Bill Lumpkin dies @ 92

[LKEEL75 2,566]

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#PMARSHONAU: Saying farewell to a friend and a mentor

ByPHILLIP MARSHALL 

I was going to write today about Monday’s talk with Auburn’s offensive position coaches, about  the challenge facing offensive line coach Will Friend, about Auburn icon Cadillac Williams coaching  another potential Auburn icon, about tight end coach Brad Bedelll’s enthusiasm and about wide receivers  coach Cornelius Williams looking like he could still play.

 

But then I got the news that I had lost a friend and a mentor, the single individual who had greatest impact on whatever success I’ve had in almost 52 years of writing sports. Bill Lumpkin died peacefully at the age 92.

Bill hired me twice at The Birmingham Post-Herald. He gave me a chance to cover college sports – Auburn and Alabama – in the state’s largest  city. He praised me when I did well and told me bluntly when I didn't. He became more than a boss, more than a colleague. He became a close friend and  confidant.

 My children grew up with Christmas stockings that his wonderful Peggy knitted. After each of them were born, the personalized stocking came soon after. Kathy, who left us far too young, and Bill III, affectionately called Bill Bill as a child, grew up to be sports writers, too. Bo and Karen were successful in their own rights.

Bill loved life and loved living it. For many years, he had a gathering for sports writers from around the state at his house in Ensley before the Iron Bowl. Lots of raw oyster and other delicacies were consumed, along with cold beverages.. One year, I went the day before to help him shuck oysters. I stabbed myself probably a dozen times. He laughed.

 

I covered high schools for the Post-Herald in 1970. Four years later, when I was the sports editor (and often sports staff) at the now-defunct Huntsville News, he hired me as assistant sports editor at The Post-Herald. He and I would cover Auburn and Alabama together. He would pick the game he wanted to cover and I would take the other one. I wrote daily stories about both.

When I left The Post-Herald in 1977 to become sports editor at The Decatur Daily, Bill was extremely supportive. Three years after that,  I became sports editor at The Montgomery Advertiser and stayed there for more than 10 years. I finally spent 17-plus years at The Huntsville Times before leaping into the world of web sites in 2008. I’m not certain if any of it would have happened had Bill not taken a chance on a young kid still trying to find his way. I told him that when I attended a celebration of his 90th birthday in Birmingham. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to do that.

Bill and my father were intense competitors. They were friends, but they had their clashes. That happens in a competitive environment like the newspaper business once was. I like to think my daddy welcomed Bill into Heaven and said “Thank you for taking care of my son.”

Over the years, Bill and I traveled many a mile together and shared many a press box long after I had moved on from the Post-Herald, Bill liked to have fun. He  liked people. And he was a newspaperman through and through.

Near the end of my first stint at The Post-Herald, I was in charge of the All-State basketball teams. As my final day arrived, I was determined to finish them. I stayed the office until almost daylight getting them done.

Years later, I asked Bill why he hired me as assistant sports editor. He didn’t hesitate. “I remembered you staying up all night to finish those All-State teams when you didn’t have to,” he said. Bill liked and respected people who worked hard because he worked hard.

23COMMENTS

It’s always sad to lose a friend. For his family, it’s even harder to lose a beloved husband, a father and a grandfather. Bill had a good run. He lived 92-plus years and was mentally alert and still enjoying life until the end.

I am proud and grateful that he was my friend.

 

[aubiefifty 16,697]

he was great back in the day and i normally read every single article he wrote. i loved the sunday papers which recapped what happened and then i really loved monday's  papers which included finebaum. i got his humor and still remember his first article was after auburn bombed against texas and finebaum said we were too busy staring at the sky or something like that instead of paying attention. at first i got mad and then it hit me and i laughed. and before some of you jump me over finebaum for the record i watched him clean some guys clock over auburn a few days ago. he also used to give bama hell when they went through their trials. and i admit i love where he would almost destroy a coach on a point and then the next time that coach came on the show paul would be puckering up to make amends.