Bisher was the best. He still is.
We’re going to take a 24-hour break today from the college football chatter.
We’re not going to talk about how bad Georgia was on Saturday against Tennessee (very).
We’re not going to talk about Who’s No. 1, Florida or Alabama? Sorry, Longhorns. You have to do more to impress people.
We’re not going to talk about Ole Miss and the burden of great expectations.
We’re not even going to talk about Tim Tebow. But if you aren’t impressed by now, you’ve got no heart.
We’re going to carve out a few calm moments in the wonderful chaos that is college football season to talk about my friend and mentor, Furman Bisher.
On rare occasions I ask for your indulgence to bring you something that is deeply personal. And when Bisher announced yesterday that he was retiring his Royal typewriter after 59 years at the AJC, anybody who knows and who has worked with the man felt it to their very core.
That’s because when each of us begins to chart a career path, or a life path for that matter, there is always a role model. We pick out somebody who has set the standard for our chosen profession and shoot for that. For me and my generation of sports reporters, especially those of us who grew up in the South, the model was Bisher.
For those of you who grew up reading the sports pages of the AJC, I don’t need to tell you that the man has a gift for the language.
The day that he wrote about the passing of his mother, I called my mom—twice.
For as far back as my memory banks will work, I have begun my Thanksgiving Day by reading his “I’m Thankful” column. It put me in the mood to be properly thankful.
But what you need to know about Bisher is how much the man cares about this town and the newspaper to which he devoted the best years of his life. He never felt that working for a newspaper was a job. It was a sacred obligation because of the readers who counted on it. He thought nothing of phoning an editor before breakfast to point out where he felt the newspaper had come up short of serving the readers on that particular morning.
He didn’t do this out of ego, although if any man had earned the right to have an ego it was Bisher. He did it because he cared deeply about serving the readers. If they were going to plunk down their money to buy our product then, By God, they deserved nothing less than the best we could give them on a daily basis.
What you don’t know are all the things he did to help young writers. He didn’t baby them. He was tough but always fair. He wanted you to get better and there were no short cuts. You make the extra phone call. You camp out until after practice to talk to the head coach. Get the story first but most of all get it right. In Bisher’s World there was no greater sin than getting it wrong. Isn’t that a quaint notion?
To cover a Masters Golf tournament with Bisher was to see a man in his element. Even on that hallowed patch of ground, Nicklaus and Palmer would defer to Bisher.
One year Georgia was playing a night game at Kentucky and the horses were still running at Keeneland. Bisher called and informed me that I WOULD be going to the races with him. We walked those beautiful grounds where it seemed that Bisher knew every trainer and every jockey. He knew the good horses and he knew the nags. In about 30 minutes he taught me how to handicap a race and that day I walked away with some extra money in my pocket. I still count that as one of my favorite days in this profession.
I’ve often told people that the two most important days of my life were the day that I married my bride and the day my daughter was born. But a close third is Sept. 22, 1984.
I had been at the AJC for only a month covering the Georgia beat. The Bulldogs were playing a big game against Clemson. Understand that growing up in Georgia, Bisher and Jesse Outlar of The Atlanta Constitution were my sports writing heroes.
When I took my seat in the press box at Sanford Stadium, Furman was sitting on my left and Jesse was on my right. During the game both were asking me questions about Georgia and seeking my advice on different story angles for the game. For a little country boy from Union Point, Ga., this was a really big deal.
When Vince Dooley sent Kevin Butler out to attempt a 60-yard field goal to win the game, Bisher looked at me and asked: “Can he make this?”
“I’ve seen him do it in practice,” I said, desperately hoping Butler would prove me right.
He did, of course. Butler’s field goal would have been good from 70. That’s why the man is in the College Football Hall of Fame.
“Good call,” Bisher said. “You’ve been paying attention.”
One kind word of encouragement from Bisher was enough to keep a young reporter going for a long, long time. I’m living proof of it. And there are countless others whose lives he touched in this very same way.
That’s what you need to know about Bisher. He was simply the best that ever was. And still is.
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168 comments Add your comment
merculf
October 12th, 2009
8:58 am
I wouldn’t expect much from the regular gang that comes here….they haven’t read a paper in years. I know I appreciate his input to the Atlanta sports scene all those years. Thanks Mr. Bisher, I will miss reading your thoughts.
