By Ed Odeven
TOKYO (March 5, 2016) — Hubert Mizell’s distinguished career as a sports writer and columnist spanning decades and countless events, big and small, was chronicled in great detail this week.

Mizell’s death at age 76 brought back a ton of memories for those who worked with him and those he interacted with. He was especially known for his long association with the St. Petersburg Times.

Longtime Arizona Daily Star sports columnist Greg Hansen, a one-time colleague of Mizell’s at the Florida newspaper, looked back on his colorful career.

“I worked with Hubert at the St. Pete Times for two years in the late 1970s. It was when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers opened 0-26,” Hansen wrote in an email.

“He was one guy in the media who could keep coach John McKay upbeat and telling jokes. When Hubert came to press conferences, McKay would trade jokes with him, which made the mood so much better for such a bad team.

“He was a big old guy who always wore a sport coat, even in the stifling heat/humidity of Tampa Bay. The other writers referred to him as Sports Coat, but it was meant in a good way. He was an outstanding writer, upbeat and to the point.”

The Tampa Bay Times’ obit summed up his career and his many accomplishments as a journalist: http://www.home.tampabay.com/sports/news/former-times-sports-columnist-hubert-mizell-dies-at-76/2267836

And, of course, many individuals shared their recollections of Mizell and his impact as a sports journalist in Florida and beyond. To wit: http://www.tampabay.com/sports/news/colleagues-coaches-remember-hubert-mizell/2267849