Known for his encyclopedic knowledge of Columbus County sports, a big smile and a lasting impact on kids and families, longtime local sports journalist Dan Biser passed away Sunday at the age of 76. Biser spent 47 years at The News Reporter, covering everything from the “pee-wees to the pros.”
“I grew up reading Dan’s stories, and it was an honor to work alongside him during my early years at The News Reporter,” said The News Reporter Publisher and Editor Justin Smith. “Dan cared deeply about sports in Columbus County — but even more about the individual athletes. Many of the young people he highlighted might not have received that recognition otherwise. I’m sure those stories have become treasured family keepsakes. It’s poignant to think about how many of Dan’s articles are yellowing in scrapbooks across Columbus County and beyond.”
Biser’s love of athletics translated into a sharp memory that stretched back decades, not just about which team won but the plays and players. Former News Reporter Publisher and Editor Les High said he could tell you in a split second who played third base for Whiteville High in 1989 or the record of the 1987 Hallsboro High School football team.
“But what Dan really understood was the role sports plays in small, rural communities,” said High. “If you got a hit for the Ward’s Grill little league team, it made paper. That’s a really big deal for a 7 year-old, and chances are good the story went on Grandmom’s refrigerator or is now enshrined in a family scrapbook.”
Creating box scores for little league games where runs can reach 15 or 20 (by numerous players) was dedicated, tedious work, said High but “Dan faithfully did that for more than 40 years because he knew how much it mattered.”
Beyond spending long days and nights in the fields and courts, earning the reputation as one of the “all-time best scholastic sports writers in the state,” The News Reporter’s Franklin Davis says Biser was also an encouraging mentor when he began to write for the newspaper.
“Whatever I may have accomplished at The News Reporter since 2015 is due to how high Dan set the local sports coverage ‘bar,” wrote Davis. “His dedication to our local sports and youngsters was unquestionable and remarkable.”
Sports photographer Fuller Royal, who captured games for some of Biser’s stories, said Biser was smart, kind and loved to laugh.
“Dan knew everybody,” wrote Royal on Facebook. “He was good to aspiring athletes, helping them shine. He was a good dad. He loved Columbus County and her people.”
A Celebration of Life is scheduled for October 25 at 1:00 pm at Whiteville United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to a youth sports organization or high school athletic booster club of your choice or to the Dementia Alliance of North Carolina’s Music and Memory at Home program.
