Longtime ESPNer Howie Schwab, star of 'Stump the Schwab' sports trivia show, dies at 63

Longtime ESPN producer and statistician Howie Schwab, the star of the network's popular "Stump the Schwab" game show from the 2000s, died Saturday at the age of 63.

"SportsCenter" aired a tribute to Schwab during its Saturday morning show. ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale also shared the news on social media. He said Schwab battled "various health issues." No cause of death was immediately given.

"So sad to learn of the passing of my loyal dedicated buddy ⁦@howieschwab – he was recently at my home," Vitale wrote. "Had various health issues but was feeling good when he visited."

Most of Schwab's time at ESPN was spent behind the scenes from the time he joined the company in 1987. But in 2004, "Stump the Schwab," hosted by the late Stuart Scott, debuted. Contestants battled one another in sports trivia. The final challenge was to defeat Schwab, who quickly established himself as an authority on all sports from every era.

The show ran for four seasons and last aired in 2006.

Schwab also appeared on the early days of "First Take" by ranking his anticipation of sporting events that upcoming weekend on a 1 to 5 "Bags of Chips" scale.

ESPN parted ways with Schwab in 2013 and he landed at Fox Sports where he was a writer and consultant for "Sports Jeopardy!"

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ESPN's Howie Schwab, of 'Stump the Schwab' fame, dies at 63