Eighteen years ago, when former Journal-World Sports Editor Tom Keegan showed up to work on his first day of work in Lawrence, I fired off an email that would change the next two decades of my life.
In it, I explained to Keegan who I was, why I was emailing him and how, for as long as I could remember, I had always dreamed of writing for the Journal-World and covering sports in the town where I grew up.
It was a happy email, full of hopes and dreams and extravagant pleasures, and, after he hired me, Keegan sometimes liked to take the email and read it to me for a good laugh.
It always delivered, and I could never tell which of us was laughing more. Maybe he is, though.
Of the two of us, the letter was definitely more embarrassing for me. But it’s also something I’m glad I wrote, because, as I sit here and write my last story for the Journal-World, that email serves as a beautiful reminder of all my time at the paper. that was given to me, personally, professionally and as a child who grew up with a dream.
In short, I was lucky enough to do everything I told Tom I wanted to do in that email and more.
There are too many people to thank individually, so I won’t do that here. But my sincere hope is that all of you, from athletes and administrators to coaches and parents to scoreboard operators and maintenance workers, co-workers and more, will learn how I appreciate and enjoy my time with you, no matter how short or long. may be.
I covered countless high school games that I attended, often interviewing some of the same coaches who were teachers at Lawrence High in the 1990s when I was a student there. How exciting.
I wasn’t part of the LHS-Free State rivalry as a student, but I absolutely love it as someone who covers it for a living. Lawrence is one of the greatest sports towns I’ve ever seen, and the rivalry between the Firebirds and Lions on game night, along with the crosstown friendships that exist before and after the battles, is truly special. .
In my 17 years at the paper and 22 at the company, I’ve done everything one can imagine, from putting out pages and coordinating coverage to taking photos, writing blogs, stories, columns and briefs, travels the world and interviews some of the biggest names in KU sports history.
All this has helped me grow as a person and a journalist, and I am forever grateful for the opportunities I received here, growing in my work and in my life without having to leave home.
I met countless athletes that I will always remember and I also made friends with many parents. That was both at the high school level and while covering KU. Look, for me, the relationship aspect of work is always the most important part.
When you get people to trust you, they will open up to you and tell you their stories. It’s your job to make those stories something worth reading, and it’s an absolute honor to do that for so long in such a beautiful place.
I don’t know the exact number, but after a quick count I’m sure I worked with more than 200 coaches during my time on the paper. And, no, they’re not all KU football coaches.
Those coaches taught hundreds of athletes, and I had some of the best experiences of my life while representing the Journal-World.
Five NBA drafts. Four Final Four. Dozens and dozens of KU basketball victories. Several state titles and school records. Countless road trips with fun companions. And more than a few memorable meals, stories and front row seats to incredible games in New York, Chicago, LA, Maui, Rome, Milan, Las Vegas, Miami and more.
To sum it all up will last forever, so I trust that the colleagues of any of them, no matter how big or small, clearly see how proud I am of being the sports guy at the local newspaper.
For many people, work is a job and it gives you the means to live your life. I am one of the lucky ones who have spent the last two-plus decades doing what I love to do for a living. My work is my life, and while that may not always be the best thing for me and my health, it sure seems like it most days.
Saying goodbye is not easy. Honestly, I thought about writing here until I retire. And I know I will continue to be one of the paper’s biggest supporters because of its importance to our community. I hope you will join me in that effort.
But I’m also excited to take on the new challenge of covering the athletes name, image and likeness around the world for the Perpetual Sports Network and the Mass Street Collective. And I’m thankful that my new gig will give me the opportunity to stay in Lawrence and continue to write, albeit in a different way than I did at the Journal-World.
Packing my desk this week was a surreal experience. I found things I didn’t remember, threw away things I didn’t need and had lots of great memories rushing out of every drawer and pile I went through.
The boards above my desk are covered with credentials and photos and other memorabilia from my life as a sportswriter. I always thought it looked great and it always made me smile. It also makes me look like a teenager with an over-decorated locker. Well good.
With everything in the box, I found four Chinese foods that I stuck on top of my desk. I don’t remember why I put it down, but one of them caught my eye. It read: “You clearly love every minute of your job.”
Hope that’s clear. I know this to be true.
Thanks for reading.
Editor’s Note: The Journal-World and KUsports.com have a new sports editor joining the staff in late May. Find more information at that time.
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