George Breazeale was my friend, but then George Breazeale was everybody’s friend. At least it always seemed that way. It was virtually impossible not to like him, not that anyone ever tried. He was just that cool, that friendly, that nice a person.

I probably knew Breezy for 50 years, and I don’t remember him ever getting truly mad or irritated except maybe during our basketball games at the Austin Rec Center — only a breath away from House Park — where George would hoist his curious push shot. He joined us young guns in everything we did, whether it was hoops or softball or whatever. He believed in team first, and I always admired him for that.

George began his career as a sports writer in 1948 with the San Antonio Express-News, and he joined the American-Statesman in 1950 as high school sports editor. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953, George returned to the American-Statesman and worked there full time until 1995.

Though he also covered college and pro sports in his popular “Sports By George!” column, Breazeale was best-known for his encyclopedic knowledge of high school sports, especially football. He covered more than 200 playoff games and 18 championship games, and in 2002 he was inducted into the Texas High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Breezy knew everyone, and everyone knew Breezy, and that’s part of the reason no one covered preps quite like him. He knew where to find a high school football score every Friday night, whether he had to call the local Dairy Queen or a small-town gas station. He WOULD find the score.

We also had a good-natured personal rivalry. George rooted for his Burnet Bulldogs and I my Taylor Ducks, and we never minded ribbing the loser whenever our schools played.

George, who died in 2010, had his quirks. He would write out interview questions and answers — and probably plenty of game stories, too — on the backs of used envelopes or any piece of scratch paper he could find. He never threw anything away. He had his unusual cars (including a Chrysler LeBaron convertible), a craggy smile and a devotion to this newspaper like no other. Finally, he had an appreciation for community and friendship and a job well done. I loved George Breazeale.

— Kirk Bohls

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: About the namesake of the Breazeale Cup