My tribute to former KU standout and NBA player Brian Martin

 

I am still shocked over the death of Brian Martin. I actually didn’t know Brian had passed until I googled his name recently and saw his obituary. I was deeply saddened and devastated. He died on Aug. 15, 2025 at age 62 from complications of a stroke. It seems like just yesterday when I interviewed Brian for our wonderful Where Are They Now? story in 2000. He was full of life, full of great memories, full of funny stories. It was pure joy talking to him. We were Facebook friends until I deleted my account in 2021 after my dad passed. Brian also endorsed me on LinkedIn several years ago. In addition to my interview with him for Where Are They Now?, I talked to Brian in Allen Fieldhouse about his high school rival and former Jayhawk shooting star Ricky Ross. Brian gave me some great insight into Ricky’s high school prowess and his thoughts on why Ricky never played a second in the NBA. Here’s how Brian endorsed me on LinkedIn, which I am forever grateful:

 

"I have been interviewed by David on a couple of occasions and found him to be a professional in every sense of the word. As a writer, he has the ability to make the interview feel like a normal conversation and then portray it perfectly into a story that grabs people's interest. In my experience working with David, he always uses the quotes in the perfect context and always made me feel good about how I was portrayed. I would absolutely work with David again if the opportunity ever presented itself."--Brian Martin, former KU basketball standout and NBA player, on Aug. 27, 2014.

 

That was so kind of Brian to write. We stayed in touch over the years, and when I posted something on Ron Kellogg on LinkedIn over a year ago, Brian wrote something like: “I played with Ronnie for two years at KU. If there was a 3-point line, he would have scored 50.” That might not have been the complete direct quote, but it was something along those lines. Brian was deeply committed to his family, his faith, and loved KU basketball passionately. 

 

Here is what his obit read: 

Brian L. Martin, 62, Business Development with Equity Bank, passed away Friday, August 15, 2025.

Memorial Service will be at 11:00 am, Friday, August 22, 2025, at Ridgepoint Church. Services will be live streamed and available for viewing by clicking the “Watch” button below.

Brian played basketball at KU from 1981-1984. He had a 10 year professional career including the NBA, CBA, and European leagues. He continued to be an avid KU fan. He enjoyed playing golf and taking care of his yard, but his favorite thing was spending time with his family and always supporting them in anything they did.

Brian was a former member of the Wichita Rotary Club and looked forward to his Men’s Bible Study each week. He will be remembered for his generosity, faith, and leadership.

Brian is preceded in death by his parents, Malty and Wanda Sue Martin. He is survived by his wife, Jodi Martin; daughters, Alissa (Erik) Kusnerus, Emily Martin; son, Alex (Shellby) Martin; sister, Debbie Bush; brother, Keith (Janis) Martin; grandchildren, Braylon Martin, Aiden Kusnerus, and Ella Kusnerus.

Memorials have been established with: Victory in the Valley, 3755 East Douglas, Wichita, Kansas 67218 and Children’s Mercy, 2401 Gillham Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64108.

Services in care of Downing & Lahey Mortuary – West Chapel.

My prayers go out to his lovely wife, Jodi, and Brian’s entire family. I feel so bad that I’m late in posting my tribute to Brian, but I just somehow missed the news when he passed. I fondly recall playing in a pickup game with Brian and his college roommate Mark Ewing at Robinson Gym around 1987 or 88 as I recall, somewhere around then. We were all on the same team and I remember Brian at 6-foot-9 leading a fast break and passing to me. I remember he was very humble and kind.

Brian made a profound difference on people’s lives, including mine. Maya Angelou said it best: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Brian, I do remember what you said, but above all, I remember how you made me feel good about myself, that I was always very important, you made me feel very special and your spirit lives eternally. Rest in Peace my friend!

 

Here is that wonderful Where Are They Now? story on the great Brian Martin in Jayhawk Insider, who never saw a blocked shot he didn’t like. I know you’re now blocking lots of shots in Heaven and bringing a ton of smiles to people’s faces.

By David Garfield

Brian Martin never dreamed as a child growing up in Wichita that he’d someday play in the NBA, hold Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to one-of-four shooting, eat nachos with jack Nicholson at the Forum in Los Angeles, or travel around the world playing professional basketball.

But he did.

The former Kansas basketball player never really cared much for the game until his sophomore year in high school, when he grew to 6-foot-5. However, by the summer after his junior year, Martin became a national name at the prestigious Five-Star basketball camp.

“I dove for a loose ball in the all-star game and landed in Bob Hill’s (Kansas assistant coach) lap,” Martin said. “The first time I met Bob Hill, he told me that the coach sitting next to him said, ‘You guys are going to be pretty lucky if you can get that guy out of Kansas.’ He goes, ‘Who is he?’ ‘That’s Brian Martin from Wichita.’”

