Accorsi and Hurney

Panther, Giant GMs got starts in press box

By Darin Gantt The Herald
(Published January 4‚ 2006)

CHARLOTTE -- Sports reporters usually meet in press boxes, roadside diners and bars.

Sunday, they meet in the NFL playoffs.

The Carolina Panthers and New York Giants, who'll play in the NFC Wild Card game, were put together by general managers Marty Hurney and Ernie Accorsi, who got their start in the football business as sportswriters.

"Former sportswriters," Hurney said, quickly enough that it's obvious he wanted to downplay any link between the two jobs.

Hurney covered the Redskins for the Washington Times before being brought into the organization by his mentor, Bobby Beathard. Accorsi worked for the Baltimore Sun before he got his start with the Baltimore Colts, first as PR director and later as general manager.

"The biggest difference between us is Ernie could probably write," Hurney said.

Both were known as dogged reporters back in the day. Working for the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1968, Accorsi broke the story that the 76ers traded Wilt Chamberlain to the Lakers. According to his former co-workers, and clear by his present demeanor, then-Times beat writer Hurney relished the challenge of competing with the bigger paper across town and beating them. Accorsi actually got his start in the newspaper business at the now-defunct Charlotte News, spending six months there after graduating from Wake Forest in 1963.

He recalled summer nights watching the old Charlotte Hornets at Griffith Park in Dilworth (it was later named Crockett Park, which burned in 1985).

"I wanted to cover baseball, but they didn't trust me with it," the Giants GM said. He mostly covered high school football, and recalled crossing the state line to cover games in Rock Hill.

Both laughed when recalling their ink-stained roots, but retain a respect for the other side. They're known in media circles as two of the most accessible in their business, while many of their peers assume those who cover them know little.

Hurney -- grudgingly, at best -- acknowledged there may be a bit of carryover in the skill-sets needed in his past and present careers.

"Communication's essential, especially in the era of the salary cap," he said. "You have to bring together coaches, scouts, the salary cap side, there are a lot of aspects that have to be considered, and you all have to be on the same page."

It still sounds crazy, turning over teams to those once charged with cranking out bylines on deadline.

Then again, they've put together playoff teams, so maybe there's something to it.

"Maybe more old sportswriters need to be hired," Accorsi said, perhaps joking.

Didn't sound like it.

 

I'll be waiting on a good post from LHarris about this.

 

the Charlotte News....I remember that paper. the tv section was printed on green paper

 

I used to deliver that paper. One of my first jobs.

 

Ditto.

 

He recalled summer nights watching the old Charlotte Hornets at Griffith Park in Dilworth (it was later named Crockett Park, which burned in 1985).

 

the Charlotte Hornets were the baseball team before the NBA ever showed up

 

yeth

 

They were also the football team before the NFL showed up - WFL I think. They played in Memorial Stadium and won the league title once. Before it folded.

 

. . . Lot of memories

Accorsi, who has remained a friend for more than 40 years, came to The Charlotte News fresh off a golf scholarship at Wake Forest in the early 60s. In those days, newspapers rarely had more than 4 or 5 guys on a sports staff (now 50-75 at a large metropolitan daily is normal) and our swashbuckling, undisciplined but willing crew was headed by Rocket Ronald Green, the same wonderful guy you read now in The Observer.

There were few writers who did golf and basketball better than Ron Green -- still aren't for that matter -- and another member of the staff, Mighty Max Muhleman, junked journalism and went on to greater things, like becoming the Father of the PSL and the man who brought major league sports to Charlotte. For a time, Muhleman was to auto racing what Hemingway was to bullfighting. No one else was in the same league.

Other staff members at that time included Bob Myers and yours truly.

Ernie didn't stay long in Charlotte, bailing out for the Army and then jobs in Philly and Baltimore. He went on to greater things with St. Joseph's and was a trusted ally to Joe Paterno at Penn St. for years, before he became a power in the NFL with Baltimore, Cleveland, the Giants and the league office. Remember, he was a strong candidate to be commissioner after Pete Rozelle before Tags got the job. Ernie would have been a better choice.

I lost track of my old pal Bob Myers, but someone told me he became a pilot. And of course yours truly graduated to enjoying Magnus, Collin and Coach Micool in TBR.

Those were the days. I wish Ernie contentment and happiness -- except on this coming Sunday!