Former Nevada Daily Mail sports editor dead at 61

Kelly Bradham, whose name was synonymous with Nevada sports for decades, died Tuesday at age 61 after a long illness.

Kelly was a fixture at Nevada sports events. I enjoyed talking with him for more than two decades, beginning with the 1978 Silver Tiger game at Nevada when I was sports editor at the Lamar Democrat and the Lamar team under the direction of Coach Chuck Blaney defeated Kelly's beloved Nevada squad.

After that, I saw him at numerous basketball tournaments, a baseball tournament or two and I had a chance to work with him for a brief time during the summer of 1999 when I filled in for a few days at the Daily Mail when it was shorthanded and I was preparing to go into teaching:

"Kelly knew Nevada sports backwards and forwards ... any number or statistic you wanted, people would say, 'Just call Kelly.' He even ciphered how many days it had been since Nevada had defeated Webb City in football in one of his columns. He had a wealth of knowledge, and a wealth of love for the town of Nevada," said Nevada Daily Mail editor Lynn Wade.