I hope you had
a nice Thanksgiving.
In case you
missed the news over the holiday week, it is my sad duty to point out that the
long-time Tuscaloosa News beat writer for Crimson Tide athletics, Cecil
Hurt, has passed away. He was 62.
I met Cecil
when we were undergrads. In addition to being in the same program (and at
a time when the University student population was less than half its current
size), for a time the young woman Cecil was dating happened to be best friends
with the young woman who had made the questionable decision to go out with
me. Cecil and I spoke occasionally over the years. Knowing of
my connection, the Commissioner asked if I would write a little bit about
Cecil. I am honored to do so.
If you are an
Alabama fan, then even if you never met Cecil, you probably somehow feel as if
you knew him anyway. Through his writing, podcasting, Twitter work,
appearances on radio and television -- you felt like you knew who he
was. And you were right.
Cecil Hurt was
exactly as you would have expected if you followed his work, even just
occasionally. I remember him as delightfully unpretentious. He
always looked like he had forgotten to comb his hair, was carrying a few extra
pounds (that he wasn't worrying about), and his clothing was sort of
comfortably rumpled. He was a bit surprisingly soft-spoken. But if
you were smart enough to shut up and listen to him, you would find a sharp
mind, a deep knowledge of Alabama sports (especially football and basketball),
and a set of sources whose trust he had earned the hard way. Cecil was a
gentleman. In my experience he was friendly, gracious, and above all,
hard-working. On any given day he might report about a play in the last
game you didn't notice, a walk-on who was making good in practice, or present
an extended analogy comparing the current season to the Punic Wars.
Sneaky-smart was Cecil.
Covering a
program like Alabama seems like a dream come true to the average fan. The
job is clearly in the "Careful What You Wish For"
category. Most people only think of travelling to premier away
games on the newspaper's expense account, writing and talking about football
for a living, and eating free dinner in the climate-controlled press box with its
premium view of the field.
The
reality is a bit more harsh. Those were working trips. The press
box itself is a newsroom with a work desk and except for the clatter of
keyboards, a relatively quiet space. Watching the game and cheering
on your team is a bit different than having to watch the game with detachment,
notice the key details that people expect you to deliver, being there for
warm-ups and hanging around till the end of the coach's press conference.
Then making sure your work was complete in time to land in the reading public's
driveway no later than 7 a.m. Those cool expense account trips also meant
that on Sunday when a lot of people were relaxing with a cup of coffee and
reading your work, you were slogging home from Baton Rouge, or Gainesville, or
College Station, because there was an injury report and wrap up to write and
the weekly press conference is always on Monday.... And for every
thrilling LSU or Tennessee or Auburn game you get to cover, there's also a
Southern Miss or North Texas State or Mississippi College of Cosmetology and
Autobody Repair which requires the same effort and analysis.
Cecil's
writing style set him apart. His dissection of a game or season was spot
on. Lots of people could do that. Cecil, however, could present
that material in a way that was accessible to seasoned football insiders as
well the average 5th grade fan in Gordo or Moulton. Especially early in
his career, people who do a lot of writing would just occasionally get to see
the artifacts that crop up in work that has been thoughtfully written, but
carefully rewritten, which is often the difference between good and great.
For work on deadline that had several steps to undergo between the
final punctuation and getting tossed out of a speeding car window at 6 a.m. you
could occasionally catch an extra "of" or a noun verb agreement
problem. Rereading would sometimes give a clue as to the original
content of a splintery sentence that had been gone back over with plane,
sandpaper, and shellac to get it where it needed to be.
Coach Saban,
no particular fan of the press as you might have noticed, issued a heartfelt
statement about Cecil's passing. You've probably seen it. More
telling was a night I recall from his radio show when a caller had asked about
press conferences. Cecil happened to be the special guest that
night. Saban said, "Some people just don't have very good
questions. They just feel the need to talk. And everyone only gets one
question. I wish Cecil got to ask more questions. He's a smart
guy." Let that simmer for a minute.
I am running
out of room and still have not done my friend justice. Perhaps an example
will help. When the NCAA decided to hand down some of the harshest
penalties in its history for what were, relatively speaking, minor violations
in the Alabama football program, Cecil asked what seemed to be an innocuous
question. What, he asked the apparatchik from a backwater athletic
conference who was pontificating about the punishments handed down, could the
University have done to be more cooperative with the NCAA as it investigated
the football program. The answer, in a moment of foolish candor was,
"nothing." In fact, he allowed, Alabama had been a model of
cooperation. Yet it still was hammered.
Cecil
managed to build a series of columns around that concept. And, in my
opinion, started the now nearly complete destruction of the NCAA's
investigation and enforcement procedures. Other universities were
watching closely. The message was clear and Cecil drove it home with all
the subtlety of a toss sweep to Derrick Henry -- when the NCAA comes calling,
hire lawyers, hide the records, shut up, and whatever you do, don't follow
Alabama's example.
And so (to
borrow a phrase) we say good-bye to our gallant friend. With all due
respect to the current press corps, and there are many who cover Alabama well,
I do not expect to see his equal in my lifetime. Cecil Hurt knew more
about Alabama athletics than hundreds of the rest of us combined. He was
never on the bleeding edge, but never backed away from asking hard questions or
calling it like he saw it. On Twitter, he was never shy about unsheathing
his wit like a stiletto to puncture some overblown gasbag hiding behind a
screen alias.
A move is
afoot to have the University name the fancy new press box after Cecil.
Now, my alma mater has never missed a chance to put money in the coffers by
selling naming rights. For example, for the last building added to the
ever-growing business school, the kindly mother solicited me to sponsor a study
carrel. In this case, however, perhaps the powers that be will
understand the contributions Cecil has made over the years. He predates the
vast majority of the current administration. It seems to me a fitting
tribute. Cecil loved Alabama athletics so much that he was willing to
tell the truth about it for nearly four decades. I'd say the honor has
been paid for and then some. If you'd like to voice your support for that
movement the University president is Dr. Stuart Bell, whom you can reach at president@ua.edu. The
athletic director does not share his email address, but you can reach him
through Twitter @greg_byrne or through J Batt Senior Deputy Athletics Direct at
jbatt@ia.ua.edu.
Thanks for
everything, Cecil. I'll miss your work. Rest in peace. Roll
Tide, buddy.
The Correspondent From The Tire Store
