[ad_1]
| Register-Guard
I hit the Triple Crown of college sports.
I went to the College World Series with Oregon State in 2005, followed Oregon to the College Football Playoff in 2015 and reached the Final Four with the Ducks two years later.
None of those teams captured a championship, but sitting on press row for those major events was better than any job I could have imagined.
Yet I felt the same adrenaline rush covering Sheldon’s football championships and Churchill’s boys basketball titles during 15 years on the prep beat. The best part of my job may have come during summers when I spent hundreds of nights watching the Eugene Emeralds, usually with my son at my side.
For 21 years, I was privileged to tell the sports stories of this town from the preps to the pros and I thank all of you for that.
My time at the paper ended on Friday when I left to begin a new career. I am excited for the next challenge and appreciative of the one I depart.
I was honored to be hired by John Conrad in 1999 and mentored by great journalists Bob Clark and Ron Bellamy. I worked with so many pros at The Register-Guard and alongside countless others in the local media.
I watched Jordan Kent, Andrew Moore and Alex Brink show off their skills in high school. I got an up-close look as Marcus Mariota dazzled this town and Dillon Brooks brought Matthew Knight Arena to life. I documented Hunter Renfroe, Ian Happ and Corey Kluber as they began their rise to the major leagues.
The kid who grew up in Portland rooting for every team in this state never would have believed he’d get so lucky. I am grateful to The Register-Guard for the opportunity to land on your porch for the past two decades.
The job brought me to this town where I met my amazing wife, raised two wonderful children, and made a lifetime of friends all while watching sports for a living.
I leave behind a hard-working newsroom dedicated to local journalism that I hope this community will continue to support.
After a lot of discussion with my family, I decided that the time was right to move on to a second career. I found that opportunity with New York Life where I will work as an agent in the financial services.
My career transition has been an 18-month process, not something that was sparked by COVID-19 or the lack of college sports in the spring and fall. I will miss my time in the press box, but it is time for a new challenge and I am excited to be able to do that while remaining in Eugene.
I thank all my amazing co-workers throughout the years, in particular the current sports staff of Ryan Thorburn, Chris Hansen and Ashley Conklin. I appreciate all the coaches and athletes who let me in to tell their tales.
And thanks to you, the readers, who followed me along the journey and made this newspaper such a special part of my life.
Thank you all. Let’s keep in touch.
[ad_2]
Source link