Tom Kowalski, Stalwart Detroit Lions Reporter, Passes Away at 51

Detroit Lions fans and the rest of the professional football world are shocked and saddened by the death of Tom "Killer" Kowalski this morning. A stalwart of Lions coverage since 1978, the longtime Booth Newspapers and MLive.com Lions writer was found dead in his home at the age of 51.

Just days before I was born, the Lions opened their 1981 campaign with a win over the San Francisco 49ers. That January, Kowalski covered the Niners' Super Bowl victory at the Pontiac Silverdome. Now, less than two weeks before my 30th birthday, I sit stunned: for the first time in my life, Killer won't be working the Lions beat.

Kowalski's work has long been a favorite of fans, colleagues and subjects alike. He earned a reputation for toughness, fairness and wry humor—and as the demands of his work changed from pure newspaper deadline writing to round-the-clock information availability, that reputation only grew.

One extraordinary instance of Kowalski's reportage comes to mind: when the Lions drafted Joey Harrington, Killer got a tip that Marty Mornhinweg was "furious" with the pick. Kowalski confirmed the tip and went live on the radio with the story. Minutes afterward, the Lions' PR staff brought Kowalski in for a face-to-face meeting with Mornhinweg, who spent 30 minutes trying to convince Killer his sources were wrong—all while other teams were on the clock in the first round! Mornhinweg later admitted it was all bluster.

"The entire Lions organization, the Ford family and me, personally, were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Tom Kowalski this morning,” said Detroit Lions Team President Tom Lewand. “Tom was a true professional, the consummate beat writer, somebody who brought a lot of tremendous information to our fans—even in times of disagreement; we always had the utmost respect for his professionalism."

At Mlive.com, Kowalski set the standard for interactive Lions coverage. Not only did he engage commenters on his articles, he frequently hosted live chats, solicited input and feedback, wrote entire articles in direct response to commenters, chopped it up with over 12,000 followers on Twitter—even video blogged from training camp, owner's meetings and the NFL Combine.

Fittingly, as news of his passing spread, "Tom Kowalski" became a trending topic on Twitter. Not just in Detroit or in the United States, but worldwide.

"We always considered Kowalski one of the very best beat writers in the country, a guy that embraced Internet coverage to the fullest early," said Gregg Rosenthal of Pro Football Talk.

It must be said that, throughout his long tenure, Kowalski had one of the bleakest assignments in the NFL. He covered only eight winning seasons and eight playoff games from 1978 to today, including the NFL's only 0-16 season. Yet Kowalski's coverage remained objective and fair throughout; he strove to put both losses and wins in perspective for a beleaguered, yet passionate, Lions fanbase.

ESPN.com NFC North blogger Kevin Siefert said on Twitter, "What's amazing is that he enjoyed it EVERY year. Even '08."

His love of what he did always shone through; his work will be deeply missed by fans and colleagues in what promises to be a banner year for Kowalski's subject. The timing of his passing from this world seems unjust; Killer won't be around to cover his hapless subject finally turning the corner.

I choose to believe he'll watch this season from an even better seat: one from which cheering is perfectly allowed.