Edward Aschoff, an ESPN college football reporter and UF alumnus, has died at 34.
Aschoff died Tuesday on his 34th birthday, according to ESPN.
He was known for the standout outfits he wore in the pressbox and his sock collection, the network reported.
Aschoff wrote in an Instagram post on Dec. 2, “Covering #TheGame was a lot of fun. Getting pneumonia ... not so much. But, hey, I’m a hockey player.”
Members of the sports media world, including several associated with UF, shared emotional posts on social media as the news of his death spread.
“We were blessed at The Sun to work with Ed Aschoff and proud to see him accomplish many of his goals,” Gainesville Sun sports editor Arnold Feliciano wrote on Twitter. “He understood what it means to be a teammate in this business.”
Aschoff, a native of Oxford, Mississippi, worked at The Gainesville Sun from 2007 to 2011 before joining ESPN in 2011, according to the paper. He was the recruiting beat writer for Gators football, basketball and baseball.
“The world lost a light, and we all lost a friend, but more than that, his fiancée lost her soulmate and I pray for her and his family and everyone who loved him to find the strength to move forward,” Andrea Adelson, an ESPN senior writer wrote on Twitter.
Aschoff was set to be married in April to his fiancee, Katy Berteau, ESPN reported.
“So sad to hear about the passing of Ed Aschoff. He was a star student at UF and had so much professional success,” Ted Spiker, the chair of the UF Journalism Department, tweeted. “Most importantly, he was a good, kind, positive person.”
