My college radio career was brief: One year spent as a producer/occasional host with on the WSUM sports show which was still only streaming over the Internet for an audience that likely only consisted of family members who could figure out how to get it to work.

My friendship with Dave was not. Despite my brief time in those studios, we kept in touch over the years, primarily on Facebook. I always loved seeing his name pop up in my comments here because I'll be honest — I was kind of surprised he still remembered a guy who was only there for a semester or two in 1997.

That didn't make me unique: I was probably one of hundreds if not thousands of former 19-year-olds that Dave once showed tremendous faith, belief and support in — and continued to do so once we went out and found our own paths in the journalism world or otherwise.

It came as a tremendous and sad shock to learn of Dave's passing because — no hyperbole — he really was one of the world's all-time good guys. He was among one of the many great teachers I've been lucky enough to learn from and his passing leaves a giant void at UW-Madison.

My thoughts are with his family that he loved so much and the countless other UW alums who just lost one of their biggest cheerleaders.