PHOENIX — After a career spanning 41 years, longtime Arizona Republic writer Kent Somers has decided to cap his pen, close his laptop, and head into retirement.
Somers came to the Valley in 1985 and has spent the last 38 years covering everything from high school sports to ASU and the Arizona Cardinals. Somers officially retired after Super Bowl LVII in Glendale on Feb. 12th, but the reality of being retired has yet to hit him.
"Last week, which was my last week, I'll admit it was a little melancholy," Somers said. "This week for two days, it's just kind of like being on vacation. So far it hasn't really hit home. So, I was teasing my wife yesterday, I came out of the office and told her I was bored. And she just kind of rolled her eyes."
Somers spent some time reflecting on his career, including the very start of his time in Arizona.
"One of the very first stories I did was on a boxer out of downtown Phoenix, really close to the newspaper office, a guy who later became pretty famous: Michael Carbajal," Somers said. "I think I might have been one of the first people to do a story on him, you know, training in, in sort of a shed and in his backyard and being trained by his brother."
Carbajal is now a six-time world champion and a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Somers career stretched all the way from the start of Carbajal's boxing career to the start of Jonathan Gannon's tenure as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
"The last story I did, other than a farewell column that ran in last Sunday's paper was probably the Cardinals hiring new coach, Jonathan Gannon, I think he was the ninth or 10th new Cardinals coach I wrote about since they moved here in 1988," Somers said. "This is the latest they'd named a head coach. We'll see, you know, maybe he has a nice run, like Ken Wisenhunt for a while or Bruce Arians did for a while. He's saying all the right things for sure. I mean, you know, impressive in his opening press conference, but, not that that means a whole lot."
There were many, many stories for Somers in between those two, and Somers said he has been lucky to spend his career in the Valley.
"I've covered a lot of cool stuff in 38 years," Somers said. "Two NBA championship series with the Suns, the Cardinals in the Super Bowl, I never thought I'd cover that, covered some Final Fours, a lot of big events. But, you know, a lot of smaller events and news stories that were a lot of fun to do, too. Grand Canyon won the national championship in basketball in 1988. I got to cover that. Mesa Community College made a run in a national junior college basketball tournament in '87, I got to cover that. A lot of memorable high school games and moments, you know, especially as I started my career at the Republic."
However, none of the stories that Somers mentioned are the ones he considers his favorite.
"I did a story in this little farming community near Buckeye called I think it's called Arlington, Arizona. And the principal, superintendent one year had a bunch of dirt from some construction projects and he got a tractor and moved it around and, and built a little golf course on campus for it. So, you know, these kids who weren't really exposed to golf could come play golf, which was really cool."
Other stories that Somers mentioned as being among his favorites were about a group of Japanese Americans who were imprisoned in Arizona during World War II, and who created a baseball league. He also mentioned a 2019 story about Arizona Christian University football player Josiah Winans, who needed a special visor to play in day games due to being legally blind but was denied the ability to do that by the NCAA and NAIA. Somers' story helped Winans get the waiver he needed to play.
And if you ask Somers, he will tell you he loved what he did.
"Oh, it was a blast," Somers said. "It really was. I had so much fun. I mean, there are things to complain about being in this business. And believe me, I've complained about them, you know, working on holidays and sort of odd hours. I remember going to a movie with my family on the day the Cardinals signed Kurt Warner and having to turn around and go home and write that story. So those kinds of things are what will stick with me."
We also asked Somers who his favorite athlete to cover was during his time in Arizona.
"Larry Centers, the Cardinals fullback, the year they went to the playoffs for the first time in Arizona in 1998," Somers said. "He was just a blast. I was an Arizona State football writer when Jake Plummer played his first games as a freshman. Larry Fitzgerald, of course, to see him from someone who came into the league at age 20. Kurt Warner was a dream to cover. One of the few guys, you know, he popped his head into the press room at the end of the day, and say, you guys got everything you need from me? Carson Palmer was the same way, tremendous."
And as he heads into retirement, Somers has these words of advice for the next generation of sports reporters.
"If you're really a news reporter, dig for the story, but also be fair, give the team or the player you're covering a chance to respond," Somers said. "And too hard questions aren't necessarily fun to ask. But it's our job to ask them. Those would be my two pieces of advice and to have some fun along the way too."
Somers said he will fill his newly found free time by spending a lot of time with his family, including welcoming a fourth grandchild, and then take a look at some freelance opportunities when the time feels right. He also expects to pick up a new hobby.
"I used to golf and then I sort of quit out of frustration," Somers said. "So I'm thinking about dusting the clubs off and maybe starting up again, break up some scar tissue and you know, and see if I enjoy the game more than I did when I sort of gave it up about 10 years ago."