[citation needed] Brill was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended Christchurch School in Middlesex County, Virginia.
Brill attended Duke University before began his sports writing career with the Covington Virginian in 1952.
[1] Brill had something of a "love-hate" relationship with his readers, who generally recognized him as a talented writer and reporter, but often felt he favored universities in North Carolina over Virginia and Virginia Tech, and The Roanoke Times promoted its college football prediction contest as an opportunity to "beat Brill.
[citation needed] The USBWA president in 1980–81, Brill began his career with the Roanoke Times and World News in 1956 and served as the paper's executive sports editor and columnist through 1991.
[4] Following retirement, Brill settled in Durham, North Carolina, remaining a regular contributor to several publications until his death, at age 79, due to esophageal cancer, on Sunday, April 10, 2011.