeff Dickerson Dies at Age 43

Jeff Dickerson, who was an ESPN reporter who covered the Chicago Bears, died Tuesday at the age of 43.

According to ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert, Dickerson was diagnosed with colon cancer early in 2021 and "died at the same hospice care facility that his wife, Caitlin, died in two years ago." Caitlin Dickerson was diagnosed with melanoma and had it for eight years prior to her death.

Jeff Dickerson started covering the Bears in 2001 for ESPN Radio. He also hosted Dickerson and Hood on ESPN radio, was a TV analyst for Loyola Chicago men's basketball and was a reporter for ABC Chicago.

News of Dickerson's death led to an outpouring of reactions from his colleagues at ESPN:

In addition to his professional duties and role as a father, he helped establish the Vaughn McClure Foundation. The foundation honored McClure, who was a former Atlanta Falcons and Bears reporter who died in 2020.

Dickerson was also the emcee of the foundation's inaugural charity gala in October.

"If you need something to encapsulate or describe who Jeff Dickerson was, that's it," ESPN 1000 host and former Bears wide receiver Tom Waddle said. "He was there for a colleague that he had the utmost respect for and loved like a brother. He's at Vaughn's event honoring Vaughn for a great cause, despite struggling through something himself."

Dickerson is survived by his son, Parker, and his parents, George and Sandy.