Editor for seven-plus years, I can understand how one has to bug people to get information (just ask Chester Jones). Unlike Brian, I quit calling folks around 9:30 p.m. but I would send emails at all hours. Brian was clearly very determined to get the stories.
Lastly, a story I could call the ‘Wrestling Sleep Over’. In 1990 (I think) a friend and I headed to Columbia to take in the three-day State Wrestling Championships. We both had kids wrestling, so we got a motel room for the three days. At the Championships in the Hearnes Center we talked with Brian and he asked if he could hang out with us in between sessions. We found out Brian was going to sleep in his car to save money. (A true struggling young journalist). We offered him the floor in our motel room where he ended up pushing two chairs together and slept the best he could. He was a good guy.
Brian covered a lot of sports and he spotlighted many kids. He was especially fond of the Chiefs and even roamed the sidelines during their games. When I occasionally look at old newspapers I always look at the Sports page and remember those midnight phone calls. RIP Brian, I hope you get to watch the Chiefs now, they are pretty good.
