The sports world lost a great one on Sunday. He never had a game-winning home run, touchdown, goal or basket in his professional career, but he was undoubtedly a star.

By now you have probably heard that longtime ESPN personality Stuart Scott has passed away at the age of 49 after a lengthy battle with cancer. ESPN hasn’t just lost a Sportscenter host; sports fans everywhere have lost an iconic figure.

The news was difficult for Stuart’s former Sportscenter co-host Rich Eisen to deliver on Sunday morning on NFL Network, as it was for current Sportscenter host Hannah Storm at the same time on ESPN. Friends of Scott trying to do their day job when the news was anything but normal, everyday stuff.

For this sports fan turned media member, it was a hit in the gut as well. I didn’t know Scott personally, but he left a mark on my life as well.

I didn’t grow up wanting to be the next Stuart Scott. In fact, I barely knew about him until I got to college, as I grew up without cable TV, and therefore, without ESPN. But once Sportscenter became part of my daily routine, Scott stood out immediately.

I grew up wanting to be a sportscaster on TV, whether it was on the local news or the big stage. And for my money, Stuart Scott was the Michael Jordan of sports highlights.

It wasn’t just Scott’s catchphrases ”“ “Booyah,” “Cool as the other side of the pillow” and “See, wha ha happened” to name a few ”“ but his delivery, his creativity and his swagger that made him stand out. He was, himself, as cool as the other side of the pillow. No offense to any of the other Sportscenter anchors, or any other sportscasters delivering highlights, but no one could make a highlight as fun and vibrant as Start Scott.

Scott did it his way and he owned that way. Budding sportscasters can only dream of delivering a highlight the way Scott did ”“ trust me, it’s impossible to duplicate.

As if Stuart Scott the sportscaster wasn’t enough to stand out from the crowd, the sports world has been introduced to Stuart Scott the man over the past 48 hours. It’s the part of Scott that we didn’t know that makes him stand out even more.

Scott fought cancer head-on as few have. He battled it on and off for seven years, while still anchoring Sportscenter and other ESPN events between chemotherapy sessions. His Sportscenter colleagues have said that Scott would all but take a nap during commercial breaks ”“ something the pre-cancer Scott never did ”“ but he would be the same old Stu as soon as the camera returned his way.

By now, many of you have seen or heard Scott’s speech at the 2014 ESPYs, when he received the Jimmy V Perseverance Award. Just over 21 years after Jim Valvano ”“ the award’s namesake ”“ gave a moving speech at the ESPYs regarding battling cancer, Scott did the same. The most moving words from the speech were: “When you die, that doesn’t mean you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live.”

Scott said those words just days after a chemo session, not knowing if he would be able to attend the ESPYs and give that speech. It was just another example of Scott battling, and beating, cancer.

Sportscenter won’t be the same without Scott’s physical presence. No one has and no one will precisely duplicate his flair for delivering a highlight. But then again, Sportscenter wasn’t the same after Scott first appeared on the show, as he changed the show and he changed the highlight.

Stuart Scott scored 32,292 less points than Michael Jordan and 894 less goals than Wayne Gretzky, but like the two sports stars, Scott was, is, and always will be an icon and one of the greatest ever.

— Sports Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or sports@journaltribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.