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RAMSEY: I'll miss Lee Douglas
“The community has lost an impressive sportscaster and a class act. He will be missed by so many.”
– Carmen Boles, Gazette Content Director
“In a business that can be overly cynical, Lee was always smiling. His jovial personality was always evident — he enjoyed life and always brought a great spirit to whatever event he happened to be at. He will be deeply missed.”
– Frank Schwab, Gazette Air Force beat reporter
“Probably the most recognizable media personality in Colorado Springs, Lee always greeted me with a smile and a handshake. Courtesy and respect go a long way in this industry, and Lee carried plenty of both. He was a gentleman, and he was a class act.”
– Brian Gomez, Gazette Colorado College beat reporter
“I always appreciated Lee and particularly liked how important prep sports were to him. I kidded him about his there-it-is there-it-isn’t facial hair over the years. There are many young TV types who are enthusiastic about their jobs because they learned the love of the media from Lee, their college teacher. RIP, Lee.”
– Linda Navarro, Gazette reporter for over 40 years
“I met Lee a couple of times as a college student in Pueblo and then after I began working at The Gazette. Lee always treated me with respect. When I interned at the State Fair many moons ago, I remember him playing the oldies and talking sports. He was always smiling and having a good time interacting with people.”
– Matt Wiley, Gazette Sports copy desk
Fisher DeBerry told the truth about Lee Douglas.
“I never met a man who didn’t like Lee Douglas,” DeBerry said Sunday afternoon. “I don’t think he ever met a person he didn’t like.”
Like many of you, I was stunned Sunday to hear the news of Lee’s death. For years, Lee had been a presence in our living rooms, delivering sports news from the Pikes Peak region for KOAA.
He wasn’t perky. His gravelly voice made sure of that. But he did have an authoritative, unpretentious, friendly air about him.
This was no performance. There was nothing fake about Lee Douglas.
I worked alongside Lee at games for nearly a decade. Never saw him lose his temper. Never heard him criticize a colleague. Never heard anyone – coach, player, rival journalist – utter a bad word about him.
Fisher is right. Everyone liked Lee Douglas. And Lee Douglas liked everyone.
When Air Force hockey coach Frank Serratore heard the news, he was saddened but soon couldn’t help but smile. He thought back to a October trip to Pepsi Center for a Jimmy Buffett concert. He and Lee sat in lawn chairs in the parking lot, enjoying a few beers and a few hours of laughter.
“He was just a genuine good guy, you know what I mean?” Serratore said. “I know a lot of people, but I don’t really have a lot of friends. I considered Lee a friend, but I think everybody did. He had that way about him. He just had that easygoing, comfortable way about him. He was so genuine.”
Serratore paused for several seconds, gathering his emotions and his thoughts.
“To be honest with you, I loved the guy.”
I didn’t know Lee well, but we had a ritual after Broncos games at Mile High. We almost always enjoyed, or suffered through, the same weekend experience. He covered Air Force football games, home and away, as a radio color commentator while I worked beside the newspaper writers.
Lee was not especially hard-hitting on the air. His criticism was guarded. That was his style, and that’s the nature of most sports broadcasting.
I’ve been told my criticism can be hard-hitting, and at times I’ve injured the egos of various coaches and administrators at Air Force.
Lee served as my critic. After Broncos games, we talked about what I had written, and a few times he told me I had gone too far. (He never told me I had not gone far enough.) He was gentle in his observations, and there was always straightforward wisdom in what he said. I trusted him. I respected him.
There will be a moment at Mile High next season when I’ll look to the second row of the pressbox. I’ll be looking for Lee.
He won’t be there.
And that makes me sad.
Twitter: @davidramz
Facebook: davidramsey13
