Legendary North Carolina sportscaster Durham dies

Legendary North Carolina sportscaster Durham dies


Woody Durham, who called North Carolina football and basketball games for four decades, died peacefully at his home in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Wednesday. He was 76.

Wes Durham said his father, known as "Voice of the Tar Heels," died from complications of primary progressive aphasia. That neurocognitive disorder prevented him from public speaking in recent years, according to school spokesman Steve Kirschner.

Durham called North Carolina games from 1971 through 2011, covering more than 1,800 games.

"It's a very sad day for everyone who loves the University of North Carolina because we have lost someone who spent nearly 50 years as one of its greatest champions and ambassadors," North Carolina men's basketball coach Roy Williams said. "My heart goes out to Jean, Wes, Taylor and their entire family.

"It's ironic that Woody would pass away at the start of the postseason in college basketball because this was such a joyous time for him. He created so many lasting memories for Carolina fans during this time of year. It's equally ironic that he dealt with a disorder for the final years of his life that robbed him of his ability to communicate as effectively as he did in perfecting his craft.

"Woody loved the Tar Heels, and players, coaches and fans of all ages loved him right back. ... There will never be another quite like him."

Durham called 23 bowl games and 13 Final Fours during his career and spoke during the public memorial following the death of legendary coach Dean Smith in February 2015.

Durham will be posthumously awarded the Bob Bradley Spirit and Courage Award, presented by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association and the ACC, during the Tar Heels' conference tournament game against Syracuse on Wednesday night in Brooklyn.

In June, Durham will be inducted into the National Sports Media Association's Hall of Fame along with HBO's Bryant Gumbel, Washington Post baseball columnist Thomas Boswell and Bluestar Media's Dick Weiss, former national college basketball and football writer for the Philadelphia Daily News and the New York Daily News.

Durham won the North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year Award 13 times. He was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, the North Carolina Broadcasters Hall of Fame, the Stanly County Sports Hall of Fame and the Mebane Sports Hall of Fame.

Latest Player Notes

How a Wisconsin legend got his German protégé into Badgers pro day

Mar 15, 2024 Marlon Werthmann put his life on hold for the opportunity in front of him Friday at the McClain Center.Werthmann ...

Why former Wisconsin football running back Braelon Allen didn't run the 40 at pro day

Mar 15, 2024 Braelon Allen’s sweat covered his shirt and dripped off his beard as he approached a group of reporters Friday.The ...

How can UW recruit its best class ever? It starts with these five prospects

By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter Jedd Fisch has lofty recruiting goals at Washington. He didn’t waste any ...

Texas football kicks off spring practice Tuesday. We answer 24 questions for the 2024 team

Things certainly look fresh for the 2024 college football season, especially on the Texas campus.There’s a new conference ...

College Football Playoff: Conferences solve their differences (for now) and agree on general framework for 2026 and beyond

The FBS conferences and Notre Dame agreed on Friday to continue the College Football Playoff beyond the 2025 season, signing ...

Ball security, leadership key as Aztecs look to identify starting quarterback

San Diego State seemingly auditions a new starting quarterback on an annual basis.In the past 12 years, the Aztecs have opened ...

Results and more: A look at what happened at Penn State football’s Pro Day inside Holuba Hall

Most of those at Penn State’s Pro Day Friday were relatively quiet throughout the afternoon’s workouts, but there was one ...

Defense dominates first two weeks of Oregon State spring practice as Beavers ready for 2-week breather

CORVALLIS – Oregon State hit the break of spring practices Saturday, not exactly the midpoint but a good place to assess ...

Dillon Gabriel to have similar input, autonomy as Bo Nix had in Oregon’s offense

Published Mar. 16, 2024, 6:26 p.m.By James CrepeaEUGENE — Dillon Gabriel will have much of the same autonomy as Bo Nix did ...

Two transfers, one underclassman who impressed in Missouri football's spring game

With that, spring camp’s a wrap.Missouri football held its Black & Gold spring game Saturday in front of a healthy crowd ...
See More Player Notes