We grew up in the same neighborhood in New York and he and his family were family. I knew his sisters and brother and parents as well as my own. Because his home had a TV and cable! and mine had neither I spent countless sleepovers, after school afternoons and weekends at his house. We watched the Miracle Bowl together as well as the Yankees beating the Red Sox in the 1978 division playoff. Those two games will always be my greatest sports fan memories.

He was a grade above me and nearly two years older, so after he graduated and went on his mission we had infrequent contact. Yet I can still distinctly remember each time we met. He came to Provo one weekend while I was at BYU and we had a blast playing Almanac trivia - that is where you would open the World Almanac, name the topic, and then see how many countries you could guess on the particular list. He was brilliant

Years went by and then we got together again in 2001. We attended the Utah State game together and he was a fan! I will always have the memory of Luke Staley turning the corner, as no one else could, and sprinting to the end zone to give BYU the lead against the Aggies that they would not relinquish. It was an incredible feeling and even more so with Statman's enthusiasm. Later that year I discovered him on CougarBoard. I suppose it is a testament to how well I knew him that I figured out his identity by the tone of his writing and biographical clues.

By the time Statman moved to Utah I had moved back East. We managed to get together a couple of times. The last time I saw him was the weekend of the Virginia game in 2014. I was hoping to get together with him this past Christmas but it didn't work out. I now wonder if his health was the reason.

He was a very good man and a wonderful friend - I cannot imagine having a better childhood friend. I am so sad to hear this news. I will miss him but am consoled by the knowledge we will meet again in a much better place.