CLARKSVILLE – When June 30 comes to a close, a mainstay of Austin Peay State University's athletics department will leave quietly and unassumingly, just as he has during the entirety of his 32-year career at the Dunn Center. That day will mark the end of Brad Kirtley's journey as Austin Peay's Sports Information Director and the beginning of his voyage into a happy – and well-earned – retirement.
Brad began his life as a Governor in February 1984 after closing his career at the Southeast Missourian – his hometown newspaper. When he got to Austin Peay the sports information office was a one-man shop, Brad working with Brenda Harrison, who was listed as a secretary but was really a partner in crime for many years, to cover the entire menu of APSU athletics offerings.
Back then Brad created media guides and releases courtesy a trusty typewriter – yes, a typewriter. By the time I arrived on the scene in July 1999 as his first full-time assistant there were computers in the office, but those machines were running Windows 3.1 and we connected to the world by a modem.
Eventually, we progressed to Windows as you know it now and a real campus network connection. That real-time link to the internet opened a whole new world to promote Austin Peay athletics. First it was the further development of a fledgling website (originally built using Microsoft Frontpage) with live statistics and live audio. Then came Facebook and the evolution of social media and ultimately adding live video.
Really, Brad has seen his career come full circle. He left the print newspaper business 32 years ago and has been at the helm as we have built a digital platform for Austin Peay athletics that encompasses nearly everything newspapers used to provide – and in a lot of ways much more.
But catch Brad in one of his more wistful moments and he'll talk about people. He is a fervent believer that our job is to promote our student-athletes by telling their stories, something he is very adept at doing. But he also was a champion at finding young Austin Peay students with a seed of talent and helping them discover their abilities as they worked in our office.
Speaking of that latter group, Brad recently emailed me a list of all the people who have passed through the Sports Information Office during his career and to no surprise it encompassed 116 individuals – student-workers, interns, secretaries and eventually full-time staff members.
Those individuals have ended up in different places – the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, the front office of the Indianapolis Colts, the executive director of advancement at Austin Peay and so on. But when those alumni return they all make a bee-line for the sports information office to find their mentor and reminisce about their time as a Governor.
But that list of names really is the tip of the iceberg; there have been countless student-athletes who have passed through the athletics department in 32 years. Brad has been there to help tell their story, guide them through a difficult post-game interview or encourage them by providing an opportunity to work in the office.
Then there are the coaches and staff members – not nearly as countless but just as important. Brad has been there through good times and bad and has always found a way to write a story with a silver lining.
But the individual Brad is most associated with is longtime APSU head men's basketball coach Dave Loos. The uninitiated may have seen Brad standing in the background when Dave is being interviewed – say on ESPN after a victory. The two have formed a deep friendship in the 25 years and they've had each other's backs through thick and thin.
But the most prominent person by Brad's side has been Jan, his wife of 19 years. Known for her world-famous chess squares, she also made a tradition of providing a present to each student-worker around the holidays. Two small things but I know our student-workers appreciated the thought and the love behind it.
Brad has been a member of the APSU Athletics Hall of Fame committee during the entirety of his career. He also is a member of that Hall of Fame, earning well-deserved induction in 2013. Brad also has been a member of Austin Peay's alumni awards committee in recent years and has had the honor of seeing several athletics alumni receive the university's highest alumni honors.
So when June 30 draws to a close and Brad walks out the doors as quietly and unassumingly as he has for 32 years, it will mark the end of a long chapter in Austin Peay's athletics history. But it won't mark the end of an era because his belief in telling the stories of Governors' student-athletes will be his enduring legacy.
Quiet. Unassuming. But never to be forgotten. Brad, we are all better for having known you. Best wishes in the next chapter of your life from everyone that has known you.
