RIP Caulton Tudor

[Jake_Taylor]

A legend in ACC country. Always seemed like a good guy.

Legendary NC sports columnist Caulton Tudor dies :: WRALSportsFan.com

 

[Tarheel316]

Great guy. Always enjoyed talking to him. RIP

 

[Songbird]

Great name.

 

[maumann]

The counterpoint to Bill Brill. One was gracious to a fault, the other cantankerous to a fault. Ought to be an interesting time in the back of heaven's ACC Media Tour bus.

 

[da man]

There are a million stories out there among longtime ACC media types about Tudor's wild and crazy antics over the years. I've heard a bunch, but it's been many, many years since I traveled in those circles and I don't trust myself to tell any of them correctly. Hope someone out there will chime in with some tales.

 

[Moderator1]

Started another thread, hadn't seen this one. This is what I said: One of the first guys I met outside Virginia. Didn't see him often. EVERY time I did, he treated me like a long-lost friend

My quick story isn't wild and crazy, just typical Caulton. Got on an elevator with him once at the ACC Football Kickoff. He started a story and wasn't done when we got to the lobby, so he pressed a high floor and we rode up and he finished. Best two minutes of the event for me. Just a good guy who treated everyone well. Had fun and still managed to be great at his job.

 

[maumann]

During my time in Durham and Rocky Mount, it seemed like everybody at the N&O was well-liked. A.J. Carr was the epitome of the southern gentleman. Gerald Martin was a deep well of information about NASCAR. Chip Alexander was always kind to me as well. Good group of guys and excellent writers as well.

 

[User 4332]

To read Caulton Tudor was a pleasure. To know him, a privilege.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

I started out in Lumberton, N.C., then quickly moved on to Danville, Va., when that paper still covered the ACC heavily.

It was remarkable how many veteran reporters and columnists at bigger papers were so kind and helpful to us young guys trying to learn the business. Caulton and A.J. Carr, who might be the nicest person I've ever met, in Raleigh. Frank Dascenzo and Mike Potter in Durham. Jeff White in Richmond (somehow I didn't meet Moddy back then). Brett Friedlander in Fayetteville. I'm probably missing a few.

 

[Moderator1]

Probably because Virginia Tech didn't join the ACC until after that. I covered a lot of CAA, Big East and A-10 with only sporadic appearances at ACC events until Tech joined.
And the folks you mentioned are all much nicer than I am anyway.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

Probably because Virginia Tech didn't join the ACC until after that. I covered a lot of CAA, Big East and A-10 with only sporadic appearances at ACC events until Tech joined.
And the folks you mentioned are all much nicer than I am anyway.

Tech was in the ACC by the time I got to Danville, but there were four of us hitting the six closest ACC schools, so I was mostly going to NC State and UVA. What a different time. A 30K paper with a four-person sports staff sending people out of town to cover stuff.

 

[da man]

This piece has a couple of good Tudor stories.
http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/article148563174.html
Colleagues talk about Caulton Tudor, NC Sports Hall of Famer

 

[maumann]

My favorite Frank Descenzo story: First night on the Herald-Sun desk and I pick up the phone because everyone else is busy.

I answer "sports desk" and the voice on the other end immediately asks, "Who the hell is this?"

"My name is Mark Aumann. Who the hell is this?"

"I don't care who the hell you are, but transfer me to somebody who knows me."

Jimmie Dupree says to me, "That must be Frank."

Nice to meet your acquaintance, Frank.

For the rest of my time in Durham, when Frank called, I'd answer, "I know who the hell you are, let me find someone who knows you." It got to be a running gag.

Several years later, I'm sports editor at the Rocky Mount Telegram and Frank comes up to me at Carter-Finley Stadium and gives me one of those Italian guy hugs and talks my ear off for most of the game. Apparently he finally figured out who the hell I was.

And yeah, there was a time when this business was worth the hard work because of the funny, crazy people you met along the way.

 

[Tarheel316]

I started out in Lumberton, N.C., then quickly moved on to Danville, Va., when that paper still covered the ACC heavily.

It was remarkable how many veteran reporters and columnists at bigger papers were so kind and helpful to us young guys trying to learn the business. Caulton and A.J. Carr, who might be the nicest person I've ever met, in Raleigh. Frank Dascenzo and Mike Potter in Durham. Jeff White in Richmond (somehow I didn't meet Moddy back then). Brett Friedlander in Fayetteville. I'm probably missing a few.

A.J. and Frank were both super nice to me whenever I saw them. Great guys.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

A.J. and Frank were both super nice to me whenever I saw them. Great guys.

Yes, I sort of had the stereotype of the grizzled, surly old newspaper man in my head until I met those two.

I should have mentioned Sammy Batten from Fayetteville too.

 

[Tarheel316]

Yes, I sort of had the stereotype of the grizzled, surly old newspaper man in my head until I met those two.

I should have mentioned Sammy Batten from Fayetteville too.

Agreed. You can include Thomas Pope among the good guys too.

 

[LanceyHoward]

I used to subscribe to the Basketball Times published by Larry Donald. It had an amazing lineup of columnists including Carleton Tudor, Charles Pierce, Tom Friend, Bob Ryan and a bunch of other great writers. I have moved a lot and at some point stopped subscribing, especially since they had trouble launching on the internet. Does anyone subscribe now. Is
the digital product any good?

 

[Bud_Bundy]

On the ACC bus tour one year when Danny Ford and Clemson were under fire from the NCAA over, I think, recruiting problems, as the Greyhound was pulling into the motel at Clemson, Tudor got on the PA system and suggested we all go in and register as NCAA investigators.