Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News says farewell after 33 years as a sports writer.

Mark Purdy also wrote a series on his long and storied career, including this one where he describes his best and worst assignments.

Elizabeth Merrill of ESPN tells the story of a small town in rural Texas where a young girl is making the difference on the high school football team.

David Gardner of Bleacher Report profiles Myron Rolle, an All-American defensive back at Florida State and former NFL player, who is now a brain surgeon.