Bill Brill (1931-2011)

[Bluedog]

Best wishes to Bill Brill, who is apparently near death, although his condition improved yesterday from "critical." Prayers go out to him, his family, and friends. What a legend...


Bill Brill [...] is apparently near death in a Durham hospital [...] a Do Not Resuscitate order has been issued. [Doug Doughty] says Brill "has written his obituary ... reserved Cameron Indoor Stadium for his funeral and has arranged for a caterer."

http://fromtheeditr.blogspot.com/2011/04/former-sports-editor-bill-apparently.html

Article from Dan Smith, a journalist in Roanoke, Va, where Brill was the sports editor for the The Roanoke Times.

[Nugget]

What terrible news.

Best wishes to Bill.

What a treat it has been to read Bill's work over the years, and benefit from his representation of Duke (and his contributions to DBR).

[WakeDevil]

I swear Bill covered the Jamestown Basketball Conference before going to work in Roanoke.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

This is so very sad. I've enjoyed knowing Bill over the years. Reading his books and articles has been a delight.

[Indoor66]

My prayers for Bill. I have known him a long time. He is a good man who has done a good job at his chosen profession.

[summerwind03]

I'm sorry to hear this.

[4decadedukie]

I am so sad to learn of Bill's serious illness. I did not know him well, but he always treated Dukies with respect and friendship. Further, he was the consumate professional as a Duke- and ACC-oriented journalist. Bill, his family, friends and colleagues are certainly in my prayers. May God bless and keep him.

[Son of Jarhead]

We'll be sending best wishes & prayers out to Bill Brill & his family. I've never read any thing of his I didn't thoroughly enjoy. I'd love to read some more, so... get well Bill, there are some stories you still have to share.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

So sorry to hear this. I've gotten to know Bill over the years seeing him at the Blue Devil Club meetings and then at games in Cameron, Wallace Wade and various other venues. He'd always say "Hi Ozzie" as we passed and had a few pleasant words together. DevilWearsPrada mentioned to me that he was sick at the last meeting in March, but I had no idea it was terminal.

My best wishes and prayers to Bill and his family.

[DevilWearsPrada]

So sorry to hear this. I've gotten to know Bill over the years seeing him at the Blue Devil Club meetings and then at games in Cameron, Wallace Wade and various other venues. He'd always say "Hi Ozzie" as we passed and had a few pleasant words together. DevilWearsPrada mentioned to me that he was sick at the last meeting in March, but I had no idea it was terminal.

My best wishes and prayers to Bill and his family.

I hate reading this OZZIE. I thought Bill was getting treatment, as I thought he looked real good at our March club meeting. Bill always brought insight and vast knowledge to our Blue Devil Club meetings, and Duke athletics.

My extended prayers and thoughts are with Bill and to his family and all the Duke Community.

[hq2]

Sad news. I know many in the DBR community knew him better than a lot of us, but certainly we all haven't forgotten his book about the '86 team.

[Bluedog]

If you read the link it now has an update that it sounds like Brill's condition is improving still. I certainly hope so! Sounds surprisingly positive for how dire the initial report was.

[bjornolf]

All my prayers for him and his family.

[chrishoke]

Bill is Duke legend. Prayers for Bill and his family.

[Newton_14]

Best wishes to Bill. Very to sorry to hear of his condition. Hopefully he can recover. The man is a legend.

Prayers for him and his family.

[grannyduke]

According to the website linked above, Bill Brill died this afternoon.

[Indoor66]

I am so sorry to hear this. I guess his work was done. May he rest in peace.

[-jk]

Bill, you'll be missed. Sigh.

http://m.roanoke.com/mapp/story.aspx?arcid=282962

[Poincaré]

Never met him, but I loved his books. He will now be watching Duke on the giant HD screen in the sky. Good luck on your new journey, fellow Blue Devil.

[Orange&BlackSheep]

You just can't replace someone who had seen it all, had a great memory, and knew how to write too ... truly a loss we shall all feel.

[msdukie]

My condolences as well to his family. I always enjoyed reading everything that Bill wrote on Duke Basketball. On the DBR front page, it is suggested that press row in Cameron be named after him. The media room in Cameron was already named after him in December 2007. However, the addition of a memorial plaque would be a nice touch. RIP.

[JasonEvans]

We were unbelievably blessed, here at the DBR Bulletin Board, to have Bill post here from time to time. Here is a collection of all 85 of his posts in the forum's current incarnation. (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/search.php?searchid=78408)

Some are short and, out of necessity, most do not reflect the full breadth of his knowledge about basketball. Still, it is a fun trip down memory lane to read some of these.