Martin, who had academic difficulties in high school, actually went to Hutchinson Community College for one year before embarking on his KU career. He was basically a 6-foot-9 role player for three years backing up guys like Kelly Knight and Greg Dreiling. As a senior, however, he noticed some NBA scouts like George Irvine of the Indiana Pacers coming to practice late in the year.

“Coach (Larry) Brown said they were looking at me,” Martin recalled. “It really surprised me.”

After KU lost to Wake Forest in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Indiana eventually selected Martin in the ninth round of the NBA Draft. He was cut just three days into rookie free-agent camp. However, like his high school coach, Brown, and former KU coach Ted Owens, Irvine saw a raw shot-blocking talent who just needed some seasoning and motivation. He told Martin to go to the CBA and “work on your game and see if you got a chance to play, because I really think you do.”

Martin played for Tampa Bay Thrillers’ coach Eric Musselman, a master motivator whom the ex-Jayhawk called the “most eccentric, different coach I’ve ever played for" (he once gave death threats to an opposing player during the CBA championship).

"He said, ‘You’re not going to play at first, but bide your time, and by the time the playoffs start, you’ll probably be starting,'" Martin remembered.

Sure enough, Martin was in the staring lineup six games before the playoffs began. All he did was help lead the Thrillers to the CBA championship, and wound up as the leading shot blocker and rebounder in the playoffs.

“It must have been the (career) turnaround,” Martin said.

Martin followed his stellar CBA playoffs by making the Seattle Supersonics’ opening-day roster the following season.

“That was obviously a dream come true,” he said.

Martin was with Seattle for a month before being released and sent back to Tampa Bay. And then, the Portland Trail Blazers picked him up in January. Martin, who finished the season in Portland, will never forget playing the Lakers in the Forum. When he first stepped on the court, Martin turned around and saw “Kareem standing right next to me. He’s 7-2, one of the greatest players ever. I thought, ‘This is pretty cool.'"

Martin, who held Jabbar to just one-of-four shooting in the second quarter, was proud the legend “just didn’t go off on me.”

And then there was famous actor and rabid Lakers’ fan Jack Nicholson, who sat eating nachos and drinking a beer next to Martin by the Blazers’ bench. He said, ‘Do you want a nacho?’ I said, ’Sure,’ so I grabbed one of his nachos. He said, ‘Do you want a beer?’ I said, ‘No, I better not do that.’ He gave me that Jack Nicholson smile, which just cracked me up.”

After his stint in the NBA, Martin spent the next two years playing in Spain and Belgium. He returned to the CBA in 1989 and played for three different teams before going back overseas again to Germany for two years. Martin came back to the CBA with Omaha and Fort Wayne before getting burned out and retiring from basketball in 1994.

Martin, who played in two CBA all-star games and led the league in rebounding and blocked shots three years, finally decided to get a “real job” and became a sales representative for an awning company in Denver. He got a better offer in 1997 and moved to Salt Lake City, where he’s been the sales rep and assistant general manager for Allied Awning and Sign the past three years.

After playing basketball so long, Martin admits he initially suffered “quite a shock to the system” entering the “sedentary” business world. This once unknown player from Wichita now has his hoop dreams centered on his 2-year-old son, Alex.

“I miss playing, but it’s been five or six years now,” Martin said. “I kind of joke that he’s my 401K plan. I got him shooting jump shots on a six-foot goal already. I’m working him hard.”

A Closer Look at Brian Martin:

Years at KU: 1981-84

Career Notables: Finished career as fifth-leading shot blocker in school history (83)…only player to block a Wayman Tisdale shot in 1982-83…Career-high 18 points against Ohio State on Dec. 22, 1983.

Education: Martin majored in film studies.

Family:  Martin and his wife, Jodi, have three children (Alissa, 11, Emily, 7, Alex, 2)

Hobbies: Golf

Since Leaving KU: Martin played a year in the CBA with the Tampa Bay before making the NBA in 1985-86 (Seattle and Portland). He spent part of 1986-86 with Tampa Bay, and the rest of his career playing overseas in Belgium, Spain, and Germany and with five different teams in the CBA. Martin also had stints in the USBL, Canadian Basketball League, and Italy. He retired from basketball in 1994, and became a sales representative for an awning company in Denver.

Currently: Martin is a sales rep and assistant general manager for Allied Awning and Sign in Salt Lake City, Utah (since 1987)

Favorite KU Memories: Having a run-in with Indiana coach Bobby Knight after KU beat the Hoosiers, 71-61, in Madison Square Garden in 1981. “He was fuming and yelling at an official. I said, ‘That’s what you get, coach.’ He turned around and just glared at me. His assistant coach goes, ‘You don’t talk to Bobby Knight that way.’…I’ll never forget that look he (Knight) gave me. I thought he was going to hurt me. It was pretty funny.”

On the Jayhawks Today: “I can see them as a possible Final Four in the next year or two…I’m still proud of the team, and proud to say I played for them.”

