Jim Durham | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1947-02-12)February 12, 1947 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | November 4, 2012(2012-11-04) (aged 65) |
| Alma mater | Donovan High School Illinois State University |
| Occupation | Sportscaster |
Jim Durham (February 12, 1947 – November 4, 2012) was an Americansportscaster.
Born inChicago, he graduated from Donovan High School inDonovan, Illinois, and later attendedIllinois State University inNormal, Illinois.
Durham spent more than 37 years calling NBA games on TV and radio; his previous assignments were with theChicago Bulls, theDallas Mavericks,TNT andTBS. With the Bulls, he was theplay-by-play announcer whenMichael Jordan,Scottie Pippen, and their teammates won the1991 NBA championship. In1998, Durham called men'sNCAA basketball tournament games forCBS.
Early in his career, Durham worked onWJBC radio inBloomington, Illinois. During his time there, he covered the career ofIllinois State University basketball starDoug Collins, later coincidentally the coach of the Bulls during the early Jordan years in Chicago, including the famous call listed below.
Durham was theplay-by-play voice of theChicago Bulls from 1973 to 1991. During his first twelve years covering the ballclub, he was exclusively on the radio broadcasts onWIND (1973–1980, 1982–1985),WVON (1980–1982) andWGCI-FM (1981–1982; shared arrangement with WVON). Primarily working solo, he was paired withNorm Van Lier in 1980–81 andDave Baum in 1982–83. For the remainder of his time in Chicago beginning with the 1985–86 season, he andJohnny Kerr handled thesimulcast onWMAQ (1985–1988) andWLUP (1988–1991) on the radio andWFLD/SportsVision (1985–1989) andWGN/SportsChannel Chicago (1989–1991) on television.[1] Five weeks after being relegated back to radio only on May 29, 1991,[2] Durham was dismissed on July 3 as a result of acontract dispute with Bulls management. He was succeeded byWayne Larrivee (WGN) andTom Dore (SportsChannel) on television[3] andNeil Funk on the radio.
Starting in1995, he called numerousNational Basketball Association games forESPN andESPN Radio.
Durham's most memorable call was for "The Shot" made byMichael Jordan in Game 5 of the1989 Eastern Conference First Round between the Bulls and Cavs:
The inbounds pass comes in to Jordan. Here's Michael at the foul line, the shot on Ehlo...GOOD! (Johnny 'Red" Kerr: THE BULLS WIN! THEY WIN!) They upset the Cleveland Cavaliers! Michael Jordan hits it at the foul line! (Kerr: WOOOH!) 101-100! 20,273 in stunned silence here in theColiseum. Michael Jordan with 44 points in a game hit the shot overCraig Ehlo. What tremendous heroics we have had in Game 5. From both teams, what a spectacular series this has been. In my days in the NBA, 16 years, this is the greatest series I've ever seen!
Durham also did play-by-play forMajor League Baseball, first in the 1980s for theHouston Astros, then from1989–1990 for theChicago White Sox and forESPN Radio from1998 until his death in 2012.
Durham died on November 4, 2012, due to complications from a heart attack.[4]
| Preceded by | National radio play-by-play announcer,NBA Finals 2005–2006 2010 2012 | Succeeded by |