In his six seasons covering Illinois men’s basketball for The News-Gazette, Paul Klee attended a total of four NCAA tournament games. Today, Klee will cover his second Super Bowl in his third full season as the Denver sports columnist for The Gazette of Colorado Springs, Colo. The award-winning former Illini beat writer caught up with friend and former colleague Marcus Jackson this week to talk Super Bowl 50, Peyton Manning, Champaign watering holes, Colorado fishing holes and the love of Klee’s life — his 9-year-old chocolate lab, Maya:
The way this season unfolded, with Peyton Manning being injured and regressing, did you think you’d be covering another Super Bowl this year?