Billy Payne, chairman, the Masters
"Furman Bisher was, first, a family friend who I’ve known through my father since the 1950s. He was the first journalist who understood my passion in the pursuit of the 1996 Olympic Games. He knew the collective power and strength of a shared dream and treated the Olympic effort with great objectivity and fairness. He was a true statesman in the world of sports journalism who seemed to shine the brightest at the Masters. No one loved the Masters more than Furman and no one described it more beautifully than he did through his eloquent words. I will miss him as a journalist, but mostly as a family friend who taught me so much.”
Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech football coach
"I think that he was always looking for a positive spin on stories, that he was a throwback. He always wanted to research things and try to find something positive in everything that he wrote about. ... He was one of the good guys. He was a guy you could trust to get it right."
Vince Dooley, former Georgia football coach
"He was an inspiration. He never lost his passion for sports and for writing and he did it extremely well. The fact that he just continued on and continued writing and lived a full life right to the end made you admire him. The old saying, ‘He lived as long as he was alive,' applies to him for sure. ... Some Georgia people were not exactly pleased with Furman early on. As Georgia went through some struggling times, Furman didn't mind expressing his feelings about it and it was not good at times."
Bobby Cox, former Braves manager
“We lost one of the great ones. A great writer, great journalist and he loved people. He was a Southern gentleman. Always respectful. Had the Southern accent -- we fell in love with his voice and with his work. He would tell stories about interviewing Ty Cobb and Shoeless Joe Jackson. I looked forward to seeing Furman at the ballpark and sitting in the dugout and talking to him. It made my day."
Jack Nicklaus, six-time Masters champion
“Over the past five decades that I have been going to Augusta National, there have been certain staples and traditions that have always reminded me that I am at the Masters. One of those has been Furman Bisher. Furman has been an institution in journalism, to sports -- not only in the Southeast but globally -- and, of course, the Masters. Barbara and I have considered Furman as much a friend as a terrific writer. We always cherished his sense of humor and down-to-earth wit that made such an easy transition from his every-day personality to his writing. We appreciated Furman’s professionalism and integrity."
“Furman Bisher was a great guy and an old friend. I have known Furman all my years of playing golf. He was a real credit to the game of golf.”
Hank Aaron, Braves Hall of Famer
"I knew Furman before the team moved to Atlanta and I respected him as a journalist. He was one of the best."
Bill Curry, Georgia State football coach
"A true legend is someone who earned it and Furman earned it. He wasn’t a good writer, he was a great writer. He was feisty. He would not let you give him a pat answer. He would push you. He would make you tell the truth. I would call him and ask him, ‘Do you have to tell the whole truth every time?' He would answer, ‘Of course I have to. By the way, I want to interview you again.' He was a gifted and wonderful guy. If he ever decided that he was your friend, you had a friend for life. For some reason, he and I hit it off. I don’t mean we agreed on everything, but he was a great friend to me. I’m going to really miss him. I honestly always looked forward to his column."
Arthur Blank, Atlanta Falcons owner
"He was a great friend of sports across America. He was a great friend of Atlanta. He represented the finest in the industry, being a reporter and always speaking his mind. I didn’t always agree with what he said, but I always read his column. He always set the benchmark on whatever he was covering. ... He wrote beautifully. He was a great guy to be around. He has a lovely family. ... He always had a nice pace in his step. I always enjoyed being with him. I always felt like I learned a lot for him and I enjoyed hearing his stories and tales."
Jim Nantz, golf announcer for CBS Sports
"Spring just turned to fall. Mr. Bisher was a giant. For those of us who cover events nationally and had the privilege of often seeing Furman on such occasions, we viewed him as Atlanta's greatest ambassador. He was a poet disguised as a sportswriter, but most of all he was just a very good man, a legend and a gentleman, what Byron Nelson was to golf."
“Dad used to get the paper and read the column, so I’ve known Furman Bisher since I was a kid, 7 or 8 years old. He was everything I thought a legend was in this business. He sort of allowed us to see Nicklaus-Palmer and all these other big stories through his eyes. When I hear ‘legend,’ he’s a guy that would come to mind. ... My dad kept two of his columns that I’ve got in a file about me at Georgia. Two of my most treasured personal items are those two columns. Basically it was a play off [deep tone] ‘Benjamin Franklin Belue III. ... Herschel was carrying the load, but Belue was sort of stirring the drink.’ It was along those lines. Priceless.”
Dan Magill, former UGA tennis coach
"He was just magnificent at covering every aspect of sports. What this guy did for sports is immeasurable. I remember the year he started writing sports in Atlanta. I knew him when he was in Charlotte because he covered different things over here."
Bill Bartholomay, lead owner of Atlanta Braves in 1966
"My friend for almost 50 years, an outstanding sports journalist and a leader who helped in establishing the Atlanta Braves."
John Schuerholz, Atlanta Braves president
"Today is a very sad day for Atlanta sports fans. The sudden death of sports writing legend Furman Bisher saddens all who had the pleasure to know him and his remarkable work. The Atlanta Braves will surely miss our good friend and extend our deepest sympathy to his family for their loss."
Cot Campbell, thoroughbred stable owner
"He loved to go to the backstretch and meet the little guys, meet the grooms. He loved the pageantry of racing, he liked the post parade and going into the paddock. He liked the characters who were around racing. He knew a lot of trainers and jockeys. It was a world that is filled with colorful people and he dug it. ... I guess I used to go with a gal that worked for the Journal and I'd come over and have coffee with her and we'd go across the street to the cafeteria like a lot of the paper people did and I met Furman that way. I remember how proud I was when Furman knew my name. I got a big kick out of that. I thought, ‘Man I've arrived. He called me Cot.'"
Tim Finchen, PGA Tour commissioner
"The golf world lost a legend -- and friend -- last night with the passing of Furman Bisher. Furman has been a part of PGA Tour press rooms for as long as they have existed. His presence at an event elevated its importance instantly and ensured his passion for the game would be delivered to his many faithful readers each and every time. He was a straight-shooter; you always knew where you stood with Furman and that's one of the many things I always admired about him."
Mark Richt, Georgia football coach
"Although I only knew him a short time, I enjoyed his company. And certainly his national reputation as a writer was legendary.”
Bobby Cremins, former Georgia Tech basketball coach
"When I first came to Georgia Tech in 1981, I got invited to a charity golf outing and I wasn't a golfer back then at all. And I had no clubs and I wore sneakers and I had a basketball shirt on. I had a T-shirt on, not a collared shirt. And I got put in his group and I think I blew his mind away. I couldn't hit the ball and I had a few cocktails during the round and I think he told somebody, ‘This guy has no chance at Georgia Tech.' It was really hilarious. I didn't know anything about golf and, as we know, he's a very serious golfer. He actually helped me. As I settled into Georgia Tech, one of the things that I really fell in love with was the legend of Bobby Jones. He talked to me about Georgia Tech, the great golfers, and I actually fell in love with the game of golf. ... He was an ACC guy. He loved the ACC. He loved the fact that Georgia Tech got in the ACC. He thought it was a great fit. He loved Dean Smith and I'll never forget him interviewing me after the 1985 ACC championship, how excited he was for Georgia Tech and for me. I think I still have that article."
