On the morning of Sunday, Jan. 4, ESPN analyst Stuart Scott died at the age of 49 after years of surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation and clinical trials in his long fight against cancer.

Scott was diagnosed with cancer in November 2007 and dealt with recurring bouts of the disease. Scott played a big role in integrating African Americans into the sports broadcasting world. He brought with him a whole new energetic vocabulary to the sports world.  From his signature “Boo-Yah!” to “As cool as the other side of the pillow” to “He must be the bus driver cuz he was takin’ him to school,” he charmed audiences with his wit and enthusiasm.

But his innovative catchphrases are only one aspect of his legacy. He inspired his colleagues with his sheer talent, his all-star work ethic and his love for his daughters, Taelor, and Sydni. When Scott passed away, he left behind so much more. Scott, more than anything else was a family man.

Scott not only had an impact on people in his inner circle, but also with the staff and students at Wenatchee High School.

“I remember the late nights turning on SportsCenter at three o’clock in the morning and watching the re-run from 11,” senior Izzy Garcia said. “He was so much more than just sports, he was a major face in media. One of my favorite memories of Stuart was when SNL (Saturday Night Live) did a skit on him.”

“When he first came on the scene he used so many pop culture references. He made it very relatable,” English teacher Chris Cloke said. “I remember in college when my roommates and I would get home and turn on SportsCenter just to watch how Stuart told the news.”

Scott saved his best for last, as he always did, by sending us off to sleep each night after the 11 p.m. SportsCenter. This past summer at ESPN’s annual ESPYS award show on July 16, shortly before his 49th birthday and following another round of cancer surgery, Stuart accepted the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance with strength, humor and grace. Scott took the stage and wowed viewers everywhere with a speech that will go down in history and be remembered for ages. “When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live,” Scott said.

Scott was a new and different voice that most people were not familiar and or comfortable with. During his first couple of years at ESPN, Scott received countless amounts of racially offensive hate mail and even death threats, but that didn’t stop him from telling the news in his unique way.

After Scott’s death, fans on Twitter, colleagues, and athletes shared their condolences. Before each professional basketball and football game that day, a moment of silence was given to remember his great life. The following day at his alma mater, the University of North Carolina, fans held signs simply reading “STU.”

“Some people, when they die you say there will never be another, but with Stuart it’s the opposite,” ESPN radio host Mike Greenberg said. “Because Stuart began something that has now spread forever and will never stop. He was not the last of his kind but the first. He started something that now everybody does, which is talk about sports in a way that was completely authentic and true to himself, however that might be.”

It’s crazy to feel so connected to someone without ever meeting them. Stuart Scott had a special way of doing that for over 20 years. He found a way into our homes, into our conversation, and into our hearts. So before you go to sleep tonight, flip your pillow to the cool side and remember Stu.

Background information for this story came from USA Today.