Chris Mortensen is an American award-winning sports journalist and writer who worked mostly for ESPN. He did work for ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown, Monday Night Countdown, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, and ESPN.com and has been active since the early 1990s. Read on to learn more about his life, work, and personal details.
Early life and Biography
Chris Mortensen was born in Torrance, California, USA, on November 7, 1951. Regarding his education, he attended the North Torrance High School in Torrance, California, after which he enrolled into the El Camino College. During the Vietnam War, he served two years in the USA Army.
Journalism Career
Mortensen himself revealed that his journalism career began when he realized that he could no longer compete in football, basketball nor baseball, past his high school years. In order to remain close to the sport as it was his passion, he changed his mind about being a teacher and a coach and decided to chase a career as a competitive sports journalist. He started his career with the Daily Breeze newspaper in his hometown of Torrance, California, all the way back in 1969. Since then, thanks to his amazing work in the industry, he has won 18 awards in journalism.
In 1978, he won the National Headliner Award for Investigative Reporting in all categories. In 1987, he won the George Polk Award for his reporting work. Since he is a man of many talents, in 1999, he made a documentary film titled “The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling”. Perhaps the most wide-known story he has been involved in is the Deflategate controversy of 2015, when 11 of 12 footballs used in the AFC Championship Game between New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts were lighter by 2 pounds per square inch, meaning they were deflated. However, only 1 out of 22 tests showed the balls were lighter.
Chris Mortensen also authored a book in 1991, titled “Playing for Keeps: How One Man Kept the Mob from Sinking Its Hooks into Pro Football”, a book dealing with Mafia ties within college sports.
Personal Life
Mortensen has a son, Alex, who was a free agent quarterback in the National Football League. He played for the Tennessee Titans, but he was cut from the team in 2009.
On January 15, 2016, Mortensen reported through an official ESPN statement that he is suffering from Stage 4 throat cancer. He took a medical leave of absence from his regular on-air work with the cable network to look for treatment and focus on his health.
Chris Mortensen Net Worth 2022
From his three decades in sports journalism, Chris Mortensen managed to get a net worth of around $6 million.
