He possessed both wit and a way with words, and many who followed Southern California sports during the second half of the twentieth century found themselves reading his sports columns that could be found in the Los Angeles Times.

For the better part of four decades, Jim Murray offered his insights on all kinds of sports while mixing a wry sense of humor and a storyteller's flare to his work. A true wordsmith, Murray could come up with one-liners reminisicent of those you might find in a Neil Simon play. If someone heard his material and did not know he was a sportswriter, they might have believed he was a stand-up comedian. That would have been ironic since he spent an untold number of hours sitting at his typewriter.

But alongside that humor was real life. Very much a learned man, Murray possessed intelligence and knowledge of various subjects. Whether they were from other sports or not, Murray could produce references that would be perfectly woven into his work. For example, it was not uncommon for the names Babe Ruth, Errol Flynn, Jack Dempsey or Shirley Temple to show up in one of his pieces. In that sense, Murray was very much a connection to the past for anyone who read him. Those who were Murray's age could easily recall those bygone eras, while younger followers would learn of them.

Auto racing, baseball, basketball, boxing, football, golf. All of those and more were subjects of at least one Murray column. Naturally, Thoroughbred racing was on that same list. He wrote about the Kentucky Derby more than once, but Murray worked in an area that contained a major Thoroughbred racing circuit. Moreover, that circuit happened to be home to some of the sport's premier tracks, jockeys, trainers and horses. In other words, the region's racing scene had plenty for Murray to write about.

Seabiscuit, Bill Shoemaker, Decidedly, Round Table, Silky Sullivan, Swaps, Native Diver, John Longden, Laffit Pincay, Jr., Charlie Whittingham, Cougar II, Laz Barrera, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid, Althea, Chris McCarron, Snow Chief, Winning Colors, Sunday Silence. None of them escaped Murray's attention, and as a result his readers were along for the adventure as Murray played a role in the chronicle of Southern California racing.

As the years went by, Murray also became a historian of the races out here. He began at the Los Angeles Times in 1961, so he was present for the happenings involving the equine stars and the jockeys who would make the circuit their home base. He made it clear John Longden's retirement following his 1966 San Juan Capistrano win aboard George Royal was the end of an era. He also gave a history lesson on the Santa Anita Handicap before the race's renewal in 1988. And it was not uncommon for Murray to mention a name of racing's past, regardless if that name was associated with the Southland or not. You could find a mention of Citation and Noor in his work, along with Exterminator, Count Fleet, Whirlaway, Native Dancer, Bold Ruler, Secretariat and Man o' War.

Longtime racing fans no doubt knew of these names. But for those who were new to the sport or Murray's columns, they learned of those legends of yesteryear as Murray had no problem introducing them to his readers.

For all the humor that Murray entered in his writings, he also gave respect to equine athletes. He wrote highly of Spectacular Bid during the colt's 1980 Santa Anita campaign. He also captured the brilliance of Landaluce in one piece during the 1982 season. In 1998, on the fiftieth anniversary of Silky Sullivan's Santa Anita Derby victory, Murray conveyed the adulation and respect the legendary Cal-bred earned during his days wowing crowds with his improbable rallies. And Swaps found his way into Murray's columns long after his retirement. Though he covered Thoroughbred racing along with other sports to make a living, it's clear Murray was a fan.

And Southern California racing paid its own tribute to him. For many years, Hollywood Park hosted the Jim Murray Memorial Handicap on its turf course. During the last few years it was part of the schedule, the race had the designation of being a Grade II event. Given how respected Murray was in his profession (he won many awards in his distinguished career, and was one of the few sportwriters to be awarded the Pulitzer), the fact the race named in his honor was graded was completely apropos.

Murray passed away in the summer of 1998, and it happened to be on the day his last column was published. The subject was none other than Free House, who had just won the Pacific Classic at Del Mar the day before. Thinking about it now, one wonders what Murray would have written about Tiznow. Or maybe Lava Man and California Chrome, two Cal-breds with rags-to-riches tales? How about Zenyatta with her rallies from behind, notably in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic? Murray would have had plenty of material watching those great horses. No doubt he would have written about Chris McCarron going out a winner in the 2002 Affirmed Handicap. And a tribute to Laffit Pincay, Jr. after the Hall of Famer retired due to injury would have been the focus of a Murray column.

But Murray was a major contributor to keeping readers informed about Southern California racing, both in the present and the past. A master of his craft, he did so with humor and intelligence. But Murray was human, and he appreciated greatness, determination, and spirit. That was evident in his writings, and it can easily be seen in his columns about the races and those who were part of them.

And those columns that appeared in countless editions of the newspaper that employed him for so long have given Murray a permanent page in the annals of California Thoroughbred racing history.