Tom Hurt " The Stat Man " passes away

[cctigerfan]

Tuesday August 26, 2008

 

Vaught's Views: Lancaster's Hurt will be missed

 

By LARRY VAUGHT

larry@amnews.com

 

Every area sports fan should find time today for a moment of silence to remember one of the area's biggest sports fans - Lancaster's Tom Hurt.

 

 

Chances are many of you knew him. Chances are many of you had seen him at an area football or basketball game even if you didn't know him. Chances are on more than one occasion you have seen or heard statistics he furnished various media outlets.

 

 

Perhaps it was only fitting that Hurt was sitting at his desk at home updating Lincoln County basketball statistics when he unexpectedly passed away Saturday. He even had on his Lincoln County shirt.

 

 

For a man who loved sports and keeping stats, there might not have been a more peaceful passing.

 

 

"If God needed a good stat man, he has one now," said Stanford's Farris Marcum, one of Hurt's many friends.

 

 

Hurt, 73, started his work as a statistician more than 40 years ago and even spent some time as a radio broadcaster on WRSL in Stanford. He primarily kept stats for Garrard County football and basketball before switching to Clay County and finally Lincoln County a few years ago.

 

 

"He spent 30-plus years at Garrard County keeping stats. He kind of adopted Lincoln County as his last venue. He loved to do that stuff," Marcum said.

 

 

He was so well known and respected that he was inducted into the 12th Region Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.

 

 

Hurt had hernia surgery a few weeks ago. His biggest worry, though, was that he was going to miss the PBK Bank Death Valley Bowl on Friday and no one would keep statistics for the Lincoln football team.

 

 

"He was really worried about who would keep stats for football until he got back on his feet," Marcum said.

 

 

In the gym one last time

 

 

While his funeral service will be Wednesday at Ramsey Funeral Home in Lancaster, the real tribute to Hurt will be tonight at the Lincoln high school gym. Visitation will be from 6-9 p.m., and expect to see many area sports figures paying their respects to the area's best statistician at that time.

 

 

Marcum said Lincoln officials graciously consented to Hurt's wish to have his visitation in the same gym where he proudly watched his Patriots play the last few years. Of course, new Lincoln superintendent Larry Woods once had Hurt as a baseball coach, and Lincoln athletics director Steve Ralston's son was one of many players who benefited from Hurt's accurate stat keeping. Accommodating Hurt had to be an easy thing for them to do.

 

 

Three of his pallbearers - Rusty Clark, Jeff Hester and Scotty Merida - are former players I've heard him tell stories about for years. It's also fitting that 12th Region basketball coaches are honorary pallbearers and that memorials are to be designated for the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Scholarship Fund.

 

 

"He was a sporting guru," Marcum said. "He had stats all the way back to Buckeye High School. He could tell you stuff no one else could. It was amazing what he could recite from memory or tell you."

 

 

It was.

 

 

It was even more amazing that he always willingly shared his stats, especially with an old sports editor who couldn't start to cipher nearly as fast as him. He learned to know exactly what I wanted - and how quickly I needed it. He always had the numbers ready, too.

 

 

You never had to worry about his accuracy, either. I would match his stat-keeping against anyone now using a computer program during a game. Hurt's numbers might not have been perfect, but they were close because he took such pride in his work.

 

 

Friday night will be difficult. Anytime I covered a Lincoln football game, we usually sat beside each other. We chatted before games. We talked after games.

 

 

Certainly there should be a moment of silence before both games at the PBK Bank Death Valley Bowl since Garrard plays in the first game and Lincoln in the second game. Those were his teams, and while he might not be sitting there beside me, somehow I already know he'll be watching.

 

 

Goodbye friend and just know you will be missed by more folks than you ever imagined.

 

Copyright:The Advocate-Messenger 2008

[Jim Schue]

Very sad. What a great guy! Larry is 100 percent spot-on -- this guy loved what he did and was as close to right on the money with his numbers as you could get. He will indeed be missed in the 12th Region area.

 

RIP, Tom. Thanks for all you've done for the kids over the years. :thumb:

[Mr.Network]

Tom and I called many ballgames together on the radio. He was selfless and genuine. He will be missed by many, including me.

 

Rest In Peace, Friend.

 

Radio news story I did about Tom's death.

[leatherneck]

Tom and I called many ballgames together on the radio. He was selfless and genuine. He will be missed by many, including me.

 

Rest In Peace, Friend.

 

Radio news story I did about Tom's death.

 

Sounds like Tom was one heck of a fine gentlemen. I consider it my loss that I never had the opportunity to meet him. Condolences to his family.

 

P.S. That was a very nice article by Larry Vaught and a nice radio story Mr. N.:thumb:

[statmanhensley]

It's always sad to hear about someone leaving this world too early and for me it's especially sad for me when someone who devotes so much of his/her time to doing so many of the same things that I do and have done for over 15+ years. Many people don't know how many hours people like Mr. Hurt, myself, or others that love that side of sports.

 

R.I.P. Mr. Hurt