Craig Murie was nothing sort of being consistently positive, Benton Duncan, chair of the math department said.

Murie, a lecturer in the math department, died Saturday at the age of 66 due to complications with liver disease and cancer, Forum Communications reported.

Murie led the Fargo Shanley girls basketball to four state championships in the 1980s and was also a “long time NDSU football and basketball clock operator,” NDSU Athletics posted on its facebook page. “Craig was a staple of Bison game days for many years. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.”

Duncan’s interactions with Murie were mostly professional, although they had a friendly relationship and generally chatted about twice a week.

“He was really just happy all the time,” Duncan said. He added that despite his health issues Murie never let his lack of one of his legs let him fall short of a good attitude and that whenever the conversation got thin, sports were always a reliable topic of conversation with Murie.

Murie said in a 2010 interview with The Forum that the loss had actually calmed him, and left behind some words of wisdom; “Life has to go on. You either go positive or you go negative. I chose positive.”

He added in the same interview that the loss of his leg had brought some sort of epiphany to Murie’s eyes.

“It really makes you appreciate people,” Murie said.

Along with his attitude, Duncan highlighted Murie’s effort to connect with his students. He said Murie really emphasized learning and hard work.

Duncan said Murie may not have always been the most popular teacher, but his heart was always in the right place and he always tried to do the right thing.

He said Murie always had a smile on his face and just wanted to create genuine connections with the people around him. Ducan said Murie was happy to listen and share stories.

“We’re going to miss him smiling,” Duncan said.