John McCain dies; Arizona teams, schools pay tribute to U.S. senator, presidential nominee

Tom Gatto

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John McCain dies; Arizona teams, schools pay tribute to U.S. senator, presidential nominee image

U.S. Sen. John McCain died Saturday, Aug. 25, at his Arizona home after a long battle with brain cancer. He was 81.

McCain, the 2008 Republican nominee for president, was a regular spectator at Arizona's major sports venues, most notably Chase Field, home of MLB's Diamondbacks.

The D-backs and the state's major sports franchises tweeted tributes soon after McCain's death was announced.

MORE: Notable sports deaths of 2018

Diamondbacks

Cardinals

Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald last December wrote an appreciation of McCain for SI.com. Fitzgerald lauded McCain for his courage during his time as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.

Suns/Mercury

Coyotes

The state's major universities responded, as well:

Arizona State

Arizona

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.