Here, Brian talks about his childhood, how he began playing basketball, idolizing Jack Sikma in high school, and then a funny story about signing autographs when he played for the Seattle SuperSonics with Sikma.

"(I attended) Hutchinson Community College (for one year). That was more because of my grades. I just didn’t try hard enough in high school. I needed a year to get myself together. The nice thing about it... I had- gone to KU the first of the year in 1980-81.  We were finding a technicality with my grades. I don’t actually remember the whole thing. If you counted a certain number of hours, I was OK.  But they filled in these other hours that I had missed just barely.  So we appealed that to the NCAA, and so while we were waiting, I was at KU for about a month. They denied the appeal.  I had to go to Hutch. It was nice because coach (Ted) Owens sad, ‘Well, just go down there and get your grades together and come next year. As a matter of act, when I grew up, I didn’t care anything about Kansas or Kansas State. My dad grew up in Oklahoma, so I was always an Oklahoma football fan. We were right on the Arkansas border (Fort Smith, Arkansas), so Oklahoma and Arkansas were the teams I kind of followed when I was a kid. Until I started getting recruited, I didn’t really think anything about it. I grew up in Wichita. We moved there. My mom and dad both grew up in Oklahoma and Arkansas… I didn’t start playing basketball until I was a sophomore in high school. I was always tall. I was 6-foot in the eighth grade. I just never cared to play.  My dad played. He was great; he never pushed us (and said), ‘You got to play’. (I loved) swimming a lot. I was tallest of all the guys around. They said, ‘You got to play basketball. You got to play basketball.’  I started throwing the ball around that summer, kind of throwing it off the backboard and catching and throwing it down and shooting and just playing games with the guys. I started liking it. I tried out for the sophomore team my sophomore year and made it. We won the city championship. It kind of took off from there. I really started liking it. 

"They built Northwest High School in Wichita for my junior year. I went to West High School my sophomore year.  So everybody from that sophomore team went to Northwest. We stayed together. The JV coach at West became the varsity coach at Northwest. He got us going and kept us together. The summer between junior and senior year, he got us on the weights. I think that’s when I probably got serious about it. I went to Five Star basketball camp. I made the all-star game there. I played against against Tim McCormick (Michigan star center and eight-year NBA player), Karl Papke from Wichita, he was there. That’s when I found out that I was actually pretty good. That’ s where most of the colleges saw me. That’s when I started getting recruited.  In fact, I dove for a loose ball in all-star game and landed in Bob Hill’s lap. He had no idea who I was...Bob Hill remembers that, and the coach sitting next to him says, ‘You guys are going to be pretty lucky if you can get that guy out of Kansas. (Hill) goes, ‘Who is he?’ Someone clued him in. ‘That’s Brian Martin, he’s from Wichita. Bob Hill’s like, ‘Wow, I didn’t know who you were.’ I landed right in his his lap diving for a loose ball. Obviously, they made some contact with me. The first time I met Bob Hill, he told me that story. I said, ‘I remember landing in your lap.’ He said, ‘Yeah, I did, too, because I had no idea who you were.’

 

“… I used to always pretend to be Jack Sikma (Hall of Famer and seven-time NBA All-Star) in high school. A teammate of mine in high school loved Seattle, so we ‘d always be Seattle. It was kind of neat. When I was on Seattle’s team, my high school teammate called. He wanted me to get Jack Sikma’s autograph for him. ‘So Jack, do you want to give me your autograph?’ In fact, we were at an exhibition game. We were playing Portland somewhere in Oregon. I don’t remember where. It was a high school gym or small college gym. I always put my sweatpants on, my warm-up pants, and my jersey on to go out and shoot before the game, and an hour before the game or half hour before the game, as I was walking out, all these little kids were coming around wanting my autograph. There were about 30 kids around me and I was signing autographs. All of a sudden, I was in a middle of an autograph, this kid just ripped it out of my hand, and the whole crowd just left. I turned around and Jack Sikma had walked into the gym. They all wanted his autograph. They didn’t know who I was. So he just ripped it right out of my hand. I think I got like the first three letters of my first name in. I was like, here I was feeling pretty special, like I was a stud, and here (Sikma) walks in and puts me in my place.”

 

Jayhawk Hoops Players Childhood Heroes Part 2

After first looking at four former KU standouts' childhood hoop heroes, we now examine five more ex-Jayhawks and who they idolized growing up.

GREG GURLEY (1991-95)

A tremendous athlete at Shawnee Mission South who once scored 49 points in a game, Gurley was a top-100 recruit by analyst Bob Gibbons. Gurley, who chose KU over Notre Dame, USC, Syracuse and six Big Eight Conference schools, persevered at Kansas through severe back pain, which limited his athletic skills. Still, the 6-5 guard was a consummate team player and impressive three-point shooter who competed on the 1993 Final Four squad.