I was fortunate enough to get emails from Bill every now and then. The last email I got from him came after Duke whupped UNC for the ACC title. In it, he wrote--


I can tell u that the magic of coach K basketball can make somebody forget inoperable cancer and a long week. I so proud of myself that I just watched and never got nervous. this is the second acc tournament I've missed since '60 and the last time duke lost to maryland in '04. bb

To merely say, "he will be missed" does not come close to describing the magnitude of this loss. The entire Duke community is worse off today.

-Jason "Bill has the best seats in the house to all future games now -- enjoy them from the view up there, buddy!" Evans

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Rest in peace Bill. You will be missed by all who knew you.

The article says his service will be in Cameron on Friday afternoon. The men's basketball banquet is in Cameron Friday evening with what I would think would require a completely different setup, that is, you wouldn't want all the dinner tables on the floor for the service that will be there for the dinner. I wonder if the banquet will be postponed?

[OZZIE4DUKE]

We were unbelievably blessed, here at the DBR Bulletin Board, to have Bill post here from time to time. Here is a collection of all 85 of his posts in the forum's current incarnation. (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/search.php?searchid=78408)
Jason, the link doesn't work.

[-jk]

Try this one (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/search.php?do=finduser&userid=1651&contenttype=vBForum_Post&showposts=1).

-jk

[blazindw]

Absolutely devastated to hear this news. I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Bill Brill a few times during my years in college, and his sheer knowledge of basketball was unmatched. It was an honor to even speak to him, much less hold a conversation with him the few times I was able to. My thoughts and prayers with his family and for all of the Duke Basketball community...we've lost a true legend.

[Mike Corey]

I agree with Jason: This is a very large loss for the Duke community, and specifically its basketball world. I suspect Mr. Brill has forgotten more about Duke basketball than any of us will ever know.

I have no doubt that there are countless people, like Ozzie above, who had the privilege of getting to know Mr. Brill in person, as friends, professionally or otherwise. I cannot say that I was one of those people, but I did have the pleasure of interviewing him once for a story on the history of ACC football, and to sit alongside him at a few Duke games back when I was an undergraduate.

I remember prior to that interview, the sports information director at the time told me that Mr. Brill was as nice as they come, that he was a legend, and that no one loved Coach K more than he. I was, suffice it to say, nervous as heck. But over lunch, Mr. Brill completely put me at ease, and in one answer after another, demonstrated that he was a walking history of all things Duke athletics.

His knowledge of Duke was encyclopedic. The books and articles he's left behind are surely testament to that. It was a wonder to sit across from him and listen to him tell anecdote after anecdote about the rise and fall of Duke football. And he had no qualms blending that knowledge and passion for Duke with constructive criticism.

But I will remember Mr. Brill best for one particular Duke-UNC game in Chapel Hill. He and I sat next to one another, and were cheering silently through glances and high-fives underneath the table as Duke squared off with UNC and ultimately won with a last-second layup by Chris Duhon. I was thrilled the next day to see that the moment enshrined on the cover of UNC's student newspaper, and in the lower left-hand corner, you could see both Mr. Brill and me. I've treasured the picture ever since, and will treasure it all the more so now.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk139/PolicyInPractice/Picture6-1.png

Like so many of you, Mr. Brill was enamored with Duke basketball. He was able to contribute to it in so many ways through his words and his work. His contributions will be missed far and wide, for his insights into the program and the coach--and the game itself--are now for us to sift through in his old writings rather than his stories to come.

May peace be with you, Mr. Brill, and with your family and friends.

[throatybeard]

I
But I will remember Mr. Brill best for one particular Duke-UNC game in Chapel Hill. He and I sat next to one another, and were cheering silently through glances and high-fives underneath the table as Duke squared off with UNC and ultimately won with a last-second layup by Chris Duhon. I was thrilled the next day to see that the moment enshrined on the cover of UNC's student newspaper, and in the lower left-hand corner, you could see both Mr. Brill and me. I've treasured the picture ever since, and will treasure it all the more so now.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk139/PolicyInPractice/Picture6-1.png


I can't believe I've linked that photo like a dozen times and never noticed that. Attached is perhaps a slightly larger jpeg.

http://duke.edu/~bct1/images/DuhonUNCLayup.jpeg

Bill often said the only Duke-UNC game he'd missed in...I forget how many years, but he matriculated in 1948-49, was the home game after the game above, on 6 March 2004 (Duke 70, UNC 65). Until this March.

[JasonEvans]

http://duke.edu/~bct1/images/DuhonUNCLayup.jpeg

Mike Corey with the boss seats!!!

