Nick Charles, former sports anchor at Baltimore’s WJZ and for 17 years, the face of sports highlights on CNN, passed away earlier today following a battle with bladder cancer. Hard as it might be to remember, there was once a period in which “SportsCenter”‘s dominance wasn’t nearly as established, and Charles was arguably as recognizable a public figure as any of the Worldwide Leader’s on-air talent.

In the clip above, Charles’ anchor skills alongside the troubled Fred Hickman are on display.