“I was a huge Magic Johnson fan,” said Gurley in a 2003 interview, who admitted he also loved the North Carolina Tar Heels growing up and attended a UNC camp in Chapel Hill in sixth or seventh grade when Roy Williams was an unknown assistant.

“I was a huge Laker fan — most of my friends were big Larry Bird fans, I kind of went the other way. Growing up, I was always bigger than everyone else and I was a guard. That’s the way Magic was, and I just liked to watch him play and tried to emulate him. My dad was a coach. I scored a lot of points, but I also passed the ball a lot. I tried to keep everyone involved, just like Magic did. He scored a lot, but yet he kept everyone involved. He was just the ultimate floor leader. I obviously didn’t have the flair that he did. That’s the guy I really tried to copy.”

PAT RICHEY (1990-94)

A versatile 6-8 forward and tireless worker from Lee’s Summit, Mo., who could pass, dribble and shoot, Richey chose the Jayhawks over Missouri and Kentucky. Richey, who was rated the 62nd best senior prospect nationally by Gibbons, played on two Final Four teams in 1991 and 1993.

Like Gurley, back problems hindered Richey at KU.

“Danny (Manning) was probably my favorite player when I was in high school,” Richey said in a 2003 interview. “In high school, I played point guard. I was the starting point guard; I was able to dribble down and pass it off, go post up type of deal. Depending on who was guarding me determined what position I was playing. I always felt I had the versatility say of a Danny Manning, who could step out and shoot and play down low as well. My career never turned out as good as his did, but I always tried to kind of mimic my game after his.” 

SEAN PEARSON (1992-96)

A former high school star from LaGrange, Ill., Pearson chose the Jayhawks over Michigan. Pearson, who appeared in the acclaimed documentary, “Hoop Dreams,” was rated the 58th best prospect nationally as a senior by Gibbons while considered one of the top-five prospects in the Chicagoland area.

The 6-5 small forward averaged 24.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game his senior year while shooting 57 percent from the field for Nazareth Academy. He led Nazareth to a 28-1 record, including 27 straight wins.

Pearson, who was a member of the Big Eight All-Improved Team in 1994-95 and a member of the Big 8 All-Bench Team in 1993-94, was a long-distance bomber who made 117-of-371 three-point attempts during his career. A member of the 1993 Final Four team, Pearson’s best season came as a junior in 1994-95 when he averaged 9.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.

Pearson ranks with some of the best in KU history when he made six three-point field goals in a conference game against Colorado on Jan. 21, 1995, and when he went 5-of-5 from downtown against Oklahoma State on Jan. 26, 1994. Only Ben McLemore and Rex Walters made more threes (six) in a game without a miss.

A defining moment in Pearson’s life happened when he was age 13 and attending the prestigious Five-Star Camp. He will never forget what guest speaker Rick Pitino told the campers.

“There were probably 1,700 kids in there, and he had us all stand up, and then made everyone sit down except for one kid,” Pearson said in a 2000 interview. “He told us out of all us in here, only one person is going to make it to the NBA. ... At that moment, I realized that basketball wasn’t meant for everyone to play professionally. Everyone can play the game, only a select few can play professionally.”

This well-rounded person idolized George Gervin and later Magic Johnson growing up.

“He was my favorite,” Pearson said of Gervin, the former scoring machine known as ‘Ice Man.’ “I tell people Michael Jordan did a lot of things, but George Gervin did the same things without dunking the basketball.”

BRIAN MARTIN (1981-84)

A Wichita native, Martin played for Northwest High School and was Honorable Mention All-State who averaged 13.6 points and 9.5 rebounds his senior year. Recruited heavily out of high school, Martin next played at Hutchinson Community College.

The 6-9 center and late bloomer transferred to KU and had a solid three-year career who posted career averages of 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. A great shot blocker, Martin swatted 83 shots in 84 games. Martin was drafted in the ninth round of the 1984 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers before starring in the CBA.

He played three games for the Seattle SuperSonics and five games for the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1985-86 season, recording six points, four rebounds, and one block for his career.

“I used to always pretend to be Jack Sikma in high school,” Martin said in a 2000 interview. “A teammate of mine in high school loved Seattle, so we’d always be Seattle. It was kind of neat. When I was on Seattle’s team (in the NBA), my high school teammate called. He wanted me to get Jack Sikma’s autograph for him.”

And playing with the Sonics got Martin a fleeting taste of being an NBA celebrity.

“We were at an exhibition game,” Martin recalled. “We were playing Portland somewhere in Oregon. I don’t remember where. It was a high school gym or small college gym. I always put my warm-up pants and my jersey on to go out and shoot an hour before the game or half hour before the game. As I was walking out, all these little kids were coming around wanting my autograph. There were about 30 kids around me and I was signing autographs.

“All of a sudden, I was in a middle of an autograph, this kid just ripped it out of my hand and the whole crowd just left. I turned around and Jack Sikma had walked into the gym. They all wanted his autograph. They didn’t know who I was. He just ripped it (autograph) right out of my hand. I think I got like the first three letters of my first name in. Here I was felling pretty special, like I was a stud, and here (Sikma) walks in and puts me in my place.”

