By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
As we wade into the first full week of a new year, it's natural to get excited about the future.
But while we look ahead to 2026, it’s also important that we don't forget those we lost in 2025.
In '25 we said goodbye to Bob Uecker (baseball). George Foreman (boxing), D. Wayne Lukas (horse racing), Dave Parker (baseball), Ryne Sandberg (baseball), Davey Johnson (baseball), Ken Dryden (hockey), Bob Trumpy (football), Lenny Wilkens (basketball), Fuzzy Zoeller (golf) and Greg Biffle (auto racing), but the losses were also felt close to home.
Longtime local radio broadaster and TopSports.news founder Bill Griffin passed away at the age of 69 just 20 days into 2025 while WIBW, Kansas state and University of Nebraska broadcaster Greg Sharpe passed away on Feb. 14 at the age of 61.
The year was also marked by the passing of Hayden Hall of Famer Rick Strecker on June 28 at 67 years old, Washburn University basketball Hall of Famer Ryan Murphy on July 9 at 45 years old and Hayden Hall of Famer Tom Stringer on Nov. 28 at the age of 64 .
Here’s a brief look at the legacy the five Topeka sports figures left:
BILL GRIFFIN
TopSports.news founder and longtime local radio broadcaster Bill Griffin passed away on Jan. 20, 2025 at the age of 69 after a 10-month battle with esophageal cancer.
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 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.
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 six days prior to his death.
Manns said his longtime broadcast partner was a perfectionist in everything he did.
"Even if he made a little mistake he just knocked himself out, feeling bad about making a mistake and making sure he never ever made that mistake again,'' Manns said. "He told me one time, 'This is something I really enjoy, I love doing games and I wouldn't want to be doing anything else with my life right now than doing games.' ''
GREG SHARPE
Former WIBW and Kansas State broadcaster and 17-year voice of the Nebraska Cornhuskers Greg Sharpe passed away on Feb. 14 at the age of 61 after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Former WIBW broadcaster and longtime voice of the Nebraska Cornhuskers Greg Sharpe passed away on Feb. 14 of 2025. [Roper & Sons Funeral Home]
Sharpe graduated from Stanley-Blue Valley High School in 1982 before earning a broadcast journalism degree at Kansas State.
Following graduation from K-State, Sharpe worked in both radio and television for WIBW in the sports department. Sharpe was hired as the voice of Kansas State in 1996 and called games for his alma mater until 2002. He then served as program director and hosted Sports Sanity for WIBW radio until he was hired as the voice of the University of Nebraska in 2007.
Sharpe was named sportscaster of the year twice in both Kansas and Nebraska and was inducted into the Kansas Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2024.
RICK STRECKER
Rick Strecker, a member of Hayden Catholic High School's first class of inductees into the school's Hall of Fame in 2021, passed away on June 28 at the age of 67 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Rick Strecker, who led Hayden to five state titles and served his alma mater in a variety of roles, passed away on June 28 after a battle with cancer. [File photo/TSN]
A 1976 Hayden graduate, Strecker served his alma mater as a physics and chemistry teacher, state championship coach, athletic director, principal and the school's president for nearly two decades before moving on to Blue Valley West in 2016.
Strecker, the student council president and athlete of the year as a senior at Hayden, led the Wildcats to three Class 4A state championships in girls basketball and two in track during his coaching career at the school.
Strecker continued to teach and coach in multiple sports at Blue Valley West, including serving as the Jaguars' head girls basketball coach, until being forced to step away after receiving his cancer diagnosis early in 2025.
RYAN MURPHY
Washburn University Hall of Fame basketball player Ryan Murphy died on July 9 at the age of 45 after a long illness.
Washburn Hall of Famer Ryan Murphy passed away on June 9 at the age of 45. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Murphy was a member of Washburn’s basketball team from 1999 to 2003 and finished his career third on WU's all-time scoring list with 1,654 points and fourth in all-time rebounds with 738.
Murphy was a first team All-MIAA pick in 2003 as a senior after receiving second team All-MIAA honors in 2002 and 2001. Murphy received honorable mention all-conference in 2000 as a freshman.
The Towanda-Circle product was part of three NCAA Tournament teams, including a national runnerup finish in 2001. Murphy finished his career as the Washburn record-holder with 132 career NCAA tournament points as well as 154 MIAA Tournament points.
Murphy was among a select group of Ichabods to score more than 1,000 points and grab 500 rebounds and was named the Ichabod team MVP as a senior. He connected on 108 of 281 3-pointers and was an 80 percent free throw shooter, hitting 338 of 419 attempts. Murphy averaged six rebounds a game for his career.
Murphy graduated from Washburn in 2005 and was inducted into the Washburn Hall of Fame in 2016.
TOM STRINGER
Hayden football coaching legend Tom Stringer passed away Nov. 28 at the age of 64 years old after multiple health challenges.
Tom Stringer, who passed away Nov. 28 at the age of 64, was inducted into the Hayden Hall of Fame in 2023 and is also a member of the Pittsburg State Athletic Hall of Fame. [File photo/TSN]
A 1979 Hayden graduate, Stringer went on to earn first-team All-America honors at Pittsburg State as an offensive lineman before returning to Hayden where he served as head football coach from 1992-2006, leading the Wildcats to the school's first Class 4A state championsip in 1998 with a 13-0 record before adding a second undefeated state title in 2004.
A member of the Pittsburg State Athletics Hall of Fame, Stringer was inducted into the Hayden Catholic Hall of Fame in 2023 and said that being back at the school that meant so much to him throughout his life was extra sweet.
"It's really special because you get to re-live one of the best parts of your life,'' Stringer said on the night of his induction. "You don't know how bad you liked something until you get away from it, so this is good. I'm very proud and very grateful that I got selected to do this. It's been 17 years since I've been here and every day I think about this place. Every day.''
Stringer was inducted into the Kansas Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Dec. 7.
Stringer's Hayden teams won the Centennial League championship seven times and he achieved a career record of 131-35 during his 15 seasons as the Wildcats' head coach.
Stringer coached in the Kansas Shrine Bowl four times (twice as head coach).
