Edward Aschoff, a college football reporter for ESPN, died on Tuesday. He was 34.
“We are very sorry to have to share the devastating news of the tragic passing of friend and ESPN colleague Edward Aschoff,” ESPN said in a statement. “He died earlier today, his 34th birthday. Our thoughts are with his loved ones, including his fiancee Katy.”
Aschoff started working for ESPN in 2011 as an SEC reporter for ESPN.com, based in Atlanta. He moved to Los Angeles in 2017 to begin a more expanded national role that included television coverage. Over the past three seasons, Aschoff reported from campuses across the country for ESPN.com, SportsCenter, SEC Network and ESPN Radio, and worked as a television and radio sideline reporter during college football games.
“Ed was one of the smartest, brightest reporters I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with,” said ESPN executive editor Lauren Reynolds. “Watching him grow from our co-SEC reporter with Chris Low to a multi-platform national reporter was a treat. For as good of a reporter Ed was, he was an even better person. He always put people first – those whose stories he told, and those who had the honor of working alongside him.
“The outpouring of love and support from those whose lives he touched has been overwhelming, and is a testament to the light he brought to this world.”
A native of Oxford, Mississippi, Aschoff graduated from the University of Florida in 2008. He worked at The Gainesville Sun in Florida for four years, covering Gators football and recruiting, until he left for ESPN.
Aschoff and his fiancee, Katy, were set to be married in New Orleans in April.