John Saunders was a sports journalist best known for his work as an anchor on ESPN’s SportsCenter. Saunders worked for the network for more than thirty years.

Prior to his time at ESPN, he worked for WMAR-TV in Baltimore and CKVR-TV in Toronto. In 1986, he joined SportsCenter, and he also hosted the Sunday-morning talk show The Sports Reporters.

In addition, Saunders contributed to the programs and specials Seasons of Change: The African American Athlete, ABC’s Wide World of Sports, Sports Reporters Prime Time, ESPN 25: Who’s #1, Off the Record and The Superstars. He also provided commentary for the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, the FedEx Orange Bowl, the Nokia Sugar Bowl and the International Bowl. Other assignments included calling NCAA basketball telecasts and anchoring World Series and college football telecasts.

The Canadian-born Saunders attended high school in Montreal and played hockey at Western Michigan University and Ryerson Polytechnical in Toronto. He was a top defenseman in the junior leagues.

Saunders died August 10, 2016, in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. He was 61.