RODGER BOHNENSTIEHL (1965-68)

This 6-6 scoring machine from Collinsville, Ill., had a superlative high school career, leading his team to a 75-14 record. Bohnenstiehl had his heart set on attending Missouri and staying close to home when new KU assistant and fellow Collinsville native Sam Miranda called him after resigning from his assistant job at New Mexico.

Miranda, who recruited Bohnenstiehl when he was at New Mexico, knew he couldn’t let his big prize slip away.

“He said, ‘I’m leaving New Mexico and going to Kansas,” Bohnenstiehl said in a 2001 interview. “I said, ‘Well, that's great Sam, because I’m not going to New Mexico either because my dad is very, very ill, and my mother wants me to stay close. I’m going to call Bob Vanatta (head coach at Missouri) and see if he’s still got a scholarship.’ 

“He said, ‘No you’re not. You come out to Kansas. I want you to see that before you do anything,’ so I flew out and fell in love with the place. This was like early June when I went out there, and there were a bunch of guys around there-- Riney Lochmann, Wesley Unseld (he never played at KU) and guys like that. I hung around with them. They were great guys, people I wanted to be with and a part of.”

So Bohnenstiehl signed with KU and became a star. After playing behind Walt Wesley at center his sophomore year in 1965-66, he started at forward the rest of his career. Bohnenstiehl was All-Big Eight as a junior (16.4 ppg), a captain his senior year in 1968, and finished his career as the No. 9 leading scorer in school annals with 1,006 points. He set a Big Eight field goal percentage record at 56.6 percent that stood for many years.

Possessing an uncanny quick turnaround jump shot, Bohnenstiehl was nicknamed “The Machine” by Voice of the Jayhawks Tom Hedrick. Hedrick said he was “quick as a hiccup.”

“That (turnaround jumper) was the only way I could score because I played against people that were a lot bigger than I was,” Bohnenstiehl said. “You had to do something to get your shot off. ... I just tried to be as quick as I could. I wasn’t fast, but I was quick.”

Above all, this former KU standout was a winner who played for the love of the game.

“I wasn’t much for stats or watching how many points I scored,” he said. “I just loved the game and tried to play it my hardest.”

Bohnenstiehl, who developed that turnaround jump shot in high school after endless hours of practice, talked about his idol growing up.

“We had a guy when I was in high school named Bogey Redmond,” Bohnenstiehl said. “My freshman year in high school, they won the state. They were 32-0. I kind of idolized him as a player. He was 6-6 and 220, and I was about 6-6 and 180. He was kind of my idol. I always wanted to be like him, but better. I think in order to be a player, I think you got to have somebody that you kind of idolize. You got to kind of mimic after him. I didn’t like the pros. At that time, there wasn’t any college basketball on TV, but it was on the radio. I used to listen to the Cincinnati Bearcats.”

Testimonials from a Writing Life

                                                      Interviewing Royals All-Star pitcher Jose Rosado (1999)

I never entered the writing profession for testimonials and endorsements. I chose to become a writer because that's who I am, what I identify most strongly about myself. I've always enjoyed putting words on paper and making stories come to life. I've written for as long as I can remember and can still recall the first poem I wrote in school in maybe second grade at Broken Arrow Elementary School on a piece of construction paper. As a child growing up in Lawrence, I used to write poetry to reflect my thoughts and what I was going through in life. I've always written my parents homemade greeting cards for birthdays and holidays, sharing my love with them through the written word. And now I cherish those cards more than ever since they have passed as I read the old cards and how much they meant to my life and my late parents' lives. 

I think I first realized the power my words had on other people when I wrote my dad a long, heartfelt letter as a teenager urging him to quit his longtime pipe smoking habit. After reading my letter, my dad was so moved by my words that he quit cold turkey and never smoked again. I first realized he had stopped when I was standing outside our house on the porch when my dear mom said dad read the letter and hadn't smoked all day. And he never smoked again. Dad always credited me for being the reason he stopped.  

I strongly believe words can move mountains, and that is such a defining example. Realizing later, I basically saved my dad's life. While I used to enjoy writing letters to the editor in college at KU to the Lawrence Journal-World about Kansas basketball, I'll never forget my first byline on a story I wrote for my Reporting I class in 1990 in the University Daily Kansan, a long feature on non-traditional students. I was the first student (and I believe the only one) in that class to have an article published in the UDK that semester. It was such a thrill to see my name in print for a story I worked on so tirelessly. While I've always loved to write, I think from that moment I found my calling and was hooked on becoming a professional writer.

I'm also inspired to write by this wonderful quote by the Sufi mystic Hazrat Inayat Khan: "Words that enlighten the soul are more precious than jewels." It is one of my all-time favorite quotes and says so much about the beauty of words and writing.

