THE PASSING OF A GOOD MAN:

PANINI’S BEN ECKLAR DIES AT 53

I received news from a mutual friend a few days ago that Ben Ecklar had passed away unexpectedly that very morning, August 27, at the age of 53.

He le a wife and six children – a family he loved deeply.

I have known Ben for several years, having worked with him in my first Beckett go-around in the ‘90s where he was my first “prospect” writer for Beckett Baseball, and then several years working with him on the Product Development team at Panini.

Ben was quiet, but he knew exactly what was going around him. He had a brilliant mind, and he was sharp in his ability to juggle numbers in his head. He could also be shy at times in some social settings, almost to the point of coming off as aloof. But that was completely inaccurate. ing is, there was no kinder person in the room than Ben Ecklar.

Ben could also take a joke. When we were in California with Panini for an NBA event one year, he mentioned to both David Porter (Panini Basketball Director) and myself that he used to live somewhat nearby in La Jolla, located in San Diego County. I knew the “J” was pronounced as sounding like an H, but I emphasized the J so it sounded like “La JOYa,” just to be corrected. It became a game. I asked him about “La Joya” a couple of times and Ben smiled and corrected me. Twice. e third time he knew what was up. He just smiled and shook his head, probably wondering how he ever got stuck with us.

Ben was not a standup comedian, but he could still fire off a funny line. Shortly a er Panini secured the NBA license, Ben – with his experience several years when the company was operating as Donruss – was tabbed to oversee the basketball team as we prepared to move forward with our first products. e PDT team for basketball consisted of Porter, Aik Tongtharadol and myself. Both Porter and Aik are still at Panini.

at first basketball program was an eye-opener for the three of us. A er hours of building, replacing and reviewing, we presented the program – complete with names of inserts and drop rates – to Ben. He looked at it, head nodding, then presented the sheet back to us with a chuckle. “Strong program,” he said, li ing his eyebrows, before walking away, which was his way of saying,“You guys are way off the financials.”

And he was right. at first program would have lost money the way it had been constructed. Another lesson from Ben.

We relied on Ben for his feedback and input. In football terms (and Ben did play high school football), he saw the whole field. We sometimes referred to Ben as “ e Pope” because he would have to bless our trading card programs. It was a term of endearment, because we all knew who was best suited to teach us the right and wrong ways to build programs.

I even think he was amused at the nickname,

For all of his professional accomplishments, the thing I will always remember about Ben was his absolute devotion to his family – wife Nicole, and their six kids – and the ethical way he lived his life. He was strong of faith, and I was just so impressed by the way he carried his principles in everyday life.

Ben’s legacy is one of family, professionalism and kindness. It’s a legacy that so many of the rest of us hope we can forge. Ben Ecklar did it effortlessly.

We all lost a good man.