Remembering Kyle Smith, one year after his passing

The 2023 Kyle Smith Memorial Scholarship was awarded Thursday to Dexter’s Cole Nichols. The scholarship is named after the late Kyle Smith, the former sports editor at the DAR and Dexter Statesman. Pictured are Dexter Statesman editor Josh Ayers (left), Nichols and Show Me Times owner Dee Loflin. (Truman Krapf photo)

It’s hard to believe it has been a year since we lost Kyle Smith.

It was a year ago on Sunday (March 12) when Donna Farley called me. I thought, it has something to do with work — maybe needing me to write about some breaking news that had happened that day, especially since I might have been on call that weekend.

Instead, it was to give me the bad news that Kyle had been found dead in his hotel room that morning, shortly before he was slated to cover the Bernie boys basketball team in the state championship game.

As I have said before, Kyle was one of my mentors in this business. He was my first boss and did an admirable job of showing the ropes to a 26-year-old kid who had never worked at a newspaper before.

First off, Kyle was a great sports writer. He wasn’t flashy, but if you read a Kyle Smith game story, you would know everything you needed to know about the game. A major reason I am the writer I am today is because I read Kyle’s stories and imitated him.

Kyle had good news instincts. He knew what was important and needed to be zeroed in on, and he also knew what was not as important and could be (or should be) downplayed.

I remember covering a basketball game between Clearwater and Neelyville that was a very back and forth affair, so much so I let myself spend too much time focusing on play-by-play instead of hitting the key moments and key points of the game. He told me as much afterward, imparting a very important lesson I’ve applied often over the last 22-plus years.

He also knew when it was time to give me a chance to step up and grow. When prior commitments prevented him from visiting with then-Poplar Bluff football coach Mark Barousse for a preview of the Mules’ playoff game at Parkway South, he handed the assignment to me. For a rookie sports writer, that felt like being given the ball to start on the mound in Game 1 of the playoffs.

It might go without saying, but that was a big confidence builder for me.

Thursday night, Dexter High School basketball standout Cole Nichols was awarded the first Kyle Smith Memorial Scholarship. It is one of the many ways people have honored Kyle’s memory and the work he did over the years.

And if anyone deserves those honors, Kyle does. He was one of the best in this business.

Mike Buhler is a staff writer and the interim sports editor of the Daily American Republic. Contact him at mbuhler@darnews.com.