Now, after 30-plus years in the writing profession, I've written countless stories and interviewed people ranging from Hall of Famers like George Brett (Hall of Fame cover story), Phil Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal, John Stockton, Larry Brown, Lynette Woodard and Charles Barkley to the common man/woman, including about 250 volunteers in the community in the Lawrence Journal-World and 60 and better. These inspiring people, who I viewed as my heroes, included rape, incest and cancer survivors, former homeless people, recovering alcoholics, businessmen, attorneys, doctors, dentists, nurses, and idealist college students who dreamed of changing the world. It was quite gratifying telling these stories and having people welcome me into their homes with open arms and hearts. I was so moved and humbled when I heard one of the volunteers cried when she read my story for the first time, believing I captured her sentiments so well.

In addition, I've interviewed thousands of other people, including entreprenneurs, fitness competitors, inspiring KU graduates, Miss Kansas Annika Wooton, high school athletes, Voice of the Jayhawks Brian Hanni and so many more. I've tried hard over the years to give extensive coverage to women's athletes. I've been a forerunner covering women's sports. I've always felt they work just as hard as the men, but don't receive enough media coverage. I'm definitely glad times are changing and the women's revolution is here. We must always remember the pioneers like Lynette Woodard and Nancy Lieberman who paved the way for Caitlin Clark and so many other great female athletes of today from a wide variety of sports.

Annika and I both got emotional when I asked her in person at a library in Wichita how the arts saved her life. As she paused for about 10 seconds, wiping tears from her eyes and composed herself (I composed myself, too, from my emotions), she spoke quite openly and candidly about being bullied in high school, having suicide thoughts and finding sanctuary in the art room and theater with like-minded people. That open-ended question and Annika's answer completely made that sidebar. We spoke for 80 minutes, and afterwards, she asked me if I had any more questions. She smiled and said I had her whole bio with me. I always do extensive research on my interview subjects, and this was especially the case with Annika, such a lovely, inspiring and genuine young woman. Thank you Annika for sharing your story with me, and helping people relate to what you went through in high school and overcome their tremendous adversity.

Looking back, I knew I had a gift for asking life-searching questions and getting people to open up to me and share the most intimate details of their lives when I interviewed this non-traditional female student in my Reporting I class at KU, taught by my legendary and now sadly beloved late professor Ted Frederickson ("Ted-Fred"). During the middle of my interview with this woman, she broke down and cried, telling me she had never told any of this information to a person in her life. I was grateful that she felt comfortable in confiding in me and letting me tell her story, just like countless people I've interviewed over the decades have done with me. 

My most inspirational story was likely about a KU graduate and Marysville, Kansas resident, Eric Swim, who traveled to Israel to donate his kidney to a 10-year-old boy named Moshiko. He saved Moshiko's life, and was hailed as a "big hero" in Israel, made front-page news, and met the Prime Minister and Holocaust survivors. This was about a 90-minute phone interview, as Eric kindly shared his fascinating story with me. While he wasn't Jewish like me, he and his wife closely observed Jewish customs. I was very humbled and flattered that Eric loved the story so much that he asked me to write a book about his story. While the timing wasn't right in my life at that time for this project, I'm forever grateful that Eric believed in me so much to write a book about his incredible and inspiring story.

In addition, I've written Where are They Now? stories on former KU athletes. This was a dream come true for me when I did this for acclaimed Jayhawk Insider from 1999 through 2003.  I'll never forget how thrilled I was when my editor Lauretta McMillen told me to go ahead and write these profiles. After I hung up the phone that morning, I went outside my home and took some deeply peaceful breaths and exhaled the start of a great new adventure.

I interviewed KU legends like Otto Schnellbacher and B.H. Born to walk-on basketball player T.J. Whatley. Some other former Jayhawks I interviewed for the Where Are They Now? profiles include George Mrkonic, Bruce Kallmeyer, Kurt Knoff, Terry Beeson, Angie Snider-Gonzales, Emmett Edwards (my first KU football hero), Dallas Dobbs, Delvin Williams, Frank Pattee (member of KU's 1947 Orange Bowl winning team and father of Erin Brockovich, who graduated from Lawrence High School in 1978, right between my brother in 1977 and sister in 1979), national champions Al Kelley and Bill Lienhard, friendly childhood classmate Chris Piper (Stephenson was his last name back then), Mark Randall, Alonzo Jamison, Terry Brown, and childhood heroes like my all-time favorite Jayhawk Tony Guy, Roger Morningstar, Dale Greenleee, Bruce Adams, Bucky Scribner, John Crawford and Booty Neal. 

I've written my articles over the years with the main motivation to do the best work possible and portray my subjects' true feelings. However, I'm only human so I can honestly say I've been overwhelmed and moved by the many endorsements and testimonials I've received. From the many thank-you calls from people like Randall and Rob Allen, Phog Allen's grandson, to the thank-you letters I've received and endorsements on LinkedIn, I owe these grand people many thanks and gratitude for their kindness, thoughtful words, and unwavering hearffelt compassion.

