Johnny Green, legendary local sports writer, dies

 Former Texarkana Gazette Sports Director Johnny Green reacts to a vintage photo at his retirement party held July 21, 2011.
Former Texarkana Gazette Sports Director Johnny Green reacts to a vintage photo at his retirement party held July 21, 2011.

TEXARKANA, Texas - Johnny Green was the only Sports Director the Texarkana Gazette had or would have.

Green, who spent 48 of his 49 years as a member of or in charge of the Gazette sports dept., died Tuesday in a local hospital. He was 76.

Green was rehired as Sports Director after he left to spend a year, 1968, in Shreveport working for a daily newspaper. When he returned to the Gazette, the late James Williams had been promoted to sports editor, but the new position of director was created to have Johnny at the top of the totem pole once more.

Green was hired out of high school by the Gazette in 1962, and he retired July 11, 2011.

More than 100 people came to his retirement reception at the Regional Arts Center in Texarkana on July 21, 2011, at which time it was declared "Johnny Green Day" by Texas-side Mayor Bob Bruggemann.

"I recall Johnny made doing his job as a sports writer look easy," Bruggemann said Wednesday. "I would occasionally sit by him at baseball games; He usually sat in a lawn chair with a scorebook in his lap. He would keep up with the game by marking the scorebook and making notes, while at the same time carrying on a conversation throughout the game. When I read the article in the Gazette the following day, all the intricate details of the game were covered in the article. That really impressed me.

"Johnny Green had a major impact on this community by covering various sports at several levels. He will be greatly missed, but the many articles he wrote over the years will live on."

Texarkana Independent School District, in honor of Green, funds a scholarship for a student pursuing a sports writing career. Green has been inducted into the FOX Sports FanFest Hall of Fame, and twice he was named the Texarkana Gazette Employee of the Year and once Palmer Newspapers Employee of the Year.

"While most of us who toil in this profession see our best work end up in trash cans, his was the stuff that ended up in scrapbooks," Gazette Editor Les Minor wrote in a column following Green's retirement.

Green covered Texas High for much of the latter years of his career - he even continuing coverage of the Tigers for the Gazette on a part time basis for several seasons after retirement - and worked with other area coaches and programs in three states, as well.

"Johnny was a friend to a lot of people: players, coaches, everybody involved in the sports community," said Arkansas High AD and head football coach Barry Norton, who worked directly with Green for 18 years at Texas High. "He was well-respected, as much as anyone I've known in that community. He was a great friend to me.

"It's heart-breaking for everybody, to lose somebody like Johnny. There won't be a day that I won't miss him."

photo

AP

Former Virginia first lady Maureen McDonnell (center) leaves court in Richmond with her son Bobby (right) and daughter Cailin Young (left) after her sentencing Friday in a corruption case.

Louie Avery was hired by Green in 1972, and for decades the Gazette sports staff was comprised of Johnny, James and Louie, as well as Rick Thomas for several years. The late Tim Noel was a sports writer on the staff for a decade, and Josh Richert was hired to replace him in 2003.

There weren't many more changes on the staff until Green's retirement.

"The unique thing was that Johnny hired me three times; I left twice to be a sports editor at other newspapers," Avery said. "Family brought us back to Texarkana each time, and he rehired me every time. We played golf from the early 70s until last December. Our last round was in December, and he beat me. I thought that he might be getting better. Other than my mom and dad, this is hitting me the hardest."

Green's presence at sporting events, especially those outside the city limits, was often an event in itself.

"I loved his storytelling and his stories," close friend and Linden native David Fant said. "And it was always cool when he showed up to a game not involving a Texarkana team because you knew it was a big deal: Johnny Green is here. After I got to know him, he was a better person than he was a sportswriter. If you were in a room with him, he made you feel important. Anybody who has a name in sports in this area is because of Johnny Green."

With schools scattered over such a large coverage area, Green always made it a point to keep in touch with regional coaches.

"Johnny was kinda our guy, when I was at Texas High; he was always around, always supportive, and you considered him a really good friend," Atlanta athletic director and head football coach Matt McClure said. "He always had his own opinion and wasn't afraid to share them. Even when I went to Atlanta and we had those years of deep playoff runs, he would always text me and congratulate me. He was always a really good support system for the coaches in the area."

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Bloomberg News

A customer uses an ATM on Friday outside a Eurobank Ergasias branch in Athens, Greece.

Green made an impact on the student-athletes and coaches he covered and beyond. He was never hesitant to offer tips to young writers.

"I first met Johnny at a Lufkin versus Texas High baseball game back in 1990, three years into my career as a sportswriter," Longview News-Journal sports editor Jack Stallard said. "I was still learning the business and wasn't very smart, but I was smart enough to know when you get a chance to learn from someone who has been in the business for a long time you soak up everything you can from them. Johnny was great about letting me, as a young guy just trying to learn, pick his brain.

"I have stuck around long enough to be one of the old guys now, and it was always fun to cover a game with Johnny later in our careers and talk about how things were done in the 'good old days.' He can watch games from the best seat in the house now. He definitely earned it."

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