From Walt Murphy. Shared with permission (with minor editing from Fan Hub admin). Walt produces an info-rich daily ”This Day in T&F” newsletter. Contact him at waltmurphy44@gmail.com if you’d like to join his distribution list.
From Walt Murphy:
Bob Hersh, who worked tirelessly for the betterment of the sport for decades, passed away this morning (January 18), at the age of 82 after a long bout with cancer.
This is a tough one to write, since Bob and I were friends for more than 50 years.
Long after we bonded through T&F, we discovered that we grew up just a few blocks from each other in the same Brooklyn neighborhood, within walking distance of Ebbets Field, the home of our beloved Brooklyn Dodgers.
Of all the items that Bob accumulated during his time in the sport, his prized possession was a letter from Steve Prefontaine, thanking Bob for his support of athletes’ rights. He also had the original “Stop Pre” t-shirt he wore during the 1972 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene!
Bob often dealt with serious issues within the sport, but he also knew how to have fun. He was competitive in T&F fantasy games and he loved to play “quarters” with other like-minded “gamblers” on the stats row at the Penn Relays while betting on the Saturday morning series of H.S. Boys 4×400 races!
And then there was the media 4×100 at the 1988 Relays. Held in front of the big Saturday crowd, it was a battle (for last place) between T&F News West and T&F News East. It was close heading into the anchor leg, as Scott Davis (West) and Bob (East) went stride-for-stride down the homestretch. Bob had a slight lead, repeatedly trying to smack Davis across the chest with his baton to fend him off. He was unsuccessful, as Davis won the race to finish next-to-last and gain bragging rights for the West Coast! It was all in good fun as the two future Hall-of-Famers shared a laugh as they made their way off the track.
From his Q&A interview with USATF after being named to the National Hall of Fame:
How did you get started with track and field?
When I was a kid, I was a very avid baseball fan. I grew up living two blocks from Ebbets Field, the home of the old Brooklyn Dodgers, and I went there all the time. When I was 12 years old, a good friend suggested that I might like track and field, so my father took me to a track meet at Madison Square Garden, and I just went nuts. I couldn’t believe it. I really thought this is the greatest sport in the world. A couple years after that, I was able to go into the city to meets at the Garden on my own and I became a regular there.
I knew that I was not a particularly talented athlete, so I became the student manager of my high school track team and then I did the same thing in college at Columbia. After law school, I came back to New York and got more and more involved with the sport.
What achievement are you most proud of in your career in track and field?
The first time I was asked to announce the Olympic Games, I was very, very proud of that. And I continued to be proud of the fact that that over the course of a couple of decades, I was the voice of international track and field at the highest levels. I announced six Olympic Games, nine World Championships, and many, many other international and domestic meets.
Another thing that I was very proud of was that in the 1980s I developed the USA/Mobil Indoor Grand Prix. That was a program that brought together the meets on the North American indoor circuit, and there were more than a dozen of them at that time. I designed the Grand Prix, I wrote the rules, and I was the scorer and administrator; they actually at one point gave me the title of Commissioner. (He was known to his friends as “Commish” forever after!)
Was there one moment that stands out for you in your announcing career?
Yes, it’s the 2007 Penn Relays 4×800 meters relay. I was on the microphone, and much to my surprise, and everybody else’s surprise, Columbia (Bob’s alma mater) won the race. They came from behind at the end and beat teams like Michigan, Villanova and Georgetown; there were some very strong track powers in the race. Nobody expected Columbia to win it. They came up at the end and I just shouted “Columbia!”
It was one time when I was sorry I was on the microphone because I had to keep my composure. What I really wanted to do was start jumping up and down and screaming. But I had to let the crowd subside for a few moments, and then come up with things to say. If people ask me what’s the greatest track race I’ve ever seen, that’s what immediately comes to mind.
Bob filled many key roles in a lifetime devoted to the sport. Here are a few:
World Athletics (IAAF)–Honorary Life Vice President; Former IAAF Council Member, Vice President and Senior Vice President. Also former Chairman of the IAAF Competition Commission, and former member of the IAAF Technical Committee, Juridical Commission, and several IAAF working Groups; Was the Chairman of the World Athletics (IAAF) Doping Review Board.
Former member of the USATF Board of Directors. Also former USATF General Counsel, Rules Chairman, and Records Chairman.
PA announcer for many international and domestic meets, including 6 Olympic Games, 9 World Championships, and the Penn Relays. In addition, he provided dramatic intros for many a Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games.
Senior Editor(Eastern)-Track & Field News, covered many meets for the magazine.
I grew up in New York City and my Dad took me to the Milrose Games in the 57th Street and current Madison Square Garden where I first heard Bob’s voice. While sitting in the stands at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (my first) I was stunned to hear Bob’s voice over the PA system. I turned to my wife and said, “I know that voice, her used to be the announcer of the Milrose Games in New York!”. Later at the Tf&N News Gala luncheon, I had the honor of meeting Bob and have a photograph of the two of us, which I cherish to this day.