ESPN’s Kevin Clark shared earlier this week that he had lost his father.
“Jim was an old-school newspaper man, a legendary UCF history professor, an all-time football guy and a Hall of Fame grandpa (and a great hang),” he wrote in a moving tribute on Twitter. “Together we conquered every hockey practice, Magic game and WWF Raw taping in Florida. God he loved us. Call your dad.”
Clark is one of the brightest and most curious minds in the NFL media landscape; in recent years he’s gone from a writer at the Ringer to his own show at ESPN. And this week, in the wake of his father’s passing, he kept an interview with CBS golf and football legend Jim Nantz — who calls both golf and football for CBS — because, he said, “my dad would want me to keep going.”
Nantz was determined to help Clark keep going, too. He researched Jim Clark in an effort to engage with Kevin on the subject. And so their conversation strayed from football to fathers. (It’s worth your time and you can find it here.) After their official conversation ended, Clark added, Nantz kept talking.
“I can’t describe how special and meaningful it was,” Clark said.
Clark, understandably sensitive about blending his father’s passing with his content world, initially told his producers not to make any social-media cuts of Nantz talking about grief. But then, he said, “enough people reached out about this part I changed my mind.”
What he ended up posting — Nantz on losing his own father, facing decisions without him and getting meaningful advice from Arnold Palmer — is the CBS legend at his very best. Here’s the clip, which I’ve transcribed below.
I asked my producers not to make any clips from the dad grief portion but enough people reached out about this part I changed my mind.
Jim Nantz to Kevin Clark on Arnold Palmer’s fatherly wisdom:
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got came from Arnold Palmer, in a moment like this. My dad had not passed yet, but he was failing, and I was facing some rather large career decisions.
Actually, it was the opportunity to move over to news and leave the boyhood dream. This is all I ever wanted to do is work for CBS Sports, but now I had an opportunity to work for CBS News and leave this behind.
And it was a big opportunity, financially and beyond. But that wasn’t what was in my heart. And I grieved because my dad wasn’t capable of being able to consult me on this. He was deep down the road on with his battle with Alzheimer’s.
But there was some attention about this decision in the media. And I ended up saying, ‘I’m not taking the money. That’s not the driver for me. I’m, I have the job I ever always wanted. I’m staying with sports.’
So, shortly thereafter, I mean maybe two weeks after that decision had played out in the press, I saw Arnold at Augusta. It’s one of his last times as a competitor. He was on the putting green, and he looked over, he saw me and he said, ‘Hey, come over here.’
And I had been the beneficiary of a wonderful friendship with Arnold. It was so deep that actually one day I did his eulogy — I was one of his eulogists at his funeral. So anyway, he came over and he walked me through, ‘How come you made this decision? How did you come to it?’
And I told him it was hard. He said, ‘Why was it hard?’ And I said, ‘Because my dad wasn’t there to be able to talk it through.’
He says, ‘No, you don’t understand. Your dad made that decision with you.’
I said, ‘How’s that?’
He said, ‘He was talking the whole time. You just didn’t realize it. He was right here.’
‘And Arnold had big hands, like baseball mitts, and he reached [Nantz touches his chest] and almost knocked me over. He kept hitting me right here in the heart.
He says, ‘Jim, he was right here. He’s right here. He’s always gonna be right here. You were listening to him and you made that decision in concert with your father. Don’t ever forget, for as long as you’re alive and you face moments in your lifetime, you don’t know what to do. Just remember, It’s right here.’
That’s the best advice I can tell you.As you march on, your career is magical, hugely successful. It’s only gonna get bigger. So many roads to conquer and great things to go out there and achieve. He’s still gonna be right there.Just like Arnold said.
Thanks to Kevin, and to Jim, for sharing the moment. And spare a thought for Jim Clark, who sounds like he was the best.
