A sports icon was lost in the Borderland area Wednesday, June 16, and there will be no replacing Roger Jerome.
Local softball fields have lost a competitive veteran, basketball courts have lost a fiery personality and football fields will feature one less intense patron.
And that just touches three sports.
Jerome, widely known simply as “Rog” or “Roger,” did much more than contribute to softball, basketball and football.
I’ve been fortunate enough in my young career to keep tribute columns to distant professional figures I never knew (Kirby Puckett, Kevin Garnett, etc.), so this has been the toughest to scribe, by far.
When the rumors started rolling in Thursday, June 10, about Roger’s condition, it was crushing news. It was also another reminder — a tragic reminder — that nobody ever knows when their time is up.
When I arrived here as a 22-year-old rookie sports editor in 2004, Roger’s voiced cracked over the radio waves with so much enthusiasm, listeners often had no idea what happened in a key moment. But he was just that into it. That was Rog.
When he attempted to step in for me in 2006 at The Daily Journal when I left for Red Wing, I sat and watched for two weeks and tried to help him with his limited knowledge of complicated computer jargon. We had a few beers over those frustrating nights — and he was never able to layout and design a newspaper page — but he was fortunately still writing for the paper when I came back in 2008.
He always knew how important sports were in this area, and because he was that into it, he was a walking encyclopedia for the local sports scene. I will never have that type of memory (as many of you already know when I try and remember your name), and will always be envious of it. I don’t remember (surprised?) when I first met Roger, but I do remember realizing at an early stage in our friendship that he was the guy to go to about anything sports.
He remembered dates, statistics, locations and pretty much everything important about every big sporting event over the past 30 years. And if he didn’t know, he knew someone who did.
It was also never about himself. He coached and officiated and, most recently, used his position on the school board, to do what he thought was best for future generations. My editor told me a story earlier this week that Roger was seeking another term on the board so he could hand his basketball players their diplomas when they graduated.
The last memory I have of Roger — besides his recumbent bicycle — is at the Kerry Park softball fields (which held a moment of silence for Roger on Monday). The team I’m on — made up of 20-something and early 30-something young bucks — was coming off the field after a win. Roger’s team was playing next, and he joked with us about looking tired. Touche, Rog. My only hope is I’m still as active and competitive as you were at 54.
I was fortunate enough to work with, play basketball with, golf with, play softball against and discuss sports with a man who will be remembered for a long time in this community.
Every community needs a Roger Jerome, and he will be missed.
