Brushes with Brilliance: My 50 Years with the Best and Brightest in Sports and Entertainment (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798896754992)

There are many brilliant people in this world. Some are intellectually brilliant. Still others are brilliant in the way they perform. Brushes with Brilliance is Gary McKillips' first book, which is a detailed account of his 50 years working with, meeting or reporting on many of these people, particularly, but not limited to, the world of sports.

Quite a few of these encounters were long-lasting, such as his work with Ted Turner and Hank Aaron at Turner Broadcasting. Other interactions came through interviews or from his podcast Sports Across the Board. Others were just incidental but led him to research and learn more about these exceptional people.

Brushes with Brilliance tells of working with Hank Aaron, Ted Turner, Olympic decathlon champion Rafer Johnson among others and describes encounters with the likes of Muhammad Ali, former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, the Academy Award-winning actor Charlton Heston, wrestler Andre the Giant, sports historian and boxing aficionado Bert Sugar and the greatest horse ever, Secretariat. It also includes many current day celebrities like ESPN's Hannah Storm, ABC's Michael Strahan, Mark Cuban, John McEnroe and many more.

It also gives an inside look at what it's like to cover Super Bowls, the World Series, the College Football National Championship and other major events. But, for the most part, it deals with brilliant people, whose accomplishments have left indelible marks on the worlds of sports and entertainment.