Furman Bisher

Furman Bisher (born November 4, 1918) is a sports columnist for the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution", where he once served as sports editor, and is a columnist for "The Sporting News". Bisher has written for "Sports Illustrated", "The Saturday Evening Post", and many other national publications.

Bisher was born in Denton, North Carolina, and is a 1938 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He became editor of the "Lumberton Voice" at the age of 20. He went on to work at the "High Point Enterprise" and the "Charlotte News", where he became the sports editor in 1948.

In 1949, Bisher landed the only interview ever granted by Shoeless Joe Jackson concerning his involvement in the 1919 Black Sox scandal.

Bisher was president of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association from 1974 to 1976 and president of the Football Writers Association of America in 1959 - 1960.

In 1961, "Time" magazine named him one of the nation's five best columnists.

Bisher co-wrote the first autobiography of Henry Aaron, titled Aaron, RF upon its initial release in 1968. In 1974, with Aaron about to become the all-time home run king, Bisher added an afterword to include the years 1968-73. The new edition was titled Aaron, as the subject was no longer a right fielder.

Bisher, who is nearly 90, holds seniority over the hundreds of golf reporters and other sports journalists who descend on Augusta, Georgia, each April for The Masters Tournament. During the 2006 tournament, The Golf Channel profiled Bisher as the "dean" of Masters journalists.

Bisher famously signs off his columns with the word, "Selah."

External links

* [http://www.gshf.org Georgia Sports Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.firejoemorgan.com/search/label/furman%20bisher Furman Bisher at Fire Joe Morgan]

Persondata
NAME=Bisher, Furman
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Sportswriter
DATE OF BIRTH=November 4, 1918
PLACE OF BIRTH=Denton, North Carolina
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=