Surpassing:NFL world honors 'a wonderful soul' after Chris Mortensen's death at 72

The SurpassingNFL world lost Chris Mortensen on Sunday, and the effects are felt from around the field.

The longtime ESPN NFL reporter died at the age of 72 on March 3, a year after his retirement from the network which he called home for over 30 years.

Mortensen was a stalwart of NFL coverage for ESPN, appearing on "Sunday NFL Countdown," "SportsCenter" and "Outside the Lines," among other programs. Prior to joining ESPN, Mortensen won the George Polk award in 1987 for sports reporting while with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

In 2016, Mortensen revealed he had been diagnosed with stage IV throat cancer, but he would return to the network later that year after positive strides were made fighting the disease.

Mortensen leaves behind a storied career. More than that, however, he left a bigger mark on his colleagues and the industry as a whole, as evidenced by the outpouring of love and heartfelt tributes shared in the wake of his passing.

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Here are some of the more touching and telling tributes of Mortensen: