July 03, 2008
Having been a sportswriter for nearly 20 years and a sports fan since what seems like birth, I've accumulated my share of sports items over the years.
Among those items are books related to sports. While going through my collection recently in a “spring cleaning” mode, I came across a book co-authored by Kim Doren and Charlie Jones. I paged through some of it to refresh my memory on its contents, then put the book back on the shelf with my other collectibles. While looking through the book, I had wondered what Charlie had been up to in recent years. I had the pleasure of meeting him in his La Jolla office a number of years back to do a story on his book writing and a look back at a stellar sportscasting career.
As you can imagine, it came as a great shock a few days later when I saw on the newswires that Charlie had passed away at 77 of a heart attack in La Jolla. Once the shock wore off, I realized how lucky I was to have met this man. I don’t want to date myself — or Charlie, for that matter — but I remember as a kid tuning in NBC on Sunday afternoons for NFL games and hearing that voice. Much like Keith Jackson doing college football, Charlie had a very recognizable voice. What’s more, he not only knew the game but made it fun to listen to. Just as when I met another La Jollan years ago, veteran sportscaster Dick Enberg, Charlie was an institution as far as I’m concerned when it came to calling games. Charlie, who called the very first Super Bowl, did much more than just Sunday afternoons or the Fiesta Bowl from Tempe. His career saw him cover more than two dozen sports nationwide and around the globe.
I spoke to Kim via e-mail last weekend and asked her to share some thoughts on her friendship with Charlie. To say that the two had a bond would be an understatement. “Charlie had been more than my business partner — we had been best friends for the past 17 years,” Kim said. “I loved the man. Even though his health has been deteriorating the past couple years, I was shocked at his death.”
Kim, like myself, remembered watching Charlie as a youngster on television calling sporting events. “I always dreamed that one day I would be an athlete being interviewed by him (our families were also acquainted),” Kim went on to say. “Of course, that type of interview never happened, but we did meet in the context of sports. I was a marketing executive with Cobra Golf and we first met (as two adults) in Lake Tahoe at the 1991 Celebrity Golf tournament. Charlie was NBC’s golf host in ‘91 and ‘92 (with Johnny Miller) and we became instant friends. After I left Cobra in ‘96, I helped (p.r./edit) his first book, ‘What Makes Winners Win,’ which made it onto the New York Times business best-seller list. We shared an office in La Jolla Shores, and when NBC lost NFL football we started work on numerous projects.”
“Our first book together was ‘You Go Girl,’ and it happened in a pretty serendipitous fashion,” she continued. “I had been a volunteer girls softball coach and had been lamenting to Charlie that all the sports books focused on men and wouldn’t it be nice to have a book to inspire girls. I came up with WOW (women on winning) and he immediately picked up the phone, called Chris Evert and said, ‘My partner and I are writing a book — can we interview you?’ We didn't have an agent, publisher or anything, but that is pure Charlie. He would take off on an idea (he had millions of them — plays, TV and radio shows, books, et cetera) and go for it. Naysayers, rejections, et cetera didn’t faze him. He was incredibly positive and resilient. A year and a half later, our book was published and it was followed by several others, including ‘Be the Ball: A Golf Instructional Book for the Mind,’ ‘That’s Outside My Boat: Letting Go of What You Can't Control’ and ‘Heaven Can Wait: Surviving Cancer.’” Charlie had prostate cancer and Kim said he loved giving out the book and talking to those with cancer to encourage them. Battling cancer is no easy matter, but even Charlie found a humorous way to deal with it. “As a funny aside, when Charlie was going through radiation at Scripps, he loved joking with the nurses,” Kim noted. “On Valentine’s Day he drew a big heart around where his radiation was targeted. He had a great sense of humor. I think he really enjoyed leaving a legacy, whether it was his broadcasts or his books — these will live on.”
Not only will Charlie’s written word in books live on, but his voice will live on in endless sports broadcasts. “Charlie loved broadcasting,” Kim commented. “He knew that’s what he wanted to be as soon as he took his first radio job as a kid. The adrenaline rush he would have after doing a game would keep him up for hours. He fed off people and this energy would help him overcome any physical pain he was having. He thoroughly enjoyed sharing his craft with up-and-coming broadcasters.
“Bill Walton is probably the best known example. He spent hours reviewing tapes with Bill and helping him develop skills. Of course, NBC recognized Charlie’s ability to develop talent; he had a multitude of various partners over the years because of this. Charlie was selfless on the air. He pulled his partners in, set them up and let them shine, unlike others who let their egos get in the way. He was a terrific mentor. He was mine for public speaking.”
Kim said that as for Charlie’s legacy, he was extremely proud of his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “He took pride in being old school — setting up the story, letting the game be the star and making the whole experience a joy to viewers,” Kim noted. “The real test, he said, was to hold viewers when the game was a blowout. That’s where his story-telling ability could really shine.
Of course, he did tons of different sports, but he loved his Olympic experiences (track and field in Seoul, swimming and diving in Barcelona, and canoeing, kayaking, rowing in Atlanta). I remember hearing many stories from people who met him and felt like they were being interviewed, even when they went to interview him.”
Another thing that made Charlie special was his love for his community. Many notable people just use a town for what it has to offer and do not give back. That was not Charlie. “Charlie loved La Jolla,” Kim pointed out. “He first came to town when he was in the Air Force, but when he returned for good he found a house he loved with a view of the Cove and never left. He enjoyed his tennis games at the Beach and Tennis Club in earlier times, and later loved to lunch on the patio there. He could watch the Fourth of July fireworks from his driveway.
“I think he especially enjoyed La Jolla’s village atmosphere. One of Charlie’s best traits was that he was so friendly and approachable. He put on no airs. He talked with everyone and was a charmer. He loved kidding with the workers at Burns Drugs, the staff at Warwick’s, Terry at Ocean Girl; he would take little holiday gifts to the women at his dry cleaners; he’d trade funky magazines with his gardener; he just enjoyed making people smile. In fact, no matter where he went in La Jolla, you could count on him giving someone a compliment or striking up a conversation with a child. Charlie grew up in a small town and he looked at the world as a small town.”
When I told Kim that I was doing a piece on Charlie’s life, I noted that I had a very definitive impression of Charlie after I met him years ago.
Charlie had that “grandfather” look and feel to him and he was the kind of guy you would want and trust as your next-door neighbor. Kim also agreed that the role of grandfather suited Charlie just fine.
“I think Charlie would like to be remembered as a creative man who had his dream career and was the consummate pro; a wonderful grandpa — he was enamored with his three grandkids, Morgan, Parker and Charlotte — and a person who thoroughly enjoyed people and life, sharing lots of love, laughs and energy,” Kim remarked. “It’s funny, but his last book was stories of Santa Claus and he was a living Santa. He had a twinkle in his eye; a joyful, contagious chuckle; and he loved giving to others. He touched many lives and I was blessed to have been so close to him.”
For those who didn’t get to know or have an opportunity to meet Charlie over the years, he has left a number of pieces to his life for us to enjoy.
His blog (www.charliejonesonsports.blogspot.com/) will be up for the immediate future.
According to Kim, “He so enjoyed communicating, and I’d love for people to take a look at his writing. He would have loved that, too, because we were just beginning to publicize the site when he died. His postings are very insightful and touch on many topics beyond sports. Charlie was multi-dimensional and interested in far more than sports. He was also very well-read.”
Kim said she is thinking of creating a Web site to collect Charlie stories and feature his work. “His sister wants me to write a book about him, but right now I’m not sure; I’m still working through my grief and I need a little time to figure it all out,” Kim added.
Kim ended our conversation by telling me that while she really does miss him, she is a better person because of him.
I think it is safe to say that many people echo those feelings. Wherever you are, Charlie, thank you for all you gave us during your time here. We all learned a little something from you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