By the way, where was the technical on Jawad Williams on that play for slapping the backboard?

Oh, that's right... the game was at UNC. So we were playing 5-on-8 ;)

-Jason

[CameronBornAndBred]

I didn't know Bill except through his writing, but then that's probably the way most of us knew him. I was lucky enough to meet him a couple of times as he joined us for a couple of Brunchgates. He even made it into one of my paintings. I've never painted a person just because they are famous, I paint them because I think the image I captured tells a story beyond just a photo. Bill obviously was very good at telling stories. In this painting, he is sharing one of those with Ozzie and DevilDeac. Thanks for your stories, Bill.

1921

[throatybeard]

The mods (not me, though my suggestion) have stickied this thread so it doesn't get lost in the volume. I would suggest this is the most important Duke MBB death between Max Crowder and whenever Mike Krzyzewski departs this mortal coil. Unless I'm forgetting someone. Apologies to Coach D'Armi, also recently deceased. We miss him too. And he was really baseball.

I salute Brill for many reasons, obviously his historical and institutional knowledge, much mentioned, but also some other things. For example, he really supported WBB, as so few of MBB our fans do. He supported FB, as so few of our MBB fans do. He supported the non-rev sports.

Brill's 1986 book was out on the table at our place still from a few weeks ago. Our Notre Dame Ugrad friend came over a couple weeks ago or something. (He's our Shakespeare guy, we got him from Penn, he's from near Wheeling, and he likes WVU but loves ND). I was grasping for David Rivers' name and we put that together with Brill's book, because I knew Johnny had blocked Rivers' shot.

The book is a treasure. I'd never say this to Bill, but when the 100-years book came out, I was like, well, this is fine, but it's not the 1986 book. The new one was glossy, streamlined, edited a little too much probably. And this isn't his fault at all. Nothing wrong with the 100-years book, but the thing is, of those 100 years, a lot of or most of the most fun stuff happened in the last 20. This forced him to spend less space in the new book on what is history to people older than me but younger than him. Or older than him, even. When I got to Duke in 1994, I knew who Gerry Gerard was. Hal Bradley. Ed Koffenberger. Carroll Youngkin. And where they fit in. That's all Brill's doing. Much less the Bubas and Foster flowerings.

Now that I look back on this, I was a little snotty. The impertinence of youth. (A lot of Duke people aren't Duke fans till they get to Duke, or till they're there a couple years. In 1994-95, I was berating nitwits [I thought] from Chicago or Cali or the Northeast because they didn't know who Robert Brickey was. Robert Brickey! I'm like, c'mon people, he was a senior in 1990! How dare you not know who Tate Armstrong is? Bob Verga! Joe Belmont! And I don't mean to demean non-alums either, or anyone else).

The 1986 book is very important to me. Now look, I'm not one of these "Duke basketball is religion" people. I know too many of those. But here is something that it probably took Bill, I don't know, six months to write the finishing parts of? The stuff on 1986, which bookends the narrative. Or maybe a bit fewer, it's on a small press. I forget the circumstances, but I'm guessing my parents bought me the book for my 10th birthday on October 1986, or for Christmas 86. This damn thing is an artifact to me.

The spine isn't broken. The dust jacket isn't torn, or laminated to keep it from tearing. For some reason, there's a clipping of the late season AP poll from 1988 (?) tucked in the back.

This thing is in just about mint condition. Boys under like 14 are real hard on household objects. I apparently revered this book so that I can pull it out off the shelf **25 years later** and it's in perfect shape. Somewhere between ages 7 and 10, I learned to care for LPs and books.

When I read that he checked out "Sunday afternoon," according to the press release, I wondered if he was conscious before that, if he got to see the end of the Masters, which a sports fan might be watching. And I thought of all the "Nicklaus 86" talk this week, 25 years ago. Brill's masterpiece came out 25 years ago too.

It's stupid, just my head trying to make sense of a random universe, but it seems fitting that the same ugly esophagus cancer that felled Terry Sanford would take him out, and it seems fitting that he leaves us on Masters Sunday, 25 years after his own greatest book, framed by the events of the spring of 1986, and 25 years after the Jack's Masters Sunday that they'll be talking about for another lifetime or two.

I missed Brill before I'm missing him now.

If you don't have the 1986 book, called 1906-1986, Duke Basketball, an Illustrated History, beg, borrow, steal or deal a copy of it of the internet or something. I have quite a bit of Duke memorabilia. Not an extensive collection, I'm not bragging. A couple signed letters from K, a signed 1999 Elton Brand SI, a couple K-signed books, some other stuff, whatever, who cares, schmuh. My father threw out some pieces of Shanty from his garage a few years ago. Meh.

