📡 Cecil Hurt has passed at age 62

[rocknthefreeworld]

 

[footballer]

I hate this news. RIP

 

[bama alum]

I had the pleasure of hearing Cecil Hurt speak at a Shelby County Alumni meeting a few years ago. To the point, informative, and very funny. His columns were never a string of babble nor a sycophantic litanty to the wealthy boosters. He was a genuine and damn good sports writer. We lost a treasure today. Prayers for peace and strength for his family.

 

[alabamajack]

Cecil Hurt was excellent at his job. RIP Cecil and prayers for his family

 

[rick4bama]

R.I.P.

 

[#80]

It's a sad day he was the best thoughts and prayers go out to the Hurt family ..... RIP Cecil.

 

[UAgrad93]

This news sucks!! Cecil was one of the all time greats. He had a way with words and was a true journalist. He didn’t sugarcoat things when times were bad either. RIP Cecil!!!

 

[ElephantStomp]

Sad sad day. Thoughts are with the Hurt family. Rest Easy Cecil

 

[BamaFan334]

Didn't know much about him, but hate the news of anyone passing and also hate seeing fellow Alabama folks hurt by any news. Prayers out to his family and friends for their loss.

 

[bama alum]

Alabama football coach Nick Saban released the following statement:

“Cecil Hurt was a good friend and one of the best sports writers I have ever had the privilege of working with, not just at Alabama, but at all of our coaching stops. He was a man of integrity and a fair-minded journalist blessed with wit, wisdom and an ability to paint a picture with his words that few have possessed. Cecil was loved throughout this community and state as an old-school journalist who covered the Alabama beat with class and professionalism. He was a role model for young writers and the most trusted source of news for Alabama fans everywhere. He leaves a wonderful legacy as one of sports journalism’s best. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends as well as Alabama fans everywhere who loved Cecil as much as we did.”

 

[tider79]

Condolences to his family, what killed him?

 

[bama alum]

Condolences to his family, what killed him?

Complications from pneumonia

 

[rammerjammer]

@Brandon Van de Graaff and @doemasters and I went to the coaches a show earlier in the season and Brandon pointed him out to us there at the restaurant. He looked horrible back in September. We speculated if he was sick then. Makes us wonder if it was an underlying condition that led to the pneumonia.

He was absolutely one of the best. I hated to read that today. God bless his family during this time.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

@Brandon Van de Graaff and @doemasters and I went to the coaches a show earlier in the season and Brandon pointed him out to us there at the restaurant. He looked horrible back in September. We speculated if he was sick then. Makes us wonder if it was an underlying condition that led to the pneumonia.

He was absolutely one of the best. I hated to read that today. God bless his family during this time.

He'd been in poor health for a good while, but that was as bad as I'd ever seen him.

 

[rocknthefreeworld]

He'd been in poor health for a good while, but that was as bad as I'd ever seen him.

It was definitely said on Finebaum's show today that this was not unexpected and that it was a long time coming. Surely indicates an underlying condition that lead to the final outcome.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

It was definitely said on Finebaum's show today that this was not unexpected and that it was a long time coming. Surely indicates an underlying condition that lead to the final outcome.

It's a testament to how much he enjoyed his work to keep at it and try to attend as many events as possible. I don't think he liked being out in public the last several years because of his health, but he'd still show up and do his job. IMO, he was the only thing keeping the Tuscaloosa News afloat in recent years. Doubt any non-Bama employee had the finger on the pulse of UA athletics better than. And he knew a lot more about stuff than he'd normally let on, which is why I think he was so respected on both sides of it. Even when he would give some info, you'd often have to get out the decoder ring. People will remember him for different reasons, but one thing I'll never forget was the night he body bagged Heather Dinich on Twitter a few years ago after he had his fill of her playoff projection analysis. He eventually apologized after the blue checks white knighted her and came after him, but it was damn nice to see someone in his position fire the shot to begin with.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

Wow...great sports writer...fair and called it like it was....bad news

 

[Tidestalker]

He was probably the last real classic beat writer I can think of....

I always believed his info either came from, or was filtered through the lens of CNS. Whether or not that's true, he still found a way to "break news" in a classy way with the undertone of a look behind the scenes. Really enjoyed his tone and witty ways. Feels like the end of an era....RIP to a great one!

 

[Kirk Van de Graaff]

I have somewhere a Picture of Cecil and I in front of the Tuscaloosa News, before the 1992 NC. I have to look for it. Anyways, he was such a GIANT part of the program, he was the Eli Gold of the paper. You Read his editorials and would get either excited about the program, or knew there was issues just by his writing. Few could do that, with the articulation he could. I talked to him for a few minutes about Stallings and the program, and he had no trouble shooting the shit with me. I was there to pick up a calendar that had the schedule from that year, have it framed . Wished I would of had him sign it for me, cause he was the one that found one for me. RIP

 

[JoshB]

This one really sucks. The few times I've been able to be in the press box Cecil was very cool to me (he sat in front of me last time) and I've always looked up to him and enjoyed reading his work.