Looking Back with Guest Sports Reporter Tim Komer

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Brian Hanney
This is a personal remembrance of an old friend, Brian Hanney. Brian was the Clinton Daily Democrat’s Sports Editor for 17 years. If you are older surely you remember him. He was unique, but in a good way. He reported on other things but he was into his sports. Brian was born in 1957 in Kansas, he had three brothers. He grew up in KC, Kansas, but spent his summers in Buffalo, MO where he enjoyed fishing and hunting with his brother, Paul.
Brian went to school at what is now called MSU, got a degree in Journalism in 1980, and found his way to Clinton. As I said, Brian put the Democrat’s Sports page on the map, but he died too soon, on Dec. 23, 1999, at the age of 42. It was quite a shock. Everybody knew Brian. Even if you thought he was a little too unique you knew he was a good guy and did a good job as the local Sports Editor.
I have three quick personal stories about my old friend. First, he liked to give nicknames to people. One year, during wrestling season, he nickname our son Andy “The Osprey” (a bird of prey with a wide wing span). It stuck for a while, but I am not sure Andy liked it.
Secondly, back when Brian first started at the Democrat in 1982 I owned Meadow Lark Lanes in town. (A ten-lane bowling center that is now gone.) I would be trying to close up at midnight, or even later, when Brian would call to get the high scores from that night’s league play. I have heard he would call a lot of folks at odd hours to get sporting information. He was very focused, he might not have even known it was that late. Now, after I had the job as the Democrat’s Sports