College football reporter got ill covering a game, was just 34

Edward Aschoff, college football reporter at ESPN, died Dec. 24 after a brief illness. He had turned 34 that day.

"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 fiancée, Katy."

A graduate of the University of Florida, Aschoff joined ESPN in 2011 as part of the SEC blog network after covering Florida football for The Gainesville Sun.

An illness Aschoff had contracted while covering the Ohio State-Michigan football game Nov. 30 progressed into multifocal pneumonia.

"Ed was one of the smartest, brightest reporters I've ever had the pleasure of working with," ESPN executive editor Lauren Reynolds said. "Watching him grow from our co-SEC reporter with Chris Low to a multiplatform 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,” Reynolds continued, “and is a testament to the light he brought to this world."