Here are some of the testimonials I've received during my writing career.

"That might have been the best article ever written about me."-- Mark Randall, former KU basketball star and NBA player, on my Where are they Now? story on him on Feb. 11, 2000.

"You have a gift." --Mark Randall, February 2000

"Thank you for your superior article you wrote about me for the Roger Hill Volunteer Center published in the Lawrence Journal-World recently. I believe your journalistic abilities were shown in the newspaper item to be with keen sensibility and emotional awareness in my voluntary services to persons attending the Douglas County Senior Center. Yours truly, Ailene Bocquin,"

"David Garfield did a very professional job conducting my interview and writing the story about me.  He is an accurate reporter and a most competent writer. You are quite fortunate to have his services! I would like to have four more copies of this particular issue if they are still available. My check in the amount of $15.00 is enclosed to cover the cost of these extra copies and their mailing. Your early response to this request will by greatly appreciated. Thank you! Very truly yours."  --Frank Pattee, former KU football standout, member of KU's first bowl team (Orange Bowl winner) and late father of Erin Brockovich, in a letter to my publisher of Jayhawk Insider, on Oct. 8, 1999

"Nice job David!! Frank." (personalized note to me in Pattee's letter to my publisher.

"You're the best writer we have." KC Sports publisher Jim MacDonald, who put me on the Royals beat my first year with the magazine (I started by covering KU hoops) and gave me the coveted assignment to write the Hall of Fame commemorative cover story issue and interview George Brett, picking myself over over writers who've been covering the Royals for a decade or two longer. 

"David, 1st (First), thanks for all your hard work! Don't ever think I don't know what a great job you are doing." --Amy Griggs, volunteer coordinator at Roger Hill Volunteer Center about my inspirational profiles on volunteers in the Lawrence community.

"Thank you for writing such a nice article and thanks for sending the two copies of the Jayhawk Insider. My phone interview with you and reading the article brought back a flood of great memories about KU and all of the fine people I have met. You’ve captured my feelings about my family well. I wish you good luck in your future endeavors."--Dale Greenlee, former KU basketball standout, on March 25, 2000

"Thank you very much for the two copies of Jayhawk Insider which I received last week. My compliments to you in the way the information was structured and presented. I thought it was handled in a very skillful way."

--Dallas Dobbs, two-time All-Big Seven selection under Phog Allen, on Jan. 21, 2002

"I was just giving you a call to thank you for really what I thought an outstanding article that you did on the Phog Allen story and my lower level memorabilia collection. I just wanted to call and let you know I appreciated all your good work. You really did an outstanding job. People actually thought it was far too articulate to be coming out of my mouth. I said, 'You're right. It's a young man named David Garfield, who did such a good job on that.'" --Rob Allen, Phog Allen's grandson, on Jan. 17, 2004

"David —Thank you very much for your contributions to our paper this year. Our paper is solid because of your efforts, which are greatly appreciated by me and our readers. Great job on Rob Allen (cover story)! I look forward to working with you in 2005. Happy Holidays to you  and your family." -Steven B. (Barouh), publisher of Kansas City Sports & Fitness in a letter to me.

"David —Great stories! Thanks for entertaining our readers."  Steven Barouh

"I wanted to let you know that I thought you did a great job with the article. My wife even commented how nice a job of telling our story you did. Thank you for helping us spread the word out about TNT. Hopefully we will get some participants from the article. Thanks again for taking the time to put the article together. I hope our paths cross again. Warmest regards, Tom.”

--Tom Coones, participant in the Lymphoma & Leukemia Society Team in Training, on June 15, 2005  

"Thanks to David Garfield for the great feature article on my life and fitness career."

  Myra Michaels on the front page of her website in 2004 on my cover story in June 2004. Myra, a world-class fitness competitor, was named Ms. Internet World 2003,.

'David requested an interview with me and wrote an article about my life and career as a fitness competitor for the Kansas City Sports and Fitness magazine. Our interview was very comprehensive and David did a great job of choosing the most interesting highlights and weaving them together into a great article. I was on the cover of Kansas City Sports and Fitness magazine that month and I credit David's great article to helping me get there." --Myra Schulze on Jan. 17, 2008

"It has been my privilege to work with David Garfield on multiple occasions in the past. The detailed research he conducts related to the subjects of his articles, his strong command of the English language, and ability to craft uncommon but interesting questions for interviews set him apart in the writing profession." --Gregory Kovsky, longtime president and CEO of IBA business brokerage firm, on June 29, 2009

"David and I write for the same monthly publication. I always make sure to read what he writes, even though I don't like the team he covers because he's knowledgeable about his subject and does a good job communicating it in an entertaining way." --David Smale on Sept. 15, 2011