If you said to me today or any other day ever, you can keep one Duke MBB thing, what's it gonna be? I would say, Brill 1986. No question. You have to fight me for this book.

That's how people feel about you, Bill. I sent you card about a month ago with a paragraph to that effect, much less mancrushey. Hope they got it to you. And in your dying months, your book was out in the middle of the room in my place. Not on some shelf. In view.

[bjornolf]

RIP, Bill. You will be missed.

[Reilly]

Visit the Roanoke Times site for a fuller Doug Doughty story on Brill's life than what is currently linked to on the front page of DBR.

www.roanoke.com

[MulletMan]

Sigh.

I feel like I'm supposed to write something profound here. Some good bye to Bill, but there are no words that will do him justice and how important he was to Duke Basketball. Bill was the best. Period.

Since I learned of his condition, I have essentially been hoping that he would not suffer and that the team could do some great things for him. I received a similar e-mail to Jason's and remember a mixture of smiles and tears at that moment. Its very similar to how I feel now.

Thanks, Bill, for being you. It was more than enough.

[Reilly]

... no words that will do him justice ....

Bill's own obituary (penned by him):

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=205134130&DB_OEM_ID=4200

[weezie]

Godspeed Mr. Brill.
I hope your legacy will be enshrined in the ACC Sport's Hall of Fame.

[devildeac]

Bill's own obituary (penned by him):

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=205134130&DB_OEM_ID=4200

LMAO and cried at the same time. Well done. You will be missed dearly, Mr. Brill.

[jimsumner]

Bill was a legend in the college-basketball world. He is a member of the United States Basketball Writers Hall of Fame and the media room at Cameron is named after him. He likely attended more Final Fours than anyone. Nobody knew more about the history of Duke and ACC basketball. No one. His affection for his alma mater was legendary.

A sigificant loss, on so many levels.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Bill Brill was indeed a special person. He had the ability to know more than anyone else in the room, yet fit in with everyone around him. His sense of humor was always clever without denigrating others. He was able to observe things other people would miss. His love of basketball, especially Duke basketball, is well known. He also loved football and had a treasure trove of information, memories and experiences to share.

Bill was a regular at our tailgate parties, rarely missing a party. He won over guests who accompanied the opposing teams, sometimes converting them to Duke fans. When the football season rolls around this year, we'll remember the great times we had when Bill was there.

[Atlanta Duke]

Nice remembrance by John Feinstein

On the passing of my longtime mentor and closest of friends, Bill Brill...

His personality was probably best summed up by a T-shirt he liked to wear that said: “I’m not opinionated, I’m just right all the time.”:)
http://www.feinsteinonthebrink.com/index.php?id=3888678674262521825

[roywhite]

Farewell, Bill. You meant a lot to sports in general and to Duke in particular.

It's a great blessing for you to have been present throughout the last 60+ years of Duke basketball and especially for the greatest era of all, the Coach K era. And a double blessing for us to be fans in that era and enjoy your words and stories.

[JStuart]

I believe the first time I read about how UCLA's streak was aided and abetted by the makeup of the NCAA tournament (west teams only played west teams until the final four, and etc.) was in his discussion in the book about the Back-to-Back season. That just made Coach K's accomplishment all that more amazing.
Feinstein's article is fabulous; am looking forward to Featherston's Requiem as well.
JStuart

[OZZIE4DUKE]

The service for Brill (since everyone called him Brill - I learned that from Feinstein's article - even though I always called him Bill and he never corrected me) is in Scharf Hall.

Those wishing to attend Sunday’s event should park in the Whitford Drive Lot located between Koskinen Stadium and Jack Coombs Field. It is recommended to come early as a large turnout is expected.
They should move it into Cameron. Scharf Hall won't be near large enough to hold the turnout.

[sagegrouse]

I didn't know Brill well, but I found myself hanging on every word he said or wrote. The article from John F. is amazing, and the self-authored obit is vintage Brill.

sagegrouse

[M B Walker]

Even if you don't know who Bill Brill was, and especially if you do, if you care at all about Duke and those who care for Duke, then take a moment and read the obituary Bill Brill wrote for himself. It's absolutely priceless, and includes stories of such accomplishments as being a Duke student taking two courses held at the same time, working as statistician for the Duke basketball team, and earning $25.80 a week while living in a apartment that costs $26.00.

Great stuff, by a great man who truly loved Duke. Don't miss it: http://www.roanoke.com/283016

[OZZIE4DUKE]

The service for Brill (since everyone called him Brill - I learned that from Feinstein's article - even though I always called him Bill and he never corrected me) is in Scharf Hall.

