NEWS.
>> THANKS FOR WATCHING WCCO,
NOW STREAMING ON CBSN
MINNESOTA.
FRANK IS OFF THIS EVENING.
>>> MINNESOTA HAS LOST A
LEGENDARY SPORTS ANCHOR, TOM
HANNEMANN PASSED AWAY LAST
NIGHT.
MIKE MAX JOINS US WITH A LOOK
BACK AT HIS CAREER, AND MAXEY,
YOU YOURSELF WAS A FRIEND OF
HIS TOO.
>> I WORKED WITH TOM.
US.
TOM BEST KNOWN FOR HIS WORK ON
TWIN CITY SPORTS, BUT HIS
CAREER STARTED IN CHANNEL 4. HE
WAS A MAINSTAY IN THE MARKET
ALMOST 40 YEARS.
HE BECAME FAST FRIENDS.
HE WAS KNOWN INSIDE THE
INDUSTRY IS ONE OF THE KINDEST
AND HUMBLEST SOULS.
HE HAD SUFFERED HEART ISSUES
ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO,
BUT THIS CAME WITHOUT WARNING
LAST NIGHT AND LEFT THOSE
FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES NUMB.
>> WE WERE ROOMMATES TOGETHER.
WEDDING.
WE HAD TONS OF LAUGHS, AND JUST
KIND OF GREW UP IN THE BUSINESS
TOGETHER, AND IT WAS JUST
SURROUNDED BY THIS DREAM TEAM
NEWSROOM, AND WE WERE JUST KIND
OF KIDS HAVING A LOT OF FUN,
BUT WE LEARNED FROM THE BEST,
AND I THINK TOM SAID THE SAME
THING.
WE WORKED WITH THE BEST PEOPLE.
>> I WORKED HUNDREDS OF GAMES
WITH THE GUY, AND I NEVER SAW
HIM ONE TIME NOT ENJOY WHAT HE
I MEAN, HE GENUINELY LOVED THE
TIMBERWOLVES, HE LOVED NBA
BASKETBALL, AND HE ALWAYS HAD
FUN DOING HIS JOB, AND IT'S
JUST HEARTBREAKING.
>> Reporter: TOM WITH YOU WHEN
HE WAS SO KIND AND HAD SUCH A
GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR.
HE SURVIVED BY HIS WIFE NANCY,
TWO SONS, AND A DAUGHTER,
COURTNEY.
SIX WEEKS AGO, TOM REACHED OUT
TO ME TO TELL ME THAT
COURTNEY'S HUSBAND PASSED AWAY.
SHE LOST A HUSBAND AND FATHER
IN LESS THAN SIX WEEKS BECAUSE I
TELL YOU THAT BECAUSE WHENEVER
TOM TALKED ABOUT HER, SHE WAS
HIS PRINCESS.
THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS.
>> ABSOLUTELY, MAXEY.
TO YOU TOO.
>> Reporter: LOTS OF MEMORIES
TOO.
>> I KNOW EVERYONE, MAXEY,
EVERYONE SPEAKS HIGHLY OF HIM.
EVERYONE WHO KNEW HIM, AND
PEOPLE WHO MAYBE JUST MET HIM
ONCE.
I KEEP SAYING IT OVER AND OVER
AND YOU HEAR IT OVER AND OVER.
HE REALLY WAS A KIND MAN, ONE
OF THE NICEST MEN I'VE EVER
MET.
>> Reporter: I NEVER REALLY
THOUGHT OF HIM AS A
SPORTSCASTER, AND I SAY THAT
WITH THE GREATEST RESPECT
BECAUSE ONCE YOU GOT TO KNOW HIM
ON THE PRIVATE SIDE,
PERSONALLY, YOU DID NOT THINK
ABOUT WHAT IS TOM DOING? WHAT
IS HIS WORK SCHEDULE?
WHEN YOU RAN INTO HIM, HE
DIDN'T TALK ABOUT HOW ARE THE
TONIGHT?
IT WAS ABOUT OTHER THINGS AND
THE FUN HE WAS HAVING.
HE LOVED CHARACTERS , HE LEFT
OBSERVED CHARACTERS, AND HE'S
ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE HERE AT
WCCO AND EVERYONE WHO WORKED
WITH HIM AT FSN WOULD TELL YOU
THAT HE KNEW EVERYBODY IN THE
ROOM THAT HE WORKED WITH.
IT WAS NOT JUST THE PEOPLE HE
WAS ON AIR WITH.
IT WAS EVERYBODY BEHIND THE
SCENES.
HE KNEW ABOUT THE FAMILIES.
HE ENGAGED WITH THEM.
HE KNEW EVERYTHING, AND WE WERE
SO LUCKY TO HAVE HIM, AND
EVERYBODY THAT WORKED WITH HIM
WOULD SAY THE EXACT SAME THING.
>> DOES A PRIVATE WCCO ALUM
PAGE, AND EVERYBODY'S
COMMENTING ON THEIR TALKED
ABOUT HOW GREAT HE WAS TO WORK
WITH AND MOST OF ALL, JUST ,
YOU KNOW, HE WAS ONE OF THE
NICEST GUYS THEY KNEW.
I DID SPEAK TO DON SHELBY, AND
HE HAD GREAT THINGS TO SAY
ABOUT HIM TOO, BUT HE TALKED
ABOUT THE ONE TIME WHEN THE
VIDEO I THINK WENT DOWN WHEN
TOM WAS DOING SPORTS CAST,
THEN HE STARTED DRAWING
PICTURES AND GOING TO THE
SPORTS CAST AND SHOWING THE
PICTURES.
>> Reporter: AND DON WILL TELL
YOU THERE WERE LOTS OF THINGS
THAT HAPPENED BACK THEN, BOTH
ON AIR AND OFF THE AIR THAT WE
WILL REMEMBER ABOUT TOM
HANNEMANN, AND WE WILL REMEMBER
ALL OF THEM VERY FONDLY BECAUSE
HE WAS JUST A JOY TO BE AROUND
ANYTIME WE WERE ON AIR.
>> HE REALLY TOUCHED A LOT OF
LIVES.
MAXEY, THANKS SO MUCH FOR
COMING IN AND SHARING HIS STORY
WITH US, AND WE STILL AT THIS
POINT THOUGH, WE DON'T KNOW THE
CAUSE OF DEATH, RIGHT, FROM
WHAT I UNDERSTAND?
>> Reporter: HE DIED
PEACEFULLY.
I GOT A TEXT FROM HIS SON.