Jim Murray 1998 Deaths

Jim Murray

untouchable wit and an unmatched frankness in his writing distinguished Murray as one of the century's best sports columnists; his more than 50 years experience as a sports reporter spilled into newspaper columns, creating a distinct style which always gave the impression he was writing about the ballet from the usher's perspective; one of only four sportswriters to win the Pulitzer Prize for general commentary, the modest Murray said after receiving the award in 1990, he thought a winner should have "to bring down government or expose major graft or give advice to prime ministers. Correctly quoting Tommy Lasorda shouldn't merit a Pulitzer Prize."; began his career as a campus correspondent for the Hartford Times in the 1940s; joined Time magazine in 1948 and became West Coast editor for Sports Illustrated, which he helped found in 1953; joined the Los Angeles Times staff in 1961 and battled through a loss of eyesight, the death of his wife and his son; of cardiac arrest