Fatherly Advice

As I’ve shared previously, my father passed away in 1971 at the age of 42.  Even though dad’s been gone for more than fifty years, I still think of him often, particularly at special family events or when I’m faced with big decisions.

I was reminded of my own father recently when I came across an article in Golf Magazine that related a story CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz shared with ESPN’s Kevin Clark shortly after Clark had lost his own father.

Jim Nantz’s advice from losing his father will bring a tear to your eye

By Dylan Dethier

October 30, 2025

ESPN’s Kevin Clark shared earlier this week that he had lost his father, Jim Clark.

“Dad was an old-school newspaper man, a legendary UCF history professor, an all-time football guy and a Hall of Fame grandpa (and a great hang),” he wrote in a movng tribute on Twitter. “Together we conquered every hockey practice, Magic game and WWF Raw taping in Florida. God, he loved us. Call your dad.”

Clark is one of the brightest and most curious minds in the NFL media landscape; in recent years he’s gone from a writer at the Ringer to his own show at ESPN. And this week, in the wake of his father’s passing, he kept an interview with broadcaster Jim Nantz — who calls both golf and football for CBS — because, he said, “my dad would want me to keep going.”

Nantz was determined to help Clark keep going, too. He researched Jim Clark in an effort to engage with Kevin on the subject. And so, their conversation strayed from football to fathers. After their official conversation ended, Clark added, Nantz kept talking.

“I can’t describe how special and meaningful it was,” Clark said. While understandably sensitive about blending his father’s passing with his content world, Clark initially told his producers not to make any social-media cuts of Nantz talking about grief. But then, he said, “enough people reached out about the segment that I changed my mind.”

He ended up posting his discussion in which Nantz discusses losing his own father, facing decisions without him and getting meaningful advice from Arnold Palmer on fatherly wisdom: Here’s an excerpt of what Nantz shared.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got came from Arnold Palmer, in a moment like this. My dad had not passed yet, but he was failing, and I was facing some rather large career decisions.

Actually, it was the opportunity to move over to news and leave my boyhood dream. All I ever wanted to do was work for CBS Sports, but now I had an opportunity to work for CBS News and leave this behind.

And it was a big opportunity, financially and beyond. But that wasn’t what was in my heart. And I grieved because my dad wasn’t capable of being able to consult me on this. He was deep down the road in his battle with Alzheimer’s.

But there was some attention about this decision in the media. And I ended up saying, ‘I’m not taking the money, that’s not the driver for me.’  I have the only job I ever always wanted. I’m staying with sports.’

So, shortly thereafter, I mean maybe two weeks after that decision had played out in the press, I saw Arnold at Augusta. It was one of his last times there as a competitor. He was on the putting green, and he looked over, he saw me and he said, ‘Hey, come over here.’

I had been the beneficiary of a wonderful friendship with Arnold. (It was so deep that when he passed away, I was asked to be one of the eulogists at his funeral.) So anyway, he came over and he asked me, ‘How come you made this decision, how did you come to it?’

And I told him it was hard. He said, ‘Why was it hard?’ And I said, ‘Because my dad wasn’t there to be able to talk it through.’

He says, ‘No, you don’t understand. Your dad made that decision with you.’

I said, ‘How’s that?’

He said, ‘He was talking the whole time. You just didn’t realize it. He was right here.’

‘And Arnold had big hands, like baseball mitts, and he reached [Nantz touches his chest] and almost knocked me over. He kept hitting me right here in the heart.

He says, ‘Jim, he was right here. He’s right here. He’s always going to be right here. You were listening to him, and you made that decision in concert with your father. Don’t ever forget, for as long as you’re alive and you face moments in your lifetime, you don’t know what to do. Just remember, he’s right here.’

That’s the best advice I can give you. As you march on, your career is magical, hugely successful. It’s only going to get bigger. So many roads to conquer and great things to go out there and achieve. He’s still going to be right there. Just like Arnold said.