Grant Wahl, 49, died last week doing what he loved, covering a soccer match at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and he left a lasting legacy as a local standout and Shawnee Mission East alum.
And three decades after he left his home in Johnson County following high school graduation, former classmates, peers and teachers are remembering him not only for his writing talent but his character as a person.
Lancer legacy: Donna Skates, Wahl’s yearbook adviser at SM East who is now retired, said it’s difficult to keep track of students when you’ve taught thousands — but Wahl was one she never forgot.
- Skates said she remembers him as the best sports writer during her time at The Hauberk, the school’s yearbook.
- She said Wahl’s journalistic abilities came to him intuitively and that he always wanted to become a national sports writer.
More that that, though, Skates said he was also a beautiful person who embodied the characteristics of an Eagle Scout, which he was — kind, caring, respectful, generous and funny.
A line that sticks out: “He was just an amazing person and it’s just so shocking and sad to hear what happened to him,” Skates said.
What we know: Wahl, who graduated from SM East in 1992 and went on to a prolific career in sports journalism, died on Friday after collapsing while covering the quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands in Qatar.
The latest: Wahl’s family, including his brother Eric, traveled to Qatar to retrieve Grant’s remains, which have now been repatriated to the U.S. where an autopsy is being performed, according to CNN.
- Eric Wahl, who in the hours after Grant’s death suggested the circumstances around his collapse raised suspicions, tweeted Tuesday morning, “I no longer suspect foul play.”
- Prior to his death, Grant Wahl had written on his Substack blog and in his podcast the he he had been feeling sick and had been prescribe anti-biotics at a medical clinic in Qatar.
Other Grant Wahl memories
James Kelly, SM East’s current soccer coach, attended high school with Wahl, who — despite his later career as a prominent soccer writer — ran cross country.
Kelly told KCTV 5 that he knew Wahl was destined for great things “just because of his dedication and how much he worked with everything he did.”
Wahl’s senior prom date Megan Curran posted on Facebook sharing her condolences and remembering keeping track of Wahl’ successes later in life.
- “Grant was a beloved cross country teammate and school newspaper reporter,” Curran wrote. “I like to think that those four years set the foundation for his success, not to mention the parents who raised him to be such a wonderful person.”
His larger impact: Wahl’s counsel also apparently played a key role in the establishment of the Kansas City Current, the National Women’s Soccer League team owned by two more of Wahl’s SM East classmates, Angie and Chris Long, according to a column in the Kansas City Star.
- The Longs say when they were contemplating buying a pro soccer team and brining it to Kansas City, one of the first people whose advice they sought was Wahl’s.
Final word: Nate Bukaty, the play-by-play announcer for men’s soccer team Sporting Kansas City, says Wahl’s death has “created a void in soccer journalism and it can’t be replaced by any one person,” KMBC 9 reports.
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