As I post this, I am trying very hard not to cry.Bill Gonillo of News 12 was found dead in his Woodbridge home yesterday, according to various news sources. He was 44.
I don't think there is anything I could possibly write to properly honor him.
A lot of people out there may have just known Bill as the face on the television. But for the coaches and the rest of the media, he was a lot more than that.
When you saw Bill at a game, it was a sign of a few things.
One was that you knew it was an important game, because he was present with camera in hand, and would be in your living room a little later.
The other was this. When you saw Bill at a game, any and all stress went away. Bill was, literally, the life of the game. He was like a magnet. A lot of us would drop whatever we were doing to go over and say hi, and find out how he was doing. And most important, he wanted to know how you were doing. And it was genuine.
To be honest, I don't think there was anyone in Fairfield County sports media who didn't like the guy.
On a personal note, every time I saw him one-on-one at the game, he'd tell me, "Anything I can do to help you out, just let me know." I never took advantage. Instead, I gave him calls from games we were both at, which he'd have to leave, to report a final score (or 2).
Most recently, that was this week, when I saw him at the Weston-New Milford and Greenwich-Darien games Thursday, then at the St. Joseph-Ludlowe game on Friday.
He was excited Thursday when I told him about Weston's comeback. I started giving him the details when mid-play at the Greenwich-Darien game, he says, "Here' talk the the camera" and started shooting as I gave him Trojans running back Dylan Hannum's touchdown numbers.
Friday, he and Fairfield Ludlowe athletic director Dave Schultz were talking with him just as he was leaving Trumbull. We were talking about something all sports guys do - hot dogs.
And when he left, he said, "Hey Timmy, can you do me a favor and call me with the score?"
To which I replied, "Oh, I thought you were going to tell me what you wanted on your hot dog!"
As he was walking away, Bill replied, "Maybe next time!"
Bill, it's the first thing I will do when we meet again.
Here is the AP article.
Please leave your comments about Bill Gonillo below.
1 comment:
Bill was truly the best. We will all miss him. I had worked with him on Channel 12 years ago and will always remember him for his outgoing ways.
The sports community will miss you...
Post a Comment