ESPNers pay tribute to late colleague Zach Jones, who died at the age of 41

ESPN shared some tragic news on Monday’s episode of Sports center.

Just days before Christmas, the network announced that research executive Zach Jones, who joined ESPN in 2010, had died at the age of 41. Jones, who is survived by his wife Amber and son Silas, had been a member of the statistics and information team since 2018.

First, Kevin Neghandi paid tribute to Jones on social media.

May you rest in peace, Zach. A devoted father who loved golf, the Chargers and his family. He was a fantastic researcher and had the perfect demeanor for television. He will be missed by many. We send all our love to his wife, son and their family. Fuck cancer. pic.twitter.com/zl0Z4Kd6gw

— Kevin Negandhi (@KevinNegandhi) December 23, 2024

Randy Scott took the opportunity to do something similar Sports center.

“ESPN lost one of us yesterday,” Scott said. “Research leader Zach Jones died Sunday after a two-year battle with colon cancer that had metastasized before his diagnosis. You may have never seen him on your screens, but you have seen his work. On our live golf coverage, on our women’s basketball coverage or on one of our SportsCenter shows. He came here as a researcher in 2010 and joined the Statistics and Information Group management team in 2018.

“But more importantly, he got married here; He started a family here. The Stanford graduate loved the Cardinal and he loved golf. He loved his wife Amber. And he loved his son Silas, who turned ten last month – and three days before Christmas he lost his father.

“I just saw Zach in the cafeteria a few weeks ago. He was hopeful, but also thoughtful. He said he just wanted his family to do well after recently moving to Texas. He fought like hell; he can rest now. We love you, buddy. Zach Jones was 41 years old.”

We remembered Zach Jones this morning on SportsCenter.

Our friend, Amber’s husband and Silas’ father. pic.twitter.com/YAMMhg9Y5l

– Randy Scott (@RandyScottESPN) December 23, 2024

We would like to extend our best wishes to the Jones family during this challenging time.

May Zach’s memory be a blessing to his loved ones, friends and colleagues.