The Star hires two new reporters to cover Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Star is beefing up its award-winning coverage of the Kansas City Chiefs with some new faces who can’t wait to get started.
Joining The Star as full-time Chiefs beat reporters are Brooke Pryor and Lynn Worthy, two decorated and veteran sports journalists with proven experience in breaking news, video, podcasts and more.
A University of North Carolina graduate and Tar Heel State native, Pryor comes to Kansas City after a couple of years spent covering University of Oklahoma football for the Oklahoman newspaper and NewsOK.com. Before moving to Oklahoma City/Norman to cover the Sooners, Pryor worked at McClatchy publications in the Raleigh/Durham area of North Carolina.
An appreciation for sports — particularly the NFL — has been in her blood since she was young.
“Most Sundays growing up in North Carolina, my dad controlled the remote,” Pryor said. “He’d turn the television to the NASCAR race, lean his La-Z-Boy back and take a nap. As soon as I heard that first snore, I’d carefully reach for the remote from my spot on the couch and turn the channel to whatever NFL game was on.
“Of course, he’d wake up, realize the race wasn’t on, and flip it back. As soon as he was asleep again, I’d change it. It went on like that for years. As exciting as watching the race was, I was just drawn to the drama of the NFL games. The big personalities. The giant crowds. The Hail Mary throws.”
As the Oklahoman’s lead Sooners beat writer, Pryor covered the Chiefs’ new starting quarterback, second-year pro Patrick Mahomes, when he played for Texas Tech.
“I’m lucky enough to be joining the Star’s Chiefs’ coverage at an exciting time,” Pryor said. “I watched Patrick Mahomes in college and covered one of his best performances ever in a game against OU — and one of the Sooners’ worst defensive performances ever. Can he continue his collegiate and Week 17 success this year? That’s something I’ll be watching closely — along with the rest of you.”
Follow Brooke Pryor on Twitter here.
Worthy arrives in Kansas City following a turn at the Salt Lake Tribune as a University of Utah athletics football writer. Before covering the Utes at former Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith’s alma mater, Worthy worked at a couple of papers in the Northeast, where he reported on and wrote about a variety of topics, including the Boston Celtics’ run to the 2008 NBA title.
A former college football player at Division III Bates in Lewiston, Maine, Worthy is looking forward to being the Chiefs fans’ conduit alongside Pryor to everything they need to know about their favorite team via Kansascity.com, the Red Zone app and the print editions of The Kansas City Star.
“I’m anxious to start chronicling and analyzing the franchise’s continued march into the Brett Veach era in the front office,” Worthy said, “as well as the development of the only quarterback drafted by the Chiefs in the first round in more than 30 years.”
Follow Lynn Worthy on Twitter here.
Versatile veteran Star reporter and columnist Blair Kerkhoff will also continue to cover the Chiefs each fall, as well as college sports through the winter and spring and the Royals in the summer.
Another change readers will notice on the Chiefs beat this summer and fall is in its photo and video coverage. Shane Keyser, a veteran Star photographer, this year assumes the role of lead Chiefs videographer and photographer.
Chiefs rookies are scheduled to report for training camp at Missouri Western in St. Joseph, Mo., on July 22; veterans report a day later.
Pryor, Worthy and Keyser will be there from day one.
“I’m extremely excited to join such a highly regarded organization with a reputation for journalistic excellence,” Worthy said, “and I’m looking forward to teaming with Brooke and the rest of the talented sports staff to provide Chiefs fans, followers and readers the sort of in-depth coverage across multiple platforms they demand.”
The portion of Chiefs training camp that’s open to the public starts July 26 and runs through Aug. 14.
Like the Chiefs’ fans, The Star’s coverage team can’t wait to get started.
“At my core, I’m a storyteller, and the stories in the NFL have always been fascinating to me — the stories of redemption, the heartbreaking losses, the passions away from the field,” Pryor said. “Then there’s the bigger issues in the league as a whole I want to tackle (no pun intended): domestic violence, anthem protests, CTE. Along the way, I want to get to know players, coaches and fans off the field. I want to get to know all of you and tell your stories, if you’ll let me. I can’t wait to get started.”
This story was originally published July 10, 2018 at 2:57 PM.