The Charlotte Observer’s favorite sports stories of 2023 — and why we liked them so much

Living up to your legendary last name.

Chasing your NFL dream while working a delivery job.

Blazing trails for women in sports.

These are just a few of the topics detailed in The Charlotte Observer sports department’s favorite stories of the year — chosen by the authors themselves. Some of the stories below capture the biggest moments of a wildly consequential year. Others document smaller moments in time, or capture the people in our community and state who inspire us every day.

Here’s a look at our favorite stories of the year and why we like them so much.

Celebrating the Charlotte Hornets’ 35th anniversary

Just about everyone enjoys a little nostalgia, especially when the current version brings so much disappointment.

So that’s why it was extremely enjoyable and fun to write about the Charlotte Hornets’ history and reliving some of the great times over the past 35 years in The Observer’s special package that ran on Oct. 17. In particular, it was extremely gratifying to speak to one of the most iconic players that old school die hard Hornets fans remember.

That would be Alonzo Mourning.

Mourning, now vice president/player programs and development with the Miami Heat, rarely — if ever — speaks about his days with the Hornets. But thanks in part to the Heat organization, he spoke with The Observer and that, along with the vivid memories of Kendall Gill and Kenny Gatison, helped give the story a great voice and perspective. Flashing back to the days when people wore tuxedos to games at Charlotte Coliseum was a fantastic assignment and hopefully the author made it a pleasant reading experience.

— Rod Boone, Charlotte Hornets reporter

Ryan Blaney’s NASCAR championship run, which began at Charlotte

After some thought, and less than half a year of stories from which to choose, I’ve decided that Ryan Blaney winning his first NASCAR Cup Series championship is my favorite storyline of 2023.

Sure, I started covering NASCAR for The Observer and this is the guy who won the championship. Maybe I would have chosen this no matter who would have taken the checkered flag at Phoenix.

But that’s the thing — Blaney didn’t even win that final race. He probably seemed like an afterthought early in the playoffs. In my short time covering NASCAR, Blaney went from being a guy who had won once, at Charlotte, to its champion.

His tides started turning at Talladega.

I was enthralled by the massive super speedway, which produced quite the wreck-filled race. The lead changed 70 — seventy! — times. I didn’t realize my winner’s story would be about Blaney — again, a driver who’d won just one race that year — until the commentators pointed out his photo finish. Blaney didn’t know until his crew chief told him, either.

He noted how weird of a race it was in his post-race press conference. The playoffs continued, and Blaney just continued being hot at the right time, all the way to a triumphant second-place finish.

— Shane Connuck, NASCAR and general assignment reporter

National Girls and Women in Sports Day

A dozen years ago, I listened to Charlotte’s Molly Barker — founder of Girls on the Run — speak at an Association for Women in Sports Media conference. Her journey and mission inspired me then, and continue to today.

So, it might not be surprising that I selected our collection of stories from February’s National Girls and Women in Sports Day — anchored by Scott Fowler’s piece on none other than Barker — as a favorite in 2023.

Other trailblazing women in sports who were part of our NGWSD coverage, which dominated The Observer’s homepage and sports print front: Langston Wertz on NCHSAA commissioner Que Tucker, Ellis Williams on Queens athletic director Cherie Swarthout and Alex Zietlow on NASCAR team owner Jodi Geschickter.

— Lydia Craver, sports editor

The beginning and end for Frank Reich

What I will remember most from the Frank Reich era — a 10-month sliver of time that was remarkably short for an accomplished NFL head coach — were two lengthy interviews we did.

Reich and I had extended interviews in July, at the beginning of his first and last training camp as the Carolina Panthers’ head coach, and then again in November on the day he got fired.

As you would imagine, one was a happier occasion than the other. The first interview came in Spartanburg for a story I was writing on the Panthers’ first-ever game in 1995 — Reich was Carolina’s starting quarterback and threw for 329 yards in an overtime loss. Recalling those days, the coach was energized and funny.