They should move it into Cameron. Scharf Hall won't be near large enough to hold the turnout.
Upon further review, well, after checking with the Iron Duke's, holding the service in Scharf Hall was Brill's request. I yield the floor and will get there early.

[throatybeard]

This here is Brill's first (of two) farewell columns in the Roanoke paper, 6/30/91

http://www.roanoke.com/283017

[DevilWearsPrada]

Upon further review, well, after checking with the Iron Duke's, holding the service in Scharf Hall was Brill's request. I yield the floor and will get there early.

With a 2pm service, Ozzie what time are you planning on going? For anybody else, what are your plans for the Sunday memorial service?

I will miss Bill Brill at our Blue Devil Club meetings. He always enlightened the group with his vast knowledge of Duke University and Athletics. But so glad, he touched our lives! Truly miss him, and even more when our meetings start up in the Fall.

[Reilly]

Video remembrance from colleagues:

http://www.roanoke.com/sportscast/

And more on his complicated relationship w/ VT:

http://www.roanoke.com/sports/notebookplus/wb/283535

[OZZIE4DUKE]

The service was wonderful, a true celebration of his life. I'll post a bit more about it later when I have time if no one else does. I'm glad I went. There were well over 300 people in attendance.

[DevilWearsPrada]

The service was wonderful, a true celebration of his life. I'll post a bit more about it later when I have time if no one else does. I'm glad I went. There were well over 300 people in attendance.

An amazing Memorial Service! Bill had everything planned from writing his obit, the catering company for the reception, and the speakers for his service. Bob Harris did the welcome, and then introduced the first speaker, which Bill Brill called "The Captain", and that was Coach K.

Hopefully, Ozzie or someone else will elaborate on the service. John Feinstein was the final speaker, of six. It was truly a celebration of life, and many personal stories from all 6 speakers. Oh how, Bill Brill loved Duke, and hated the Hokies! The final song, was Bill's favorite, "Danny Boy", and sung by the Duke Chorale. Brought a tear to everyone.

I learned through the speakers that Bill Brill wrote in exclamation marks!! And that was his style! (Now, I can call my writing style, BRILL STYLE)!

A wonderful reception followed, and was catered by Durham Catering Company. As Ozzie said, over 300 in attendance.

I can truly say, this was a wonderful memorial service, and one that I will remember forever. I will truly miss seeing Bill Brill at the Football games, and seating on press row at the Basketball games. But I will miss him most, at our Blue Devil Club meetings, where he would sit at one of the round tables up front, and have notes penned on a napkin, or small piece of paper. Bill (as I called him, or Mr Brill), would generally NOT ask a question to the keynote speaker, but make statements. His knowledge of Duke and Duke athletics will surely be missed.

But BRILL will live on within us Forever!!!

[Reilly]

Thanks for the report of the service.

Small-world Duke connection in popular press of writers here recently: Bill Brill's obits mention that he went to Christchurch School in Virginia before Duke; William Styron did as well (Styron's daughter's memoir of him currently getting press -- excerpted in Vanity Fair and reviewed in NYT).

Brill was Christchurch '48, Duke '52; Styron Christchurch '42, Duke '47.

[MulletMan]

Al's article on the front page reminded me that I miss Bill Brill. I, obviously, never got to see Brill's bracket antics, but I heard a lot about it from some of the folks who'd been around Duke for a while when I arrived. Makes me laugh when I see how inaccurate some of today's stuff is.

Anyway, we miss you Bill. And to those of you new to DBR or too young to know and appreciate Brill's work...take a minute...you won't regret it.

[throatybeard]

Al's article on the front page reminded me that I miss Bill Brill. I, obviously, never got to see Brill's bracket antics, but I heard a lot about it from some of the folks who'd been around Duke for a while when I arrived. Makes me laugh when I see how inaccurate some of today's stuff is.

Anyway, we miss you Bill. And to those of you new to DBR or too young to know and appreciate Brill's work...take a minute...you won't regret it.

Especially his books for the 80th and 100th anniversaries of the Men's basketball program. And especially especially the first of those.

[jimsumner]

Especially his books for the 80th and 100th anniversaries of the Men's basketball program. And especially especially the first of those.

Brill's absence is especially difficult this time of year. He loved tournament hoops.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Brill's absence is especially difficult this time of year. He loved tournament hoops.
You are so right! I was also intrigued by his interest in football. I remember many wonderful Saturdays sitting under the tent talking football... and listening to Brill share his encyclopedic knowledge.