Arnold Palmer, Legendary Golfer And Wake Forest Alumnus, Dies

Arnold Palmer brought a country-club sport to the masses with a hard-charging style, charisma, and a commoner's touch. At ease with both presidents and the golfing public, and on a first-name basis with both, "The King" died Sunday in Pittsburgh. He was 87.

Alastair Johnson, CEO of Arnold Palmer Enterprises, confirmed that Palmer died Sunday afternoon of complications from heart problems.

Palmer ranked among the most important figures in golf history, and it went well beyond his seven major championships and 62 PGA Tour wins. His good looks, devilish grin, and go-for-broke manner made the elite sport appealing to one and all. And it helped that he arrived about the same time as television moved into most households, a perfect fit that sent golf to unprecedented popularity.

(See a photo gallery of Arnold Palmer's career)

He was one of Wake Forest University's most distinguished alumni. He attended Wake Forest on a golf scholarship. He didn't graduate, but he was quick to put Wake in the competitive spotlight. He won the Southern Conference title, and in 1949, won the NCAA's individual championship, before going pro.

“I have had a love affair with Wake Forest since my undergraduate days, but I didn't realize until many years later what I had truly learned at Wake Forest – both in and out of the classroom – about the meaning of a productive and meaningful life,” he said in a Commencement address to Wake Forest graduates in 2005.

In 2013, the University dedicated a statue on campus to honor Palmer, 9-feet tall and showing him in full-swing. 

"No alumnus ever has had a bigger impact on Wake Forest University as an ambassador, role model, benefactor, and friend than Arnold Palmer,” said Wake Forest University President Nathan O. Hatch. “Julie and I will always remember his kindness, his gracious hospitality, his love for golf, and its culture of respect and fair play — as well as his love for Wake Forest. He was a true gentleman.”

“Wake Forest University has become synonymous with exceptional golf and that extraordinary reputation began with Arnold Palmer.”

"When he hits the ball, the earth shakes," professional golfer Gene Littler once said. On the golf course, Palmer was an icon not for how often he won, but the way he did it. He would hitch up his pants, drop a cigarette and attack the flags. With powerful hands wrapped around the golf club, Palmer would slash at the ball with all of his might, then twist that muscular neck and squint to see where it went.

Palmer rallied from seven shots behind to win a U.S. Open. He blew a seven-shot lead on the back nine to lose a U.S. Open.

He was never dull.

"I'm pleased that I was able to do what I did from a golfing standpoint," Palmer said in 2008, two years after he played in his last official tournament. "I would like to think that I left them more than just that."

He left behind a gallery known as "Arnie's Army," which began at Augusta National with a small group of soldiers from nearby Fort Hood, and grew to include a legion of fans from every corner of the globe.

Palmer stopped playing the Masters in 2004 and hit the ceremonial tee shot every year until 2016, when age began to take a toll and he struggled with his balance.

Beyond his golf, Palmer was a pioneer in sports marketing, paving the way for scores of other athletes to reap in millions from endorsements. Some four decades after his last PGA Tour win, he ranked among the highest-earners in golf.

Palmer was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997, which was caught early. He returned to golf a few months later, winking at fans as he waded through the gallery, always a smile and a signature for them.

"I'm not interested in being a hero," Palmer said, implying that too much was made about his return from cancer. "I just want to play some golf."

That, perhaps, is his true epitaph. Arnold Palmer lived to play.