R.I.P., Tom Borrelli

pseudo · Nov 10, 2008

Sportswriter dies of injuries suffered in fall at All High

Tom Borrelli, the Buffalo News sportswriter critically injured two weeks ago in a fall down a steep staircase, died this morning of complications from the fall.

Borrelli died at about 5:30 a.m. in Erie County Medical Center, where he had been hospitalized in critical condition since the Nov. 8 incident.

The 51-year-old Borrelli was injured while covering a high school football game for The News at All High Stadium. He scaled the approximately dozen metal stairs to the press box, before apparently striking his head on a steel girder and falling backward down the stairs.

The accident left him paralyzed from the neck down and breathing with a respirator. While his family hoped his condition would improve once the swelling went down, Borrelli had several serious setbacks in recent days, before he died.

"The newsroom is in shock," News Managing Editor Howard Smith said. "Tom was a total professional who knew how to do his job and did it as well as anyone can. He was as dedicated to his work as they come, and a first-rate human being. We will miss him terribly."

Among his duties at the News, Borrelli covered the Buffalo Bandits lacrosse team, becoming the first sportswriter inducted into the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame.

Survivors include his wife, Karen, a Buffalo News sports department employee; his father, George J. Borrelli, a retired News political reporter; and one brother, Dr. George W.
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Please keep Karen, and the rest of the sports department at The News, in your thoughts.

*********
Upon reflection, you're right, Rusty. Bad call on my part. The original post:
From the BN's Prep Talk blog: Best wishes to Tom Borrelli

On Saturday, I got the shocking call that my colleague and friend Tom Borrelli had an accident at All High Stadium.

He spent the first part of his Saturday shift at All High to get some details and grab a few quotes to help our coverage in the paper and on this blog.

Tom is a pro. He was the first member of the media to be inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, and the league also named its writing award after him, because of his passionate coverage of the sport.

He is passionate about high school sports as well.

So on Saturday afternoon he went to All High -- to make sure a story got told, that competitors were recognized, that statistics were recorded.

As The News has forged ahead in this relatively new Web world, Tom has consistently, as always, been a pro. Given the additional outlet to cover things, he's made the most of it (not only here, but Fantasy Fix and Sports, Ink).

That might have meant saving some notes and quotes from a phone call he had with a coach from our office, or stopping by a high school game to start his work shift. While we might have only been able to fit a few paragraphs in the paper on a particular game, there would be 10, or 15, or 20 paragraphs on the Web. Just Friday night he posted items about wins by St. Francis and Burgard.

On Saturday he was trying to do right by his job, this paper and the high school sports it covers.

Get well soon, Tom.

Feel free to wish him the same in the comments section below.

---Keith McShea

• • •

Tom Borrelli was injured on the job Saturday when he fell from a stairway leading to the press box at All High Stadium.

Tom is a sports reporter and a copy editor at The Buffalo News. He covers the Buffalo Bandits lacrosse team, writes a fantasy sports column for Football Friday and jumps in whenever a good local story needs reporting. He was working on college basketball previews (look for his capsule on UB's team in Tuesday's News) and was at All High to cover the Harvard Cup game Saturday when he was injured.

This is being posted on the Fantasy Fix, Sports, Ink and Prep Talk blogs because Tom loves all sports.

Click on the comments section below to wish him a speedy recovery.

---Steve Jones, Sports Editor
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Sxysprtswrtr · Nov 10, 2008

Re: Buffalo News' Tom Borrelli seriously injured at HS football game

Holy crap. Some of those stairs at high school stadiums are super dangerous.

Thoughts and prayers are sent to him and his family. Get well, Tom.

Hank_Scorpio · Nov 10, 2008

Re: Buffalo News' Tom Borrelli seriously injured at HS football game

Sxysprtswrtr said:

Holy crap. Some of those stairs at high school stadiums are super dangerous.

Thoughts and prayers are sent to him and his family. Get well, Tom.
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This wasn't an old high school stadium, either. All-High was built in 2006 at a cost of $6 million.

Just shows anything can happen anywhere.

Diabeetus · Nov 10, 2008

Re: Buffalo News' Tom Borrelli seriously injured at HS football game

Jeez. I can't read about those things cause I get a sick feeling. Best of luck recovering and the best to him and his family.

pseudo · Nov 10, 2008

Re: Buffalo News' Tom Borrelli seriously injured at HS football game

Hank_Scorpio said:

Sxysprtswrtr said:

Holy crap. Some of those stairs at high school stadiums are super dangerous.

Thoughts and prayers are sent to him and his family. Get well, Tom.
Click to expand...

This wasn't an old high school stadium, either. All-High was built in 2006 at a cost of $6 million.

Just shows anything can happen anywhere.
Click to expand...

Actually, that was a renovation. All-High dates to the late '20s, and was used as a stand-in for Wrigley Field when they filmed "The Natural" in 1984.

Bubbler · Nov 10, 2008

Re: Buffalo News' Tom Borrelli seriously injured at HS football game

I fell down a few stairs a few weeks ago at a stadium after deadline when the shitheads turned all the lights out. Fortunately, I caught myself before going too far, but not before doing a full-on somesault into the aluminum. My leg took the brunt of it and it hurt for several days.

I can totally see how something like this could happen, especially if you're carrying equipment.

Best of luck.

slappy4428 · Nov 10, 2008

Re: Buffalo News' Tom Borrelli seriously injured at HS football game

Bubbler said:

I fell down a few stairs a few weeks ago at a stadium after deadline when the shitheads turned all the lights out. Fortunately, I caught myself before going too far, but not before doing a full-on somesault into the aluminum. My leg took the brunt of it and it hurt for several days.

I can totally see how something like this could happen, especially if you're carrying equipment.

Best of luck.
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I consider myself fairly nimble, but when on stairs like that I walk like an 80-year-old man

Bubbler · Nov 11, 2008

Re: Buffalo News' Tom Borrelli seriously injured at HS football game

slappy4428 said:

Bubbler said:

I fell down a few stairs a few weeks ago at a stadium after deadline when the shitheads turned all the lights out. Fortunately, I caught myself before going too far, but not before doing a full-on somesault into the aluminum. My leg took the brunt of it and it hurt for several days.

I can totally see how something like this could happen, especially if you're carrying equipment.

Best of luck.
Click to expand...

I consider myself fairly nimble, but when on stairs like that I walk like an 80-year-old man
Click to expand...

Good point. I was definitely being careful, but it was so dark, it was like taking a leap of faith that a step was even there. It wasn't ... and I went tumbling.

JakeandElwood · Nov 11, 2008

Re: Buffalo News' Tom Borrelli seriously injured at HS football game

I almost fell at a football game this year. Ridiculously steep steps and a really low ceiling made me walk really slowly down the stairs, stooping down.

Best of luck in your recovery Tom.

write then drink · Nov 11, 2008

Re: Buffalo News' Tom Borrelli seriously injured at HS football game

Scary stuff.

Here's to a speedy recovery for a guy who sounds like my kind of scribe.

imjustagirl · Nov 11, 2008

Re: Buffalo News' Tom Borrelli seriously injured at HS football game

Simply terrible. The kind of journalist I think every paper needs, and this is just terrible. My best to Tom and I hope he recovers.

Mystery_Meat · Nov 11, 2008

Re: Buffalo News' Tom Borrelli seriously injured at HS football game

I hate football steps. I'm a big guy, but I'm not immobile or anything like that. But I can imagine bounding down the stadium steps and doing like seven somersaults and faceplanting in a trombone or something. So best of luck in the recovery, Tom.

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R.I.P., Tom Borrelli

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