Saint Simons
October 12th, 2009
9:01 am
45 – 19 !!!!!!!! hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Top Dawg
October 12th, 2009
9:04 am
Are you kidding me?
Lane Kiffin
October 12th, 2009
9:06 am
I eat bulldawgs for breakfast. Me and Coach “O” sang rocky top all night AND I enjoy dancing on your grave leg humpers.
Bama Aaron
October 12th, 2009
9:07 am
Great article Tony. Living in your neighbor to the west all I’ve ever known about Bisher is from the .com version of the AJC. But you can tell the man can write. Shame there aren’t more like him around instead of the bloggers we have today.
Al Gore
October 12th, 2009
9:09 am
Who needs the newspaper when you have the Internet?! (which, by the way, I invented)
JoeFann
October 12th, 2009
9:11 am
Thanks, Tony. Though I’ve never met the man, he made me a traveling companion through his unequaled writing. His columns were transport for homebound wanderers. I believe that the newspaper era has now officially ended. Selah!
Gary
October 12th, 2009
9:11 am
Tony, great story. I will miss reading the columns that I’ve read since I was a young man growing up. I wasn’t a big golfer until I read Furman’s column one year before the Masters tournament. He got me hooked and I haven’t looked back. That spring weekend is still to this day one of my favorites in all of sports. I will certainly miss reading his pre-Masters column.
Tony – I look forward to the return of the regular college football talk on Tuesday. In the meantime……..Have a happy retirement Furman Bisher.
KR
October 12th, 2009
9:13 am
My father, now deceased, taught me to read Mr. Bisher’s column very early in life so that I would get a “unique perspective” on the sports world. In my father’s opinion, very few people could communicate the subtleties of the sports world like Mr. Bisher could.
Thank you Mr. Bisher for a long run (40 years in my case) of entertainment. Enjoy your well-earned retirement.
T
October 12th, 2009
9:15 am
LOL… hilarious… Georgia gets stomped and Tony doesnt want to talk football…. LOL …. if things keep going this way, maybe this blog will be the “home and garden” blog or something of that nature by the end of the football season….
Jonathon Crompton
October 12th, 2009
9:18 am
Tony, thanks for making me feel good about myself. Maybe you can help Joe Cox.
Atlanta Nole
October 12th, 2009
9:18 am
Great story Tony and a nice break in the mid-point of the season.
Mutley
October 12th, 2009
9:19 am
I don’t blame you Tony, this was as bad a Ga performance as ever seen. Looks like a 5-7 season and LOTS of changes to be made.
SickandTired
October 12th, 2009
9:19 am
Tony I envy you having had a working relationship with Furman. I can tell he touched your life and for that I glad for you. He is an icon in the Deep South and beyond for that matter. And, I have to say, I can see his influence on your way of writing stories. Keep up your good work and carrying his legacy forward for younger writers that so need the guidance.
RedKneckerson
October 12th, 2009
9:20 am
I always enjoy the columns that ended with “and whatever happened to”. Furman was/is a writer that isn’t full of hate as most are now. A writer that doesn’t call for the head of a coach because of a bad game or even a bad season. I like Furman’s writing alot.
David
October 12th, 2009
9:20 am
If you care about Bisher so much, why do you work with 790 the Zone? This so called radio station who for the last several years has made fun of him and their own Mike Bell & Nick C has called him a raciest?
David
October 12th, 2009
9:20 am
If you care about Bisher so much, why do you work with 790 the Zone? This so called radio station who for the last several years has made fun of him and their own Mike Bell & Nick C has called him a racist?
jumbeauxtiger
October 12th, 2009
9:20 am
Great article TB.
I have been a season ticket holder for 27 years and I have never seen a better player than Tim Tebow. The guy is incredible. Several LSU players waited until Tebow was through being interviewed after the game to shake his hand. It was tough losing to the Gators but I am proud of the class the Tiges showed.
