ESPN NFL Reporter Vaughn McClure Dies at Age 48

Vaughn McClure, who covered the Atlanta Falcons for ESPN, died this week at his home near Atlanta, the company confirmed Thursday. 

The Falcons shared a statement on McClure's death:

A number of colleagues and peers mourned the 48-year-old:

John Pluym, ESPN's senior deputy editor for digital NFL coverage, shared his experiences with McClure.

"We all loved Vaughn," Pluym said. "He had a heart of gold. He was so helpful to our reporters. In the last few hours, we've heard so many stories about how Vaughn had helped them with a story or how he put in a good word for them with a coach or player."

McClure began working with ESPN in 2013, a tenure that included the Falcons' first NFC championship since 1998. Atlanta lost to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI.

Prior to that, McClure worked with the Chicago Tribune and covered the Chicago Bears and Chicago Bulls. Upon graduating from Northern Illinois in 1994, he first started working for the Daily Chronicle in DeKalb, Illinois, eventually moving on to the South Bend Tribune, Fresno Bee and Chicago Sun-Times.