Rich Eisen Remembers Stuart Scott, ESPN Co-Anchor, in Emotional TV Tribute: "I Love You, Stuart"—Watch

Scott, who died on Jan. 4 at age 49 after battling cancer, worked with Eisen on SportsCenter from 1996 to 2003

NFL Network host Rich Eisen fought back tears and got choked up several times on the channel's Game Day broadcast on Sunday as he gave an emotional and heartfelt speech about his late friend and colleague, ESPN anchor Scott Stuart, who died that morning.

He had passed away at age 49 after battling cancer. Scott and Eisen, 45, co-anchored ESPN's flagship sports news show SportsCenter together from 1996 to 2003, after which the latter left for the NFL Network. He said on GameDay that he met Scott when he was 26 and that his colleague jokingly referred to himself as his "TV wife."

"I cannot believe that I'm now sitting here on television, reporting to you the news I heard about 10 minutes ago, that Stuart Scott has died," Eisen said. "One of the most joyful, full of life individuals I have ever come across. Lived his life the way his parents wanted him to live it, the way he felt he could live it. he broadcast the same way, a groundbreaking broadcaster in the world of sports television."

"I loved this man," he said. "I still love this man. And the fact that he has passed away is absolutely mind-boggling and a travesty."

Scott had battled cancer on and off since 2007. He talked about his ailment in a touching speech last July at the 2014 ESPYS, where he was given the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.

"He battled cancer as bravely as anybody else and I know there are many people out there who are battling cancer right now and would want, Stuart would want you to know to keep fighting, keep fighting and that he didn't lose this battle to cancer," Eisen said. "He fought is as bravely as he possibly could."

Scott is survived by his parents, two sisters and a brother, a girlfriend and an ex-wife and daughters Taelor, 19, and Sydni, 15.

"And as you go to bed tonight, flip your pillow over to the cool side and before you go to sleep, as Stuart would say, you hit your knees tonight and pray to the big man for his beautiful daughters who he loved, Taelor and Sydni," Eisen said. "Pray for Stuart and his family, his parents, his siblings, his girlfriend, his ex-wife, everybody who he loved and that includes you, the sports fans, even those who hated on him. He thrived on it. That's 'cause he is who is and was—I can't believe it's a past tense—who he was."

"I love you Stuart," he said. "Wherever you are, Godspeed. Rest in peace."