Tributes Pour In For Minnesota Sports 'Giant' Sid Hartman
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Journalists, professional athletes and sports teams, politicians and other public figures are bidding farewell to Sid Hartman, who passed away Sunday at age 100.
Former WCCO sports director Mark Rosen took to Twitter to say how grateful he was for Hartman's friendship.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz tweeted his appreciation for Hartman's "down to earth reporting."
Sid was one of a kind. Minnesotans of all ages will miss his down to earth reporting - even through his 100th birthday - and influence on Minnesota sports. Thinking of you and your family, Chad. https://t.co/ykc8vLUdPL
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) October 18, 2020
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar recounted on Twitter the delight she experienced in performing a radio skit at the Minnesota State Fair with the legend.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey tweeted that Hartman "was there for the biggest moments and covered them in a way only he could."
Not long after the announcement of Hartman's death, the Vikings lost 40-23 to the Atlanta Falcons. During the post-game press conference, Vikings receiver Adam Thielen began his remarks by giving his condolences to Hartman's family and called the reporter a "Minnesota legend."
The Vikings owners, Mark and Zygi Wilf, also released a statement, saying that their hearts were broken by the news of Hartman's death.
"It's nearly impossible to put into words what Sid meant to the sports world and to Minnesota," the Wilfs wrote. "His doggedness and work ethic were unmatched, but it was Sid's ability to nurture relationships that truly set him apart."
Glen Taylor -- owner of both the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx franchises -- lauded Hartman in a statement released early Sunday evening, in which he credited Hartman with helping "shape what many consider the NBA's first dynasty with the Minneapolis Lakers."
Officials from the Minnesota Twins, who honored Hartman in 2014 by naming Target Field's press room the "Sid Hartman Press Conference Room," said in a statement Sunday that Hartman's "constant presence at the ballpark -- which spanned the press boxes and clubhouses of Metropolitan Stadium, the Metrodome and Target Field -- will be missed by so many," and, " … few people have done more for our franchise than Sid Hartman."
Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. wrote that among Hartman's myriad accomplishments was his his unmatched tenure in the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
"We appreciate Sid's lifetime of goodwill and for always reminding us why we love baseball and all sports," Manfred said.
MLB Commissioner Emeritus Bug Selig described Hartman as a "giant."
"He was a newspaperman through and through," Selig said. "I will always appreciate with great fondness the warm relationship I had with Sid."