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SALT LAKE CITY — Paul James spent 24 years on the sports desk at KSL TV, then another 40 years as the play-by-play Voice of the Cougars in Provo.
Those who knew him best remember a man whose voice drove local sports for nearly half a century — but was so much more than that until his death late Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018.
As part of the KSL-TV trio of James, Dick Nourse and Bob Welti, James spent 24 years delivering Utah news with a singular voice as part of what is believed to be the longest-tenured trio in television history.
"He wanted to do all of these things in life, and he put his mind to it, one at a time," Nourse told KSL TV. "He did all of this after he retired from sports and broadcasting. He’s a fantastic, amazing man. He really was."
James was born July 17, 1931 in Ogden, and went on to earn a Rotary Club Scholarship from the University of Utah, where he met and married the former Annette Greenwell in 1951.
His first job was at KBUH radio in Brigham City, but he quickly moved to television in 1952 when he joined KDYL-TV in Salt Lake City and called games for his alma mater Utes from 1959-65.
But just one year later, he moved to KSL and joined the same trio until his retirement from television in 1989.
"He was special," said Craig Bolerjack, the current Utah Jazz broadcaster who got his start at KSL. "He was one of a kind. Iconic, yes, and he leaves behind a great legacy — not only in the valley, and around the state, but right here at KSL."
James' first season as the Voice of the Cougars came in 1965, and he earned many accolades, including calling BYU’s National Invitation Tournament title in 1966. He called nearly 1,400 sports broadcasts, including close to 450 football games, until he announced his retirement alongside close friend and legendary BYU football coach LaVell Edwards in 2000.
He also earned the respect of thousands — notably, fans of the University of Utah, and even his play-by-play "adversary," Bill Marcroft.
"I enjoyed the adversary — and he was a tremendous adversary," Marcroft said. "Paul was always a friend, and always a competitor — and we always had a lot of fun on the air."
Among friends or foes, James met a lot of colleagues who eventually became long-time friends.
"I don't even know what I did to deserve to be there right out of college," said Jim Nantz, who called sports for KSL-TV from 1982-85 before his current role with CBS. "But to be part of Paul’s understudy made a profound difference in my life and my career.
"What I saw in Paul was someone who on the air was who he was off the air. There was a naturalness about PJ on the air that wasn’t anything he had to work to do."
A renaissance man renowned as much for his radio calls as his love of music, art and opera, James retired from KSL TV in 1989, and was succeeded on KSL Newsradio by his former sideline reporter Greg Wrubell, first in football in 1996 and then in men’s basketball in 2001.
"Paul had more to his life than just sports, and I really respected that," Bolerjack said. "Paul was a master Bridge player, Paul was a poet, Paul was a painter, Paul was a piano player."
But all who knew him agree: there will never be another Paul James.
"I still see him with that look in his eye, and his smile. He wore a smile that was 365-24-7," Nance said. "He was a special friend, and someone that I truly looked up to, and I always will."
A funeral will be held Oct. 16 at Memorial Mortuary in Salt Lake City, beginning at noon. A public viewing will be held two hours before the service.
