Jim Huber, a veteran sportscaster and journalist, has died. He was 67.
Mr. Huber, who lived in metro Atlanta and once worked on The Atlanta Journal sports staff, spent more than 27 years working for Turner Broadcasting, according to a statement released by the network. He died Monday after a recent diagnosis of acute leukemia, according to a CNN report.
Tuesday, friends and colleagues remembered Mr. Huber as a prolific writer who was a kind and gentle man, on and off camera.
“His ability to get the emotion of his story out within his writing set him apart from many, many sportscasters,” said Jeff Behnke, an executive producer for Turner Sports. “His eloquence, his class and his ability to show he cared about whatever he was writing about was unmatched.”
Mr. Huber was a member of the Atlanta Athletic Club, where he was also honored in 2008 as an inductee to the club’s Hall of Fame for his excellence in sports journalism. When Mr. Huber was in town he could often be found on the links there.
“He really got to know a number of the staff and members of the club,” said Chris Borders, general manager of the Atlanta Athletic Club. “He was an integral part of the club.”
Mr. Huber’s annual interview with an outstanding athlete, or sports figure, to be honored by the club, was an anticipated event, Mr. Borders said.
Mr. Huber’s colleagues had the same sense of anticipation when working with the broadcaster. They knew he would put together something amazing every time.
“He put the right words to the picture and it was magic,” said Chris Carmody, a producer for Turner Sports. “Jim would say himself, he always wanted to tell a story.”
In his 2001 book, “A Thousand Goodbyes: A Son's Reflection on Living, Dying, and the Things That Matter Most,” Mr. Huber’s love for telling stories is evident. Millions have heard his voice and seen his face as he narrated the stories of countless athletes. Mr. Huber’s talent for storytelling was “intriguing and maddening,” said Ernie Johnson, TNT and TBS sportscaster.
“You’d watch him do a story and you’d say, ‘That’s how I feel about that, too, why can’t I express it the way he did it?’ Mr. Johnson said. “And Jimmy did it with such class, and it seemed with such ease.”
Mr. Johnson said there were a number of occasions where Mr. Huber would be asked for a short write-up on a sports figure during an event, and could provide it quickly.
“It would seem like five minutes later Jim would say, ‘How’s this sound?’ and I’d say, ‘Oh, that’s awesome! That’s unbelievable!’ And that’s the way he’d do it.”
Mr. Johnson said he believed Mr. Huber looked forward to each day to see what stories could be told. But at the same time, Mr. Huber knew the day would come when someone would have to tell his story. Mr. Johnson reflected on a passage from Chapter 20 of “A Thousand Goodbyes.” There, Mr. Huber wrote, “I don’t fear death as an abstract. I realize it’s just the way we were designed; not for longevity or durability necessarily, but for achievement. Perhaps a day will come (probably about the end of time – and wouldn’t that be appropriate?) when we will discover the secret to eternal life while we’re on this planet. But until then, we have to accept our fate. And so I don’t fear death as an abstract. But I still dread death immensely as a reality.”
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced. Mr. Huber is survived by his wife, Carol, and son, Matt.
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