No one liked game day more than Bryan Burwell. He loved the camaraderie of the press box, the ebb and flow of that day's athletic event, and the labor of love in bringing that event to life for Post-Dispatch readers.

Burwell, a longtime sports columnist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, died early Thursday (Dec. 4, 2014) after a short battle with cancer. He was 59.

It was Burwell's desire to keep his illness private. He had hoped to keep working as long as he could and didn't want people feeling sorry for him. He fought cancer like he lived life and wrote columns, with vigor, an upbeat attitude, and even a smile on his face.

Burwell joined the Post-Dispatch in 2002 after working as a sports correspondent for HBO's "Inside the NFL." During his long sports career, Burwell also wrote columns for USA Today, The Detroit News, and worked at the New York Daily News and New York Newsday.

Burwell also worked in radio and television, co-hosting an afternoon radio show in St. Louis on CBS Sports Radio 920. He was a regular on ESPN's "The Sports Reporters" television show. Besides HBO and ESPN, he also once did work for Turner Sports.

In 2011, he wrote a book on longtime Raiders coach and football analyst John Madden, titled: "Madden: A Biography."

He pioneered video production at the Post-Dispatch with a studio built for his video blog, Upon Further Review, at the Post's main office in downtown St. Louis.

With such a diverse and well-traveled background, Burwell knew a lot of people in the business, and the reaction to his passing Thursday was swift and heartfelt.