KDFW/Channel 4 reports that weekend sports anchor and reporter Max Morgan has died of congestive heart failure at age 59.
“The man who greeted viewers with ‘Hello Dallas-Fort Worth … let’s talk sports’ has died,” Fox-4’s report begins. “Max Morgan started every one of his KDFW sportscasts with that saying, along with a smile and a magnificent baritone voice.” Morgan, who had been with the station since 1993, had been in a Dallas hospital since last Wednesday, according to station reports. “For nearly 21 years Morgan was there to cover it all for Channel 4 – two Cowboys Super Bowl wins, a Stars Stanley Cup, a Mavericks title and two trips to the World Series by the Rangers,” the station’s tribute to Morgan says. “Max was an important member of the FOX 4 Sports and News family,” Kathy Saunders, Fox 4’s vice president and general manager, said in a statement Tuesday. “The teams he covered and the audience he served treasured his enthusiasm, energy and signature sign-on, ‘Hello, Dallas-Fort Worth. . . let’s talk sports! He loved his job and our viewers knew it. Max will be greatly missed by all of us at KDFW and all of North Texas. The “talk” will never be quite the same.’ “ Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman (a Fox sports announcer), Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage, and former Dallas Star Mike Modano all paid tribute to Morgan on Fox 4’s Twitter feed. In his station bio, Morgan said: “The best thing about being a sportscaster is that it’s a ton of fun. I can’t believe they actually pay me to do this.” Sports anchor Mike Doocy broke the news to viewers during the station’s 9 p.m. newscast, reporting that Morgan died about 8 p.m. Monday. “Max was old-school and proud of it,” Doocy said in a taped tribute. “He’d rather talk about the games than the scandals. He wanted the local teams to do well, and didn’t mind telling you about it. But Max did not need an Internet connection to connect with sports fans. Whether it was on your television screen, or at a ballgame or on a barstool, when you heard Max Morgan tell you a sports story, you felt like you were hearing it from an old trusted friend.” Watch the whole tribute here. UPDATE: On Tuesday morning’s Good Day, Fox 4 traffic reporter Chip Waggoner also paid tribute to Morgan . Watch Waggoner’s tribute here.