Remembering legendary broadcaster Tom Hanneman.
A tribute to the late great broadcaster, who was an even better man.
Happy Wednesday, fellow rich people.
Instead of the usual baseball nonsensical talk this week, Tom D wrote a fitting tribute to legendary Minnesota sports broadcaster Tom Hanneman. We felt it was only right that include that and that alone in this week’s edition.
Let’s converse.
Remembering Tom
~Tom Dierberger
I will never forget the day I met Tom Hanneman.
It was during my first shift at FOX Sports North, some chilly afternoon in mid-December of 2016. I had been hired by the regional sports network to work in its digital department, writing stories for the website, clipping highlights during games and discovering how many fire emojis (🔥🔥🔥) I could squeeze in one tweet.
Towards the end of the day, I got up from my computer to fill up my water bottle. And there Tom stood, chatting in the middle of the FSN hallway with three or four other people. My previous gig was at a small marketing company in tiny Winsted, Minn., so the commute through the skyscrapers of downtown Minneapolis was overwhelming enough. But now, Tom Hanneman -- the legendary play-by-play voice of the Timberwolves and host of Twins Live – shared the same office walls as I did?
It was wild. I was starstruck.
I’m not one to cause a scene, so my game plan was to walk on by Tom, maybe give a friendly nod and scoot over to the fridge to replenish my oversized CamelBak bottle. But I didn’t get five steps into the hallway before Tom noticed me. He stopped his conversation mid-sentence and strode over to me with his hand extended, ready to shake mine.
“Hey, is it your first day today?” he said. “My name is Tom.”
I can’t tell you what I said next. I have no idea. I blacked out. But I do know in my head I was screaming, “I’m a 22-year-old nobody. You’re Tom freaking Hanneman. And you want to talk to me?”
I could not get over the fact that Tom, who had interviewed the likes of sports legends Herb Brooks, Kevin Garnett and Kirby Puckett over the years, went out of his way to meet me. It’s a moment I’ve played over and over in my head the past few days.
Tragically, as you may have heard, Tom passed away Thursday night at the age of 68. He died just about one month after being named an Upper Midwest Emmy Silver Circle honoree, a career award given to individuals who made “a significant contribution to television well above and beyond that is required by their job.”
And, boy, did he ever.
Tom began his broadcasting career as a sports anchor at WCCO TV in the 1970s. In 1989, he became the courtside reporter for the new Timberwolves franchise, served as the organization’s play-by-play voice from 2001-12 and hosted Wolves (and Twins!) pregame and postgame shows from 2012-19.
A legend.
Before I continue writing, I just want to make it clear that by no means am I special. Tom went out of his way to greet everyone. I knew Tom solely through our interactions in the FSN office. Unlike my peers who are producers and production assistants and audio engineers and camera operators in the office, I never worked directly with Tom on any broadcast or project. I was just a guy lucky enough to have a desk nearby.
I didn’t cross paths with Tom too much over my first year or so at FSN. Initially, I worked from a computer in the dark shadows of the “Live Room,” where television segments which use the fancy smartboard are filmed. Eventually, I was upgraded to a cubicle of my own. It was a desk in a village of work spaces similar to what you’d find in most office settings. My cube, however, just happened to be about 10 feet away from the desk of Tom Hanneman.
It was then when I began to witness the way he operated. And more eye-opening, the way he treated every human who walked by. It didn’t matter if it was his boss, an intern or a FedEx guy delivering packages. Anyone who strolled through would get a “hello” and a genuine “how are you?”
I’ll be honest, at first, I was still a bit starstruck at my new desk when Tom was around. I remember sitting in my cube, racking my brain for a question so I’d be prepared to ask him something the next time I got up to walk around. When I got to his desk, I’m sure the words stumbled out of my mouth like a baby deer on ice skates. But I’d ask him about how he prepares for shows, or about other broadcasters (I mean, c’mon, the guy was tight with Kevin Harlan) or about some obscure Wolves player from the 2001-02 roster. Who knows. But every time, he had a super detailed, educated and insightful answer for me. I always learned something.
If I worked a night game from the office, I was typically the last person to leave the building since my postgame digital duties kept me busy long after the final segment was aired. Well, after every broadcast Tom ever did, he’d get back from the studio, sit at his desk and prepare for the next one. It didn’t matter if the Wolves or Twins were playing on the West Coast and weren’t done until after midnight; Hanny would stick around to prepare notes for their next contest.
Well, a few dozen times, it ended up being Tom and I sitting at our desks in the office, just the two of us. That’s when I really got to chat with him. I cherished those nights.
And, man, the humor.
Tom was known to be quick with the puns. After a big performance from Wolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, Tom would start the postgame show with some line like, “A night on the Towns …”. Or, if Anthony Davis, nicknamed “The Brow,” defeated the Wolves, he’d say “The Timberwolves were browbeaten tonight by 28 points …”.
On the air, he was funny. But off the air, he was downright hilarious. He’d walk through the hallways speaking in goofy broadcast phrases. My personal favorite was “… and we’ll be back when we return!” Or, when someone would compliment him on a job well done, he’d say, “Thanks, I’d say it was my best show today!”
He would have running bits with different people in the office. Our bit was the Tom Power Rankings. Because, obviously, there were multiple media outlets who ranked the guys named Tom in the office. (I’m pretty sure we were the only Toms, but there were always, you know, about 15-20 fictional ones). I’d joke about how there was a new (fictional) salesman down the hall named Tom who was really making a charge for the No. 1 spot in the poll. Or how we were both named to the All-Tom second team by the media but not by coaches. You know, just obscure sports references. Whenever he would bring it up, he’d say my name was sticking toward the top of the rankings while his stock was drastically falling throughout the day. By the end of the shift, whoever ran the poll was going to force him to change his name. It was always hilarious.
Thinking of it more, it’s really a perfect metaphor for how he treated others. He’d pump them up while being self-deprecating and refusing to take himself seriously. And that’s what I admired most about Tom.
You know those cheesy inspirational quote Instagram accounts? Usually under a handle of something like live_laugh_love? A few years ago, I saw one that actually stuck with me. It said, “Be the type of person who says ‘hi’ first.” I’ve always thought that statement dissected a positive mindset in such a simple manner. It’s something that I strive to be -- friendly, outgoing and engaging -- but depending on my mood, I’m not always the best at it.
Tom could’ve taught a class on it. He would not only say “hi” first, but he’d also follow it up with a genuine question and a big smile. I was just a sponge typing at a desk 10 feet away, soaking up all of his knowledge and humor and kindness.
In the big scheme of things, I was just a blink of an eye in Tom’s long, successful career -- some kid lucky enough to have a desk next to him for a couple of years. But after hearing the news of his passing, I wanted -- and, frankly, needed -- to write words about the impact this broadcasting legend made in my life, without him really knowing it.
There are few people I admire more than Tom Hanneman. And I will continue to do so.
I miss our conversations too, Tom.
For the perspective of someone who really knew Tom well, I urge you to read Jon Krawczynski’s article about Hanny he wrote for The Athletic. Former Lynx broadcaster John Focke also shared some great stories, as did Joel Rippel and Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune and Jace Frederick of the Pioneer Press.