Stuart Scott: 1965- 2015

Passionate and genuine. Those are the two words that have always come to mind when trying to understand the big personality-- and big person-- that was Stuart Scott. Typing that in past tense now... well, it's difficult.

Stu would deliver the news with an energy and vivaciousness that would leave you wondering... is this guy real? Can someone really be that excited, all of the time?

As the years rolled on, we learned that yes, it was real.  That was Stuart Scott.

He was a happy dude, celebrated everything, and was always excited to get to do his job.  Some people were turned off by his energy, but I kinda equate those people to your typical Debbie Downers who shy away from anything happy and exciting and refreshing.  But most people loved him for it.

And of course, when you're a public figure who does it big, and something bad happens in your life, it is a very public thing. When Scott was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, of course, he didn't shy away; he hit it head-on with everything he had, and did so through every imaginable social and digital media outlet he could use.

From his ESPY Award speech:

"You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live."

He didn't just fight cancer, he taunted it. Stuart Scott was bigger than the cancer that was eating his body from the inside out, and he made sure that everyone knew it. The guy would leave chemo treatments and head to the gym for a 90-minute high-impact workout. And he would tweet and Facebook about it along the way.

Of course, he had his motivation. Primarily that was his two daughters, whom he loved very much.

Stuart would constantly publicly acknowledge his daughters, and always reminded them that they were the reason that he fought. If you followed him on social media, not a week went by when he wasn't attending a recital, or watching a game, or driving one of them to an event.  Stuart loved his daughters, and it seems like he did a pretty damn good job with them.

The man lived big, loved big, and fought big... he was passionate about his family, about his work, and just about life in general.

I didn't know Stuart personally, but I'm certainly glad I got to spend the last 20 years hanging out with him.

Rest peacefully, Stuart...