William "Bill" Brill was an American sportswriter and author died from esophageal cancer he was , 79.. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and spent his youth in Middlesex County, Virginia. Brill attended Duke University before began his sports writing career with the Covington Virginian in 1952. Brill joined The Roanoke Times in 1956 and was named sports editor in 1960, before retiring in 1991.
(June 21, 1931 – April 10, 2011)
Brill had something of a "love-hate" relationship with his readers, who generally recognized him as a talented writer and reporter, but often felt he favored universities in North Carolina over Virginia Tech and Virginia. The Roanoke Times promoted its college football prediction contest as an opportunity to "beat Brill."When Virginia Tech was invited to join the ACC in 2004, the now retired Brill predicted that the Hokies would not win an ACC championship during his lifetime.[1] However, Virginia Tech's football team won the ACC championship in their first season in the conference, prompting calls and letters to Brill from Virginia Tech fans.[2]
Brill wrote a sports column for the Durham Herald-Sun from August 1992 through April 1994. He served as President of the Atlantic Coast Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association (ACSWA) from 1982 to 1984, named the Virginia Sportswriter of the Year in 1991, and President of the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters from 1993 to 1995. Brill was the 1995 recipient of the Jake Wade Award for lifetime contributions to college athletics from College Sports Information Directors. Brill has covered a total of 35 Final Fours, more than any other sports writer.
The USBWA president in 1980–81, Brill began his career with the Roanoke Times and World News in 1956 and served as the paper's executive sports editor and columnist through 1991. Following retirement, Brill settled in Durham, North Carolina, remaining a regular contributor to several publications until his death, at age 79, due to esophageal cancer, on Sunday, April 10, 2011.[3] Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyewski visited him at Duke Med the morning of April 10.
Bibliography
- 1986 – "Duke Basketball, 1906–1986, an Illustrated History.". Taylor Pub. Co., ASIN: B000NP1GH8
- 1993 – "A Season is a Lifetime: The Inside Story of the Duke Blue Devils and Their Championship Seasons", Simon & Schuster, 270 pages, ISBN 978-0671798116
Awards
- 1967 Virginia Distinguished Service to Sports Award
- 1991 Virginia Sports Information Directors Distinguished Service Award
- 1991 Virginia Sportswriter of the Year
- 1995 College Sports Information Directors Lifetime Achievement Award
- 1996 Duke Sports Hall of Fame
- 1998 Marvin “Skeeter” Francis Award for special contributions to Atlantic Coast Conference
- 1999 Virginia Sports Hall of Fame inductee
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