The second came on Nov. 27, about four hours after Panthers owner David Tepper told Reich he was being fired following Carolina’s 1-10 start. That time we talked by phone.

Reich was somber and sounded a little like he was in shock.

As always, though, Reich was classy.

He just wished, as I did, that he’d been given more time.

— Scott Fowler, sports columnist

From Amazon to the NFL: The amazing journey of DeShawn Williams

DeShawn Williams’ full-circle journey to the Panthers was the type of story that mostly exists in Disney films. After bouncing around the league for years and failing to find a home, Williams took a job at Amazon before receiving a life-changing final chance from the Denver Broncos. He used that opportunity as a springboard, which eventually landed him with his hometown team.

Williams’ humility and dedication shined through in the interview process, and it was interesting to hear others weigh in on his miraculous mile-high climb into relevancy. While most players have interesting stories, the ones that show “everything happens for a reason” are the ones I tend to gravitate toward.

Williams’ career not only survived an improbable outlook, but he also ended up returning to the Carolinas (where he grew up) with his newborn son. Some stories are hard to believe, but Williams’ journey is a true underdog redemption tale.

— Mike Kaye, Carolina Panthers reporter

The return of North Wilkesboro Speedway

Year-end lists always confound me, since I never know exactly what “best” means. This year, we went with “favorite” from your own catalog. And while I feel very much a part of the team and greatly admire my Charlotte coworkers’ writing, I read far more of their work than I produce. So, I will pick — I get to pick — a wild card.

I am going to go with our team coverage of the rebirth of North Wilkesboro Speedway. This story has deep roots, detailed in fine reporting by statewide enterprise writer Andrew Carter on the decrepit state of the speedway.

In 2023, Alex Zietlow led coverage of NASCAR’s return to the old-school speedway as auto racing’s top circuit descended on the small town for its all-star weekend. Included in the weeks-long package was a look back from Alex at previous winners at North Wilkesboro, Andrew’s take on what the return of the sport to the region means on a larger scale, and, of course, a look at how Kyle Larson dominated the event to win the race.

So, what’s next for North Wilkesboro? Alex answered that, too.

What’s next for Alex, Andrew and the McClatchy team? For that, you’ll have to keep reading.

— Justin Pelletier, deputy sports editor

Providence Day QB Jadyn Davis’ last game

In November, Providence Day quarterback Jadyn Davis was getting ready to play his last high school football game. Davis, a Michigan recruit, had been under a rare type of microscope since he was offered by Georgia and Alabama in the eighth grade and eventually rose, for a time, to become the No. 1 recruit in America.

Everywhere he played, whether in summer camps or spring workouts, a crowd came to watch, many waiting for him to make a mistake, so they could run to social media and claim he was overrated. After throwing for 3,425 yards and 43 touchdowns and leading the Chargers to a state title as a junior, Davis started his senior year by not throwing an interception in his first seven games. There wasn’t much to type about.

But then, he threw seven in a month, and his social media critics got louder.

We checked in with Davis on the eve of his final game, against nationally-ranked Rabun Gap (Georgia) for a NC state championship. Rabun Gap plays in a NC private school division. Davis talked about dealing with the pressure, and then he went out and led his team to two scores in the final minutes to avenge its only loss of the season.

— Langston Wertz Jr., high school sports reporter

Matt McKillop, his father and a new generation of Davidson basketball

The story I’m most proud of in 2023 had nothing to do with NASCAR or the Carolina Panthers, which are the beats I manned with the most regularity in 2023. It instead was about a college basketball coach following in the footsteps of his legendary father.

Matt McKillop is the son of former Davidson men’s basketball coach Bob McKillop. And Bob McKillop, in many ways, is the father of Davidson basketball. Matt was raised in Davidson and was among the first generation of kids who saw Davidson players as heroes. He is Davidson. And in discussions with him and his childhood friends and college roommates and family members at various points in his first season, I tried to paint how he’d navigated age-old expectations with such aplomb — and how he’d gone about honoring a name he’s had to live up to all his life.

— Alex Zietlow, Carolina Panthers and enterprise reporter