The sports editor grew up loving Sports Illustrated, the great magazine founded back in the 1950s.
I was given a subscription as a gift in 1988 and was a subscriber all the way until 2006, before the digital age took hold.
One of my favorite segments was, “Catching Up With …”
The feature detailed a famous person who had previously been on the cover of the magazine. Many times, the subjects were former football players.
So, Thursday, I interviewed one of Bowie’s former football stars – Aaron Kernek, who eventually became a force at Austin College in Sherman and played in the National Football League for both the Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants.
Kernek recalled how as an undrafted rookie with the Ravens, cameras followed him around during Home Box Office’s hit show “Hard Knocks.”
“To be from a small town and thrown into an HBO special was interesting,” Kernek said. Read more in the weekend Bowie News.

Aaron Kernek was a three-sport standout for Bowie High School. He eventually played for two National Football League teams. Today, he owns three furniture stores in North Texas. Click on the image for the complete photo.(Courtesy photo from the Bowie Athletic Boosters Club)