Geaux Tigers
Go SEC
Loel
October 12th, 2009
9:21 am
Its amazing how two people can judge so different. In my opinion he was the worst case of a writer of any kind that ever picked up a pin. The one time in my life I communicated with him, he used rotten gutter level language to dress me down. Now if he could get so upset over so little, then that is the measure of a “man” of lack thereof. Thank God for then end of the era. I ‘m sure the readers don’t know that and would want him teaching their Sunday School class>
RubbyAuburn
October 12th, 2009
9:23 am
LOL. Barnhardt doesn’t want to talk football after his beloved Dogs lost in pathetic fashion. What will it be next week Tony? You’ll want to reflect on the state of the economy after a Vandy loss? Priceless. LOL
RAMBLE ON!!!
October 12th, 2009
9:23 am
Funny, I see where you are not going to talk about FSU/GT, only SEC.
Captbob
October 12th, 2009
9:24 am
Mr. Bisher was the writer I turned to as a teenager to get all the information on my favorite team, and it has remained that way to this day. I had the priviledge to meet him at the Atl Touchdown club in 1957. I was awarded one of their weekly High School football awards, and said a few words. I was surprised and pleased when Mr. Bisher wrote a letter to my father later, saying nice things about me. The point is Mr. Bisher is not only a great writer but a great man, who has always taken the time to help others. He will be missed.
RubbyAuburn
October 12th, 2009
9:24 am
And of course it’s the UGA crowd throwing out “great article Tony”….they’d just soon not read more about UGA either. LOL
As the late, great...
October 12th, 2009
9:25 am
…Lewis Grizzard used to say “If only I could write like Furman Bisher”! Nuff Said – Selah!
Atl Sports Fan
October 12th, 2009
9:26 am
Great article Tony. As a 49 year old Atl native, reading Bisher became more of a treat as I grew older. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting him a ocuple of times – a true gentleman. Reading some the early posts, what a shame that there are several idiots that can’t stop being stupid to give a little repsect and honor to a legend.
The 2 guys in the Allstate commercial
October 12th, 2009
9:27 am
No one is better than Bobby- we have a statue of him outside the stadium and we even have a grill in his likeness.
Gen Neyland
October 12th, 2009
9:28 am
We come to praise Furman Bisher, not to bury him. No eulogy here, no flags for excessive celebration… My family migrated to Georgia back in the 60’s. His columns drew me in as a kid when the Atlanta Journal and Constitution each stood alone. Later in life, I read him in the Blue Streak on bus rides home after work. Congrats Furman on a solid run. Selah back atcha…
Barry
October 12th, 2009
9:30 am
Thanks Tony for that tribute to Furman Bisher. I too have faithfully read his Thanksgiving column and I will surely miss it. I’m glad he is getting to retire when he wants to. He has had a long and well-written career and has earned all the respect he has around the country.
Not Disappointed!
October 12th, 2009
9:30 am
Tony, I don’t agree with you alot, but I do appreciate this article. Bisher will be missed. “A dying area of creativity.
Thanks Bisher!
Bittersweet
October 12th, 2009
9:30 am
Tony goes 8 for 10 in the Fearless Friday forecast, but one of the losses involves his Dawgs, who got annihilated by the anemic Tennessee offense.
reebok
October 12th, 2009
9:33 am
Furman Bisher and his contemporary, Jesse Outlar, were the ‘gateway drugs’ to my love of good sportswriting. I started reading Bisher when I was 7, and I have always been amazed by his use of language and his ability to communicate not merely stats and scores, but the very feel and nuance of a sporting event. The era of the great sportswriter is over with Bisher’s retirement. Mr. Bisher, you will be sorely missed.
Phil
October 12th, 2009
9:37 am
Well said TB. Bisher is a class act and you are too!
PMC
October 12th, 2009
9:38 am
As Iconic as the Masters. One of the worlds great all time writers. Much less sportswriters. His ability to translate what is happening in to words that evoke feelings and emotions is the halmark of greatness in any communication career.
Al
October 12th, 2009
9:41 am
Nice column. I remember waking up as a kid in the 80’s and fighting for the sports page from my dad. Always remember seeing furman’s column right there in the front.
Atlanta Gator
October 12th, 2009
9:42 am
Selah —- “Let those who have eyes see, and those who have ears hear.” Atlanta’s legendary sport-writer and editor has passed, and we will not soon see his kind again.
A blessing on Furman and the Bisher family today.
“Stand up, Scout. Your father is passing.”
