Welcome to Top Sports News
TSN founder, longtime broadcaster Bill Griffin passes away at 69 after 10-month cancer fight
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
TopSports.news founder and longtime local radio broadcaster Bill Griffin passed away peacefully early Monday morning at a local hospital at the age of 69.
Bill Griffin, who passed away Monday at the age of 69, was recognized during a 2022 Washburn University football game in Yager Stadium. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Griffin was surrounded by wife Nancy and close friends at the time of his death after a 10-month battle with esophageal cancer.
Griffin grew up in the greater Kansas City area and played baseball and football at the University of Kansas before carving out a long multi-faceted business career in Topeka, including a stint as the general manager of the Heartland Park Topeka racing facility.
It was Griffin's brainchild in 2020 to launch TopSports.news, a website dedicated to Shawnee County high school and Washburn University sports, and he was the heart and soul of the organization from its debut on Jan. 1, 2021.
“The conversation about launching this website started about a year and a half before we actually made it to the webpage,” Griffin said in a 2021 interview with TK Business Magazine. "It then accelerated when we were at a brunch in Vegas. While we were there, we said, ‘Let’s take a hard look at doing this.’
“From my side of it, it looked like there was an open opportunity in the market for someone to step in and take over coverage of high school sports.”
Griffin also put together a 30-year career broadcasting high school sports with Hall of Famer Mike Manns, with Griffin continuing to broadcast games during his cancer fight, working his final high school basketball doubleheader last Tuesday.
Friends, family to gather on Feb. 8 to celebrate the life of Bill Griffin
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
A celebration of life gathering for TopSports.news founder and longtime local broadaster Bill Griffin will be held from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8th, at the Miller’s Glen Village Hall/Clubhouse, 2234 SW Village Hall Rd., Topeka.
Bill Griffin
Griffin passed away Monday at the age of 69 after a 10-month battle with esophageal cancer.
BILLY “BILL” W. GRIFFIN JR.
March 14, 1955 – January 20, 2025
Bill Griffin, 69, of Topeka passed away Monday, January 20, 2025, after a 10-month battle with esophageal cancer.
He was born March 14, 1955, in Moberly, Missouri. The son of Billy W. Griffin, Sr. and Wilma “Chris” (Curtis) Griffin. He was a 1973 graduate of Oak Park High School, Gladstone, Missouri; graduated from the University of Kansas, Bachelor of Liberal Arts, 1977.
Griffin came to Topeka in 1988. He worked for Coca-Cola Bottling Company, State of Kansas, Heartland Park Topeka, 30+ yrs. as a sports broadcaster for KMAJ radio, and in 2021 founded and launched TopSports.News, a website dedicated to Topeka/Shawnee County high school and Washburn University sports.
Griffin married Nancy Tudor of Topeka on July 9, 1983. They were married 41 yrs. He is also survived by cousins, Bob Curtis and Cathy (Curtis) Witt.
At Oak Park HS, Bill was a three year letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. He received a scholarship to KU, where he played both football and baseball, 1973-1977. Bill was an avid fishman and enjoyed “excursions” to the craps tables in Las Vegas.
Cremation is planned. Celebration of Life will be held 10am-Noon, Saturday, February 8th at Miller’s Glen Village Hall/Clubhouse, 2234 SW Village Hall Rd., Topeka. Dove Cremations and Funerals Southwest Chapel is assisting the family.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to KU Endowment, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Mail Stop 3012, Kansas City, KS 66160, to benefit Cancer Research at the University of Kansas Cancer Center. Online contributions may be made at www.kuendowment.org/give Please indicate that donations are in memory of Billy W. Griffin, Jr.
To share a memory of Bill or leave a special message for his family, visit the guestbook below.
Top-ranked Seaman girls improve to 9-0 with double-digit win over No. 6 Thunder
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
Seaman, the top-ranked team in Class 5A, hosted sixth-ranked St. James Academy Tuesday in a contest that had been rescheduled due to the snowstorm earlier this month.
Senior Anna Becker led the way with 20 points as Seaman improved to 9-0 with a 57-44 non-league win over St. James Academy Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
Combining a fast start with clutch play down the stretch, the Vikings improved to 9-0 with a 57-44 victory over the Thunder.
Seaman started the game quickly with a flurry of baskets both inside and outside and led 18-8 at the end of the first quarter.
The Thunder responded with a 15-6 run to start the second quarter and cut the lead to 24-23 with 4:20 remaining in the first half. But the Lady Vikes outscored the Thunder 9-3 over the last 3:40, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by senior Kinley Wilhelm, to lead 33-26.
The first four minutes of the third quarter went back and forth and Seaman was able to extend its lead by the end of the quarter to 10 points, 45-35.
In the first three minutes of the final quarter, seniors Jaida Stallbaumer and Anna Becker hit two and three-point baskets, respectively, and along with a free throw by sophomore Maddie Gragg, the Lady Vikes led 51-40. The final five minutes of the contest became a battle of free throws and the Lady Vikes won their ninth straight game of the season.
Seaman Matt Tinsley was pleased with his team’s total performance.
“We guarded and played really well defensively,'' Tinsley said. "We controlled the boards, which was an emphasis before the game. Offensively, we moved the ball, kept our composure and got great shots.”
Prior to the game, Tinsley mentioned to the team that this would be a ‘big girl’ game and it would require toughness throughout.
“Ava Esser had some big shots in the third quarter, Kinley Wilhelm was tough on the boards, Maddie Gragg made tough plays and Jaida Stallbaumer had a couple of important drives for baskets in the fourth quarter,'' Tinsley said. "We needed to have a game like this where the girls had to rely on each other to get it done. The game honors toughness and we were tough tonight.”
