Paul Finebaum delivers moving eulogy for Cecil Hurt

Cecil Hurt, a long-time Alabama Crimson Tide beat writer for the Tuscaloosa news since 1982, passed away in November due to complications from pneumonia. Hurt is an Alabama graduate and a Tuscaloosa area native. He was an incredible sportswriter, and he reached a lot of people in the industry with his work. Paul Finebaum is one of those people, and Finebaum delivered a moving eulogy during Hurt’s memorial service on Wednesday.

“Somehow I get the impression with the feeling that Cecil Hurt would not be happy to look around this church right now,” Finebaum began. “I think he would be displeased to have seen his countless friends and colleagues over the last two weeks moping in sadness and in sorrow. He would be embarrassed by the endless words that had been written extolling his greatness. He would be mortified to have seen the special section put out by the Tuscaloosa News. I can see him now peering over the top of those reading glasses, saying nothing but really saying it all. He would think all of this unnecessary, as he would be happier today sitting in a coffee shop, perusing the Iliad or the Odyssey or perhaps something lighter and more frivolous like Tolstoy’s War and Peace. He would prefer to talk politics. Not the chatter that infiltrates cable news at night, but something a little simpler to consume like whether Pericles made the right move on fourth-and-short in the first Peloponnesian war.

“But of all of the compliments and statements uttered in the last fortnight, the one that has resonated the most and has been the most accurate was that he was one of the most influential and powerful people in his field, yet one of the nicest. He wanted to help everyone, especially those younger and less fortunate. Oh, the rich and powerful have spoken as well. Who else but Cecil could have statements within an hour of his passing from the Governor of Alabama, the Commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, and Nick Saban, who else would be remembered on College GameDay and during the broadcast on the Iron Bowl? Who else but those self-absorbed Alabama fans as some deity recently remarked would stop cold on that Tuesday early evening when the news first broke.”

Finebaum: Hurt was the ‘most important and influential journalist’ to cover Alabama

Hurt certainly made his mark on the sports media industry, and that includes people from Finebaum to Alabama coaches like Nick Saban. Everyone who knew Hurt had a tremendous amount of respect and trust in him.

“‘I confided a lot of things in him,’ Coach Saban said. ‘He never violated my trust. Truly love the guy.’ Something tells me Cecil would say that was rat poison,” Finebaum continued. “Not to speak out of school here in this house of worship in Tuscaloosa of all places, but has anyone ever hear Coach Saban say anything like that before? Yet in many ways what Coach Saban did was speak for every single Alabama football coach from Paul Bryant until now. The late reverend Billy Graham was often referred to as the president’s pastor because he met with every president, republican or democrat, and they trusted and they confided in him. Alabama coaches, athletic directors, even school presidents felt the same way about Cecil Hurt.

“I once joked with Cecil that he could make millions off a book if he unfurled all the dark, dirty secrets that he compiled in the last 40 years. But he just looked at me with a wrinkled nose and punishing frown as if I had said Zac Brown was a better singer-songwriter than Jackson Brown. That’s not who he was. Material things were of no interest. Neither were compliments. So I hope he will forgive me for saying that he was the most important and influential journalist who has ever covered the University of Alabama. He was also the best, he was an institution beloved by all and there is simply no substitute for that.

“There is no easy way to say goodbye. Prose and poetry can make it more palatable. But the hurt remains. The tears can’t be avoided. None of us know how long we have left. All we can do is live our life to the fullest to set an example for others. Display courage and character. This is how Cecil Hurt lived. This is the legacy he leaves behind. Cecil, we will always love you, we will deeply miss you, we will forever cherish our time her with you. Farewell my friend, and Godspeed.”

Alabama and the SEC have both been among the many others to honor Hurt in the weeks since his passing.