“It’s a working kitchen at a diner back there.” Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman’s booth partner, Joe Buck, once described an NFL broadcast and captured the constant activity that goes on behind the scenes during a game. Buck explained that back when he and Aikman were working as FOX announcers. While fans focus on the action unfolding on the field, a team of professionals works in the background.

They track players, relaying information, and helping the broadcasters make sense of every moment. For Aikman and Buck, one of those people was David Moulton, whose work as an NFL spotter helped the duo deliver analysis to millions of viewers. Now, following Moulton’s death after a battle with cancer, Aikman has joined those mourning the loss of a longtime colleague.

“Since 2018, David Moulton has been my right-hand man in the broadcast booth,” Aikman wrote on Instagram, while sharing a picture with Moulton from the booth. “What started as a professional relationship became a friendship I have cherished. David was loyal, dependable and a warrior until the very end. He deserved better. My heart breaks for his family and all who loved him. I’m grateful for the years we shared and will miss him deeply. Rest in peace big guy🙏🏼❤️.”

Moulton was 59 at the time of his death and was battling stage four renal cell cancer for the last six years. His wife, Julie, announced his passing on Saturday, October 24.

“It is with a completely shattered heart broken into a million pieces I share that my loving husband, David, died last night while in hospice care at the Douglas Center for Caring,” she wrote. “David battled stage four renal cell cancer for six long years. It metastasized to his bones two years ago. He never stopped fighting or trying new treatments. He loved life and loved each and every one of you more than words can express. We are so thankful for the love and support you all have given us.”

Moulton publicly discussed his cancer diagnosis in 2020 after discovering a large cancerous tumor around his kidney. He underwent surgery to remove his left kidney and initially reported encouraging results. His cancer later progressed to stage four and metastasized to his bones. His wife, Julie, said he continued pursuing treatments for six years before his death.

Moulton began his career after moving to Southwest Florida in 1999 as a television sports anchor at ABC-7. He began working in local radio in 2000, building a reputation covering professional and college sports. He became the radio play-by-play voice of Florida Gulf Coast University athletics when the program began in 2002.

His work covered multiple sports, including basketball, baseball, and softball. Moulton later called games on radio and digital platforms, including ESPN3 and ESPN+. In 2006, he teamed up with Mark Miller to launch the sports talk show Miller and Moulton on 99.3 ESPN Radio.

But he got his first big break from CBS analyst Gary Danielson, who discovered him through his local radio work and gave him a trial in the college football broadcast booth in 2006. Moulton became Danielson’s spotter, helping him identify players and follow game developments.

Almost a decade later, however, FOX hired Moulton to work with Joe Buck on golf broadcasts in 2015. At Buck’s suggestion, he joined the NFL broadcast team with Troy Aikman in 2018, eventually working both Thursday night and Sunday games during the FOX era. He later continued spotting for Aikman on Monday Night Football with ESPN/ABC.

“I know they don’t need me,” Moulton said of Buck and Aikman years ago. “I kind of feel it’s like when you caddie for an elite golfer. You know that the golfer is going to be Top 3 in the world without you.”

A 2020 profile by The Ringer, titled “Meet the Man Who Makes Your Favorite Announcer Sound Smarter,” described how Moulton worked with Aikman and Buck. His responsibilities included identifying players, tracking timeouts, sharing observations about plays, and anticipating information the analysts might need. Buck, meanwhile, praised their partnership in that profile.

“It was instant love on my part. I didn’t want to do anything without him,” he said about Moulton.

For Aikman, on the other hand, Moulton was more than a colleague in the booth. He was someone he could depend on through the demands of live broadcasts, and over time, that trust grew into a friendship.