It Was a National Obsession: ‘Read Murray Last Week?’ : You Could Count on Him for Heavy Subject Matter

Jim Murray really was one of the great guys. I remember the first time I met Jim, and it later became sort of a joke between us. It was in 1962, and Jim wrote a column about me after I won the U.S. Open. He described me beating Arnold Palmer, and he wrote, “How did someone like that beat Arnold Palmer? Nicklaus doesn’t have a large waistline. He is all waistline.”

Well, I went to a banquet early the next year in Los Angeles. At that time, Jim was larger than I was. So when I spoke at the banquet, I told the audience, “I met the columnist you have here in Los Angeles, Mr. Murray. Now I realize that people in glass houses should not throw stones. Mr. Murray has a waistline larger than mine.” I got a big laugh, and Jim and I were good friends ever since.

Just three weeks ago at the U.S. Senior Open, I had dinner with Jim. I always enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with him. He had such a marvelous wit, and it always came through in writing. He had great stories to tell, great insight, and he was always right on target with what he wrote. He was a wonderful man, a wonderful writer, and a wonderful friend. I will miss him. We’ll all miss him, a lot.

I don’t think I’ve known another sports columnist whose work had people around the country saying, “Read Jim Murray last week?” Everyone always read him, and everyone always enjoyed him.

* COMING UP: VIEWPOINT / Readers to share memories of Murray in The Times on Saturday.