The Win Column: Some 2025 faves

Howdy, folks — and welcome to a special Christmas Eve edition of the Win Column.

We’re taking a slightly different approach today, so make sure keep tabs on AJC.com/sports for all the latest. (Pop-Tarts Bowl is at 3:30 p.m. Friday!)

WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIP OF LIFE

Credit: Daniel Varnado for the AJC

Credit: Daniel Varnado for the AJC

Sports can teach us a lot.

Selflessness. Hard work. Strength through adversity. How to make subtly devastating remarks about our enemies.

Because it’s a reflective time of year (and because I’m off this week and could write it in advance), I decided to lean into that a bit — by asking AJC sports writers to share their favorite pieces of 2025.

Not the biggest stories from the biggest events, necessarily, but the stories they most enjoyed reporting and writing — the ones that went a little deeper, got a little realer. The ones that offered a some insight into capital-L life.

I think you’ll enjoy what they put together.

STICK WITH IT

In one of the state’s toughest coaching jobs, he is the model of dedication

Jack Leo, our ace intern turned prep sports rock star, reminds us that sometimes it ain’t about winning:

“This story stood out to me because it’s not about winners. It’s about basically the opposite … one of the worst high school football programs in the state, Glascock County. But their head coach, Chris Kelley, has dedicated his life to the program and community, and after 24 years, he’s not close to being done. It’s a story that shows how high school coaches can be impactful community figures, whether they win, lose, or lose a lot.”

CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESSES

Credit: Courtesy photo/Augusta National

Credit: Courtesy photo/Augusta National

A caddie and two turtles made my once-in-a-lifetime round at Augusta National

Part of this job is getting to do cool stuff and making people jealous. Columnist Ken Sugiura did a pretty good job of that.

“This April, I had the outrageous privilege of playing Augusta National on the day after the Masters tournament ended, fortune accorded me for winning a lottery for media covering the tournament. It was, as you might guess, an unforgettable experience and one I thought worth sharing with readers. It’s my favorite from this year — or at least one of them — because I think it turned out OK, it mixed in some humor (hopefully you agree) and it gave me the opportunity to tell as many people as possible that I played Augusta National.”

SUBSCRIBE TO THE AJC*

Atlanta United/soccer reporter Doug Roberson is all about public service … and offered up not one but *two* stories to prove it.

The struggles of Atlanta United and Miguel Almirón are real

“I think this story provided the type of insight and context that subscribers pay for because I laid out Atlanta United’s issues, explained why it was an issue and how it might be fixed. It didn’t get fixed.”

Inside look: Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center is a palace

“This was an exclusive story, another value for subscribers, in which I described the ongoing construction of the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center.”

*Hey, we had to get one plug in. Start that digital subscription at AJC.com/start.

BE YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF

Georgia Tech’s Duncan Powell stays the course to create narrative about himself

Chad Bishop, prolific Yellow Jackets beat man, says it’s cool to be you.

“It is a tough task to pinpoint a favorite piece of mine that has been published in 2025. If that comes off braggadocious, it’s quite the contrary. We beat writers put out such a large quantity of work it’s often difficult to remember what is even out there (speaking for myself of course).

“I also admittedly have a bit of the imposter’s syndrome in thinking most things that make it to publication aren’t really all that, well, good.

“But because my dear friend Tyler has demanded a so-called favorite from my catalog, I went with a February feature on former Tech basketball player Duncan Powell. His story was a simple reminder to never judge a book by its cover.”

IF NOTHING ELSE, WORK HARD

Oscar Delp never ran from hard, making himself and Georgia all the better

DawgNation’s Connor Riley goes — and gets — deep with a Bulldog star.

“It’s rare that you get to spend a prolonged period of time with college athletes, even more so in an age where players stick around. But I was on hand for the day Oscar Delp committed to Georgia, which came before the program had won back-to-back titles.

“Delp’s career may not have been as glamorous as the guy he replaced (Brock Bowers), but I still greatly enjoyed getting to chronicle his career and see both the player and person he’s become along the way. I hope that readers will remember Delp as fondly as I will.”

NEVER, EVER QUIT

Credit: Courtesy of the Abraham family

Credit: Courtesy of the Abraham family

Ex-Falcons sackmaster John Abraham went back to school to earn his college degree

Falcons beat reporter D. Orlando Ledbetter went off the … beaten path to deliver this heartwarmer:

“I really enjoyed writing this story about John Abraham getting his degree from the University of South Carolina. He was one of my favorite players to cover and is a strong Pro Football Hall of Fame candidate. His story was one of perseverance on and off the football field. He didn’t give up on his dream and the dream of his family.”

AND REMEMBER: SOMETIMES YOU JUST GOTTA LAUGH

Is it my favorite piece from 2025? Nope. That’s probably our bracket of Atlanta’s best and worst sports moments.

But it remains very funny that I wrote this sentence shortly before the Falcons season started: “Younghoe Koo is gonna be just fine.”

The former fan favorite made it exactly one game in Atlanta … got picked up by the Giants … went viral for an extremely ugly field goal attempt … and then got cut again.

Ouch.

Thanks for reading to the very bottom of the Win Column. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.

Until next time.