Well, this is literally the umpteenth attempt of my farewell edition of the Sports Information Perspective as I prepare to retire from Monmouth at the end of December, and the emotions are raw.
 
Raw because when I made my decision back in August, December 31 couldn't get here soon enough. Now that my official working days are in the single digits, it's coming way too fast. My original retirement plan was targeting December of 2023, not 2020. Circumstances changed all that and I found myself trying to compress my three-year plan into just five short months.
 
The three-year plan was to fully train each incoming class of student-workers in multiple sports and multiple statistics software. By 2023, the SID office would be fully staffed with the most highly trained student-workers in 20 years. COVID restrictions changed that model to just covering the basics this fall, giving them the foundation, and for my replacement to take the training from a 100 level course to a 300 level by next fall.
 
Raw because just hours after I received a call for a new job interview, I received word that our beloved swim coach, Tom Burek, had passed away from complications of COVID. My anticipation of possible part-time employment was quickly displaced by the anguish of the gaping hole Tom's passing left in our collective hearts.
 
I had followed Tom's journey through his wife, Gaye's on-line journal and could only imagine how she felt each day as Tom's battle grew more and more difficult. Her courage to offer daily updates seems unfathomable. COVID simply would not relent, but Gaye kept us informed.
 
I can take solace knowing for a few brief days Tom was able to return home in mid-November. Assistant coach Erin Lafary delivered some goodies from the team for Tom and his wife. I could feel the pride in his post on the swim team's Facebook page when he shared the news of the delivery AND getting to see, albeit through a window, his assistant coach's newborn when he posted "The Monmouth College community remains strong during some very trying times. I am blessed to have The Fighting Scots Swim Team and Coach Lafary (as) part of my life." Just a few days later he was back in the hospital for the final time.
 
There is now an eerie silence in the Huff Athletic Center and a pall over campus.
 
My hope is Coach Burek's passing will put into perspective what truly matters in life. Yes, many senior student-athletes have lost their senior seasons.
 
That is sad, but not tragic.
 
Tragic is the loss of a man who impacted so many people over the course of his almost 63 years. To get a fuller view of Burek's reach, read our tribute to Coach on MonmouthScots.com. It's a long read and only a small fraction of all the social media tributes, but well worth the time, and I dare you not to cry.
 
Raw because over the course of my career at Monmouth, I've written far too many press releases on the deaths of coaches and student-athletes. Student-athletes Tommy Hoerr (football), Malcolm McGuire (tennis) and Austin Ray (football and track), all with so much promise, left us way too soon. Then there were coaches Mike "Ole" Olson (football, wrestling, softball, you name it) and Jeff "Fluff" Tyrell (softball). I consider both good friends which made it even tougher.
 
I begged out of writing Coach Burek's announcement. I simply couldn't bear the thought that my last piece would be another obit. I'm not really sure I emotionally had that in me. Fortunately, Associate VP of Communications and Marketing Duane Bonifer came to the rescue and did the heavy lifting.
 
Raw because I'm afraid the tears shed during this final piece will short out the keyboard and I'll have to make that awful visit to the AD's office. It would go something like this…."Uh you know that really expensive touch screen laptop we bought a couple of years ago to run the new stats software? Well, we need to get a new one. I just fried the electronics…."
 
Raw because I simply don't have space here to thank everyone who made my 21-years, five months and 19 days at Monmouth such a treasured experience. From Becky McAfee (my former summer league softball player who introduced me to the college some 40 years ago), to Jeff Rankin (the director of college's news bureau at the time) and Dick Valentine (then the VP of external relations) who decided to take a chance on a former sportscaster in the summer of 1999, to my student-workers who made a one-person shop doable, and everyone in between, I say "Thank you."
 
I remember the concern of one of the members of the hiring committee who knew me only as the local sports play-by-play guy on WRAM / WMOI, and the fear I wouldn't stick around if I wasn't covering sports, and then asked "We know your radio persona, but can you write?"
 
Writing radio copy is a bit different than print media, so that was a tough question to answer, although I did cite the Illinois Broadcasters' Association Silver Dome Award for Excellence in Broadcasting I received for a 1997 sports editorial. So, yeah, the writing portion of the question is still being decided.
 
As far as covering sports? I'm sure the committee was caught off guard when part of my response was, "If I never cover another sporting event for the rest of my life, I will be just fine." Now, 21 years later, I'm powering down the laptop.
 
Athletics has been a huge part of my life and I developed a keen eye for athletic ability at a young age… and knew I had none. If no one was going to pay me to play, maybe they'd pay me to report on sports and that's how the radio job came about, eventually landing at Monmouth College, an experience I wouldn't trade for anything.
 
For a guy with absolutely no athletic ability, athletics has been kind to me. Little could I imagine a 21-year journey in the sports information field. Yes, I've been fortunate, lucky and blessed with a great place to work, a great career and an even better family… in both the Nolan and Fighting Scots bloodlines.
 
My "official" last day is December 31, but since the college is closed from December 24 to the end of the month, it was suggested I turn my keys in on the 23^rd. That either means 1) "Don't let the door hit you on the way out," or 2) "You've given us 21 years of diligent service. You deserve a break, so take the extra week."
 
I think I'll go with Option 2.
 
I'll part with this simple advice to my successor, whoever it will be, the same advice I give to the seniors as they enter their final seasons: Take a moment to look around and take in the surroundings before each game. Soak it all in and enjoy it, for it will be gone in the blink of an eye.