Friday December 28, 2007

Dr. Harold Vigodsky

Dr. Harold Vigodsky
I first met Dr. Harold Vigodsky on September 13, 1986 in the press box later to be named after Clemson legend Bob Bradley. I was a student assistant in the sports information and worked for Mr. B and another Clemson legend, Tim Bourret. Most Clemson fans are well versed in stories of Bob Bradley and his Hall of Fame career as the sports information director at Clemson. Most Clemson fans have tuned into a radio broadcast and enjoyed Bourret’s work or have enjoyed his award-winning press guides or game day programs. However, I would venture to say that many Tiger fans did not have the privilege to get to know Harold Vigodsky, even though many in the know around the sports information office at Clemson held him in the same regards as Mr. B and Tim.

Thursday, December 27, 2007 Clemson lost Dr. Harold Vigodsky, a legend in many ways.

In the past day and often in the coming days, we will get a chance to hear and read many memories friends had of Harold. Please allow me to share some today.

In the fall of 1986, I must admit I thought Harold was this peculiar man. That was because I did not know him well and did not yet recognize his genius. That would soon follow.

My first encounter with Harold came on the first day I worked a Clemson game in the press box. I was a freshman and we had just lost to Virginia Tech. Harold was the main man on the stat crew that day but I did not meet him until after the game. He was collecting piles of paper and stats from the game. He had the game program. He had Virginia Tech’s press guide. He had the game notes from both schools. He had the final stat package and he even had a stack of cups. He made an impression on me on September 13, 1986 that continued with every encounter I ever had with the guy since.

Clemson’s next home game that year was October 6 and it was against The Citadel. The same guy shows up and collects everything in sight. Harold piled up everything in print that day. He kept everything he could get his hands on.

Later in that season I sent out a fax to all of the newspapers that covered Clemson but I did not include Harold in the group. He came by later that week and made a copy of the release.

Back in those days Clemson had a successful wrestling team and I was in charge of writing the release for the pre-match and post-match of every Clemson wrestling event that year. Wouldn’t you know it I forgot to include Harold in some of the releases but he would come by and make copies later in the week.

Harold’s football game day was not complete until he had a chance to come by the sports information office and make copies of any releases he may have missed. I got the courage up to ask him what he did with all of this stuff and when he described his Clemson memorabilia room it all made a little more sense. Harold kept a room in his house that stored everything that ever came out of the sports information office. If it had a Tiger Paw on it, Harold collected it.

After a South Carolina-Clemson game one year I was leaving the press box several hours after the game and saw Harold digging through a trash can getting a plastic cup from the game. It was one he had not had.

Harold was obsessed with Clemson and Clemson athletics. But Clemson benefitted from this obsession. Dr. Harold Vigodsky was a brilliant man who was the smartest man I have ever met in terms of numbers.

In Tim Bourret’s article currently up on www.clemsontigers.com, Tim tells the story where Harold corrected a past box score and stats from a basketball game because one player’s time was off by one second. If you did not know Harold you might think this is fabrication of the truth. Those that knew him often use the story to best describe his brilliance.

Harold was on the stat team at Clemson for 30 years. He was the lead statistician for the Carolina Panthers. He worked Clemson football, Clemson basketball, Dorman football, the Shrine Bowl, etc. If you wanted the best then you called Harold.

On this morning’s radio show, Clemson color analyst and good friend Will Merritt shared stories of Harold and his incredible mind. Bourret’s memory is very well written and I encourage all to read it on www.clemsontigers.com. Both described Harold very well.

I thought a great point Tim made when he described Harold was in the way he approached you. It can be difficult to correct someone especially when you have to do it as often as Harold did in terms of his stat team. But Harold was a gentleman and was very polite about it. He was very tactful when he would call you aside and say, “Oh by the way…”

A 20-year friendship with Harold was filled with tons of information. The Dr. in Dr. Harold Vigodsky was not just a couple of letters and a period. He was the leading authority among eye doctors in South Carolina. The test that eye doctors had to pass to become eye doctors was written by Harold.

This past February I went to my local eye doctor and received a completely different analysis than ever before. The doctor I saw for the first time told me I had astigmatism and prescribe special glasses and contacts. I was having an awful time because the prescription was not right. They changed my prescription three or four times but I still could not see. One day in the press room at the Clemson basketball game I asked Harold about it and he completely set me straight and got me a new local eye doctor. My vision improved drastically.

I will leave you with one final story. Clemson assistant Sports Information Director Sam Blackman rode with Harold to Shreveport, LA for the Independence Bowl in 1985. The Tigers were facing Minnesota and Sam and Harold took Harold’s conversion van to the game. Harold could calculate gas mileage like football stats. Remember, this was 1985 before we had the technology and the digital readings that some cars have today in concerns to gas mileage. Sam was taking a shift as the driver and woke Harold up to ask they were about to run out of gas but Harold took a quick look at the odometer and quickly explained, “No, Sammy we can go another 53 miles before we run out.” He was ahead of his time even in travel.

I remember Harold for his true brilliance. I also remember him for his love of his family and his love for Clemson. He was a gentleman who was dependable and consistent in his ways. In the hundreds of times I was in his company I never heard a cross word from his mouth. Harold represented Clemson with class and dignity.

After Bob Bradley passed away I always find it strange not to see him in the press box or on press row at a Clemson basketball game. I think Monday’s Peach Bowl and future Clemson football and basketball games will be very different without Harold around.

We lost another Clemson legend yesterday. We will greatly miss the kindness and brilliance of Dr. Harold Vigodsky. His friendship was priceless.

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