Statement from ESPN President John Skipper on Don Ohlmeyer

1989 (ABC SPORTS) Don Ohlmeyer (Courtesy ABC)

1972 Summer Olympics – (L-R) Don Ohlmeyer, Roone Arledge and Larry Kamm in the control room at the 1972 Summer Olympics – the Games of the XX Olympiad – in Munich, West Germany. (Courtesy: ABC Photo Archives)

1976 WINTER OLYMPICS – ABC Control Room. Don Ohlmeyer, Chuck Howard and Roone Arledge at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. (ABC SPORTS)

2000: ABC SUMMER PRESS TOUR – MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL L to R: Dan Fouts, Al Michaels, Don Ohlmeyer. (Courtesy ABC, Photographer: Scott Garfield)

Comedian Dennis Miller (left) , Al Michaels, Don Ohlmeyer and NFL Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson (BYRON COHEN/ABC)

2000: Executive producer, Don Ohlmeyer, of ABC’s NFL “Monday Night Football” talks to sideline Dennis Miller before the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Kansas City Chiefs. (ABC/CRAIG SJODIN)

Monday Night Football (2000) Dan Fouts with Executive Producer, Don Ohlmeyer (ABC SPORTS/CRAIG SJODIN)

Legendary television executive and former ABC Sports Monday Night Football producer Don Ohlmeyer passed away yesterday at the age of 72. In the early years of ESPN, Ohlmeyer was a member of the company’s board and from 2009-11 he served as ESPN’s ombudsman.

ESPN’s season-opening Monday Night Football telecast (New Orleans Saints vs. Minnesota Vikings, 6:55 p.m. ET) will pay tribute to Ohlmeyer tonight. Below is a statement from ESPN President John Skipper on the pioneering television executive.

John Skipper:
“Don Ohlmeyer was an unsurpassed creative force in all forms of television as well as a brilliant and visionary executive – a truly unique combination. His involvement with ESPN spans many years, and we are unquestionably better for it in ways that go well beyond his impact on Monday Night Football. He was a believer while sitting on our board in the early days, and as an effective ombudsman, he made us think. He leaves an indelible imprint on how millions consume entertainment to this day.”