COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Former NBC 4 Sportscaster and celebrated "dean of sports" Jimmy Crum died Monday. He was 80.
NBC 4's Colleen Marshall spoke with Crum's daughter Monday night, who confirmed her father passed away -- apparently of natural causes.
The voice of Buckeye basketball during the glory years of the 1960s, and the voice of the Cincinnati Bengals, Jimmy was friend to coaching legends Woody Hayes and Bobby Knight, but first and foremost, he was a friend to Central Ohio children with disabilities.
Jimmy's legacy reaches far beyond the football fields or basketball courts and he will long be remembered for his impact on the charitable organizations that were dear to his heart.
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The Ohio Broadcasting Hall of Fame member said just months ago at his Labor of Love Tournament benefiting Easter Seals, Special Olympics and Recreation Unlimited, how his love affair with Central Ohio children has endured.
"There have been better sportscasters, but my community service has extended my career to 41 years more than anything else," Crum said.
From behind the sports desk, Jimmy built his reputation as a journalist of integrity. He once said he was 'here to report the story - not be the story.' He wasn't afraid to ask sometimes tough questions, but he did let his Buckeye bias show on occasion and his crazy jackets were very often colored scarlet and gray.
He told friends he was looking forward to playing golf this spring.
A group from the Easter Seals Telethon days surprised Jimmy with a dinner a few months ago and he said he was enjoying life.
"I'm busier now than I was before I retired. But I'm doing what I want to do when I want to do it and I don't have to worry about that 6 and 11 p.m. deadline every day," he said.
Crum joined the station shortly after its 1949 debut and retired in 1994.
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