Former Leader sports writer dies
December 01, 2001, Molly Shore, Burbank Leader
BURBANK -- Darin August Esper, a former sports writer for the Burbank Leader and Los Angeles Times, died Nov. 25, 2001, at his family's Burbank home. He was 40.
Esper is remembered by his colleagues as a well-rounded sports writer who could cover anything from high school sports to professional auto racing. "When it came to local sports knowledge, there was nobody that knew more than Darin Esper," said Jeff Tully, the Leader's sports editor. "Along with the sports knowledge, he was always a very nice person."
In his reporting for the Times, Esper covered the Long Beach Grand Prix and the California 500 in Fontana. "Motor sports was his passion," said Mike Kupper, the Times' senior assistant sports editor, who sometimes went on assignments with Esper. "Darin was a very hard worker. Nothing got between him and what he wanted to get done," Kupper said.
Born Jan. 18, 1961, in Santa Monica, Esper was a lifelong resident of Burbank. Although he didn't participate in sports in high school, choosing instead to play the French horn in the school band, he was an avid sports fan. "Since he was a Burbank graduate and came from a sports family, his knowledge was invaluable when he worked for me at the paper," Tully said.
It was Esper's brother Damin who preceded Tully as the paper's sports editor. Esper's dad, Dwain, is a sports writer and announcer. "All of us in this family are not athletic, but we admire sports," Dwain Esper said.
Esper is survived by his parents, Dwain and Diane Esper, and his brothers Damin and Dilan.
No funeral service is planned.
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