All Honor to His Name
October 12th, 2009
9:43 am
As one with a deep appreciation of history (and a degree in it), an intense passion for The Masters (first attended in ‘89) and the good fortune of being able to interview Mr. Bisher as an aspiring golf journalist earlier this decade, I wanted to extend my most sincere thanks to our city’s one-of-a-kind sportswriting legend. Best wishes in your well-earned retirement, sir!
P.S. Billy Payne, when will you announce “The Furman Bisher Media Center” at August National?!?
NJ Dawg
October 12th, 2009
9:45 am
Great article, Tony. As others have noted, it’s a shame some of the early posters couldn’t muster enough class for one day to honor an Atlanta sportswriting legend, but a great many more of us grew up on Mr. Bisher’s columns and wish him a happy retirement. There’ll never be another like Furman Bisher!
Dogbyte
October 12th, 2009
9:45 am
Tony, What you didn’t mention was that Jesse leaned towards Georgia in his coverage while Furman leaned towards Tech. In spite of that
, I still admire Furman and his great talent with the written word. I live out of state so I have no choice but to get my (sport) news off the net. It is a poor substitute for the old Constitution and Journal.
McDawg
October 12th, 2009
9:49 am
Furman Bisher for me will always be associated w/ the Braves much more so than football-First Skip and now Furman-starting to feel kinda of old
Top Dawg
October 12th, 2009
9:50 am
I know he was a great writer, and I have fond memories of my late grandparents reading aloud his articles to me. However, this is a spring-time type of article. We are hopefully on the cusp of some MAJOR changes in Athens, and we get this for an article??? Please, let’s talk UGA football, warts and all.
Norm Carlson
October 12th, 2009
9:52 am
I was fortunate enough to be hired by Edwin Pope in the Atlanta Journal sports department in August of 1956 after graduating from the University of Florida without a degree in journalism. A few months later Furman came downstairs from the Constitution to replace retiring Journal columnist Ed Danforth. Working in the same department with Furman and Jim Minter was as good as it could get. When Furman would open the door to his glassed-in office , point at me as say “Got a Minute” it was scary, but I learned something each time. He is the best columnist I have ever read, and thankfully he is still a good friend. Furman will be missed by a lot of people for a lot of reasons.
gt
October 12th, 2009
9:54 am
great article about a great man. you,too, are outstanding.
Carl
October 12th, 2009
9:56 am
Say what you will about the man, but bama fans say good riddance to a clown who single handedly tried to ruin the career of the greatest college football coach of all time, Bear Bryant. Bryant sued the Saturday Evening Post and Bisher’s lies printed within, and WON, which essentially put that paper out of business. Great work Fruman. You should’ve been fired 40 years ago for that crap.
blazerdawg
October 12th, 2009
9:56 am
Awesome column Mr. Barnhart…Mr. Bisher mentored you well.
Top Dawg
October 12th, 2009
9:58 am
Okay, maybe this should have been one of two columns you wrote today, TB.
Gary
October 12th, 2009
10:00 am
For those of you who are reveling in the fact that the Dawgs lost over the weekend, enjoy your fun and lay off Tony. I am sure he will have lots to say tomorrow. His column today is about a Georgia legend who is calling it a career. Myself and my fellow UGA fans will be glad to take our verbal insults from you the rest of the week on this blog and others. But today let Tony use his column to remember his great mentor. For you to berate him just shows how classless you are.
CatsFly
October 12th, 2009
10:02 am
Carl, you have signed a pact with the devil vis-a-vis both Bryant and Saban. You’ll follow the devil as long as he enables wins at Bama.
Coach O
October 12th, 2009
10:08 am
HAD SOME DAWG MEAT FOR DINNER SAT!!! ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ARRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Cant wait to party in Athens next fall after ANOTHER a$$ whoopin. ARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH
David
October 12th, 2009
10:09 am
You say the man was fair? He never had any proof of the Wall Butts/Bear Bryant fix. However for years he made their lives miserable and almost killed Bear. Please tell me how you get 44 players to fix a football game? Back then Butts couldn’t beat Bear if his life depended on it. But good Ole Furman, sure had the poop on the fix. He was like you Tony, a homer who played to the local crowd.
jeff
October 12th, 2009
10:20 am
best golf columnist ever. period.