"I have been interviewed by David on a couple of occasions and found him to be a professional in every sense of the word. As a writer, he has the ability to make the interview feel like a normal conversation and then portray it perfectly into a story that grabs people's interest. In my experience working with David, he always uses the quotes in the perfect context and always made me feel good about how I was portrayed. I would absolutely work with David again if the opportunity ever presented itself."--Brian Martin, former KU basketball standout and NBA player, on Aug. 27, 2014

"I had the privilege to be interviewed by David for a story he wrote on me as a Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader for the Kansas City Sports & Fitness magazine. David did a great job interviewing me and made the conversation flow easily. He was very professional, asked great questions that were portrayed well in the article, and had a nice, easy-going personality which makes people feel very comfortable. I enjoyed reading the article and felt that it was an excellent representation of myself and the Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleading organization. I highly recommend David for his professionalism, creative writing talents, and his strong work ethic." 

--Michelle Reiter on Jan. 28, 2016

"You are an inspiration, David. Thank you for sharing your talents." --Michelle Reiter on July 31, 2018

"Congratulations on a very fine profile of the legendary career of Tom Hedrick. Those of us who were fortunate enough to have Tom as an instructor and/or mentor can only echo your conclusion that he deservedly made it big." --John Nance, former staff writer of the National Broadcasting Company who later created the role of Judge Harrison Prescott for the Perry Mason TV series, on May 25, 2019

"You did a terrific job! I’m so glad they chose you to write the article and I’m really thrilled with how it came out. You’re a tremendous writer.  Hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season." Brian Hanni, Voice of the Jayhawks, on Dec. 23, 2019

"How awesome! Thank you so much for your time and hard work putting together the article. It was so great to meet you - please let me know if I can ever do anything for you in the future!" --Paige Albert, owner of Something White Bridal Boutique (voted Kansas City's best bridal shop in 2020) on Feb. 28, 2020

"Wow. Took a lot of guts to write/publish this view into your soul. Much respect and admiration to you and for doing what you did. Again, wow!!! Great personal insight and self-reflections." --Phillip Hart, criminal justice advocate, on June 12, 2020 on my essay in the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle about my lifetime of anti-Semitism and my journey toward embracing Judaism.

"This is extraordinary - you can weave the words." --Patrick Wilbur, technical business analyst and activist, on June 12, 2020 about my essay in the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle.

"Thank you so much for the copies of the magazine and for the incredibly thoughtful note. The article was amazing, thank you so much. We are very much looking forward to sharing it with all our friends and family. I really appreciate the way you captured our story and made it into a beautiful article! Thanks again!" --Tatum Clopton, pitching phenom from Free State High School in Lawrence KS, two-time Gatorade Kansas Softball Player of the Year in 2018-19 and 2019-2020, and No. 7 ranked player in the 2021 class by FloSoftball on March 15, 2021

"Beautiful. You are an artist painting with words." --Gregory Kovsky regarding my speech about my dad's Celebration of Life on April 23, 2021

"Very excited to be working on a project as professionals. I can't think of anyone I would rather have as the author of my American Dream Achieved profile series of entrepreneurs who IBA has successfully represented in the sale of their businesses." Gregory Kovsky on June 27, 2021

"Ideas circulating in the office for your next four articles after Jason Abboud. People are loving your stuff. I have the best staff writer in the world. You will get a per article raise for your next six. Compensation on performance is a business model I embrace. You are exceeding my high expectations and I was high on you at the start." Gregory Kovsky on Sept. 1, 2021.

"Oh David. What a wonderful piece. It just conveys so much-the love for AFH (Allen Fieldhouse) that so many readers can identify with, and a little (then bigger!) boy bonding with his dad over a shared love of basketball. I know that Goody (my dad) wouldn't have been such an aficionado of the game if you had not been so enthusiastic, so you both gave each other something. I just think that, whether the reader knows Goody and David or not, there is something for every reader in this piece. It was just great." Alice Lieberman, former professor of Social Welfare at KU and 1998 HOPE winner (Honor for the Outstanding Progressive Educator) Award, the only teaching excellence award given exclusively by students, on Dec. 11, 2021.

"David, Thank you for the 2 copies of KU Today & Tomorrow, and thank you for the wonderful article that captured the comaradarie of our team. The closeness we have and the joy to excel is a rare and beautiful combination. You were too kind with the the many quotes from me. My daughter loved the article. Hope all is well - Dale."  Dale Greenlee, former standout guard at KU, in a thank-you letter to me about my 50-year anniversary of the magical and miracle Kansas basketball 1973-74 team. August 2024

"Just read your fantastic, special to the Journal World. It’s very informative —and it really brings her to life. Great writing! Congratulations! Love, Harriet."  Harriet Lerner, renowned clinical psychologist whose New York Times bestselling book of The Dance of Anger, which has been translated in over 35 foreign languages, on my feature of KU women's basketball signee Mollie Ernstes in the Lawrence Journal-World. April 26, 2026.