[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 186 (Friday, October 30, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E999]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF THE LIFE AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF SID HARTMAN, MINNESOTA 
 SPORTS COLUMNIST AND BROADCASTER, FOUNDER OF THE MINNEAPOLIS LAKERS, 
            DEALMAKER, FAN, FATHER, GRANDFATHER, AND FRIEND

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DEAN PHILLIPS

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 30, 2020

  Mr. PHILLIPS. Madam Speaker, it is with profound sadness and great 
affection that I rise today to celebrate the extraordinary life of Sid 
Hartman, a Minnesota sports pioneer and giant in journalism who passed 
away last week at the age of 100.
  A child of Jewish immigrant parents who grew up in North Minneapolis 
in the 1920s, Sid sold newspapers on downtown street corners--
unwittingly beginning what would become a 75-year career in the news 
business. His first column in the Star Tribune was published on 
September 11, 1945--just days after the end of WWII--and by the time he 
published his last column for the Minneapolis Star Tribune on October 
18, 2020, his total number of bylines reached 21,235.
  I was first introduced to Sid by my great-grandfather at a Vikings 
game at the old Met Stadium in the mid 1970s. I was a star-struck kid, 
meeting sports royalty that rivaled my idols, Fran Tarkenton, Chuck 
Foreman, and Alan Page. And from the time I could read, Sid's column 
was a staple of my mornings for my entire life.
  Sid Hartman had the audacity to dream big. As an entrepreneurial 
young journalist, he helped bring the Detroit Gems to Minneapolis in 
1947, where they became the Minneapolis Lakers and established a 
National Basketball Association championship dynasty--winning five 
titles in six years with such greats as George Mikan, Elgin Baylor, and 
future Vikings head coach, Bud Grant.
  A superfan of all things Minnesota, Sid was our sports documentarian 
and historian, and saw teams, arenas and stadiums come and go over 75 
years. He covered the Millers, the Twins, the North Stars, the Wild, 
the Vikings, the Lakers, the Timberwolves, and his beloved Minnesota 
Gophers. He taught us to love sports and sports personalities and 
reported with fairness and fortitude. Between the games, news 
conferences, and award ceremonies for Minnesota's sports teams, Sid was 
always easy to spot with his old black tape recorder and address book 
overflowing with numbers for his thousands of ``close, personal 
friends.''
  Defying his age and ever adapting to new sports, new teams, and new 
technologies, he kept up his writing pace even after his 100th 
birthday. In a column celebrating his milestone birthday, he said, ``I 
have followed the advice that if you love what you do, you never work a 
day in your life. Even at 100 I can say I still love what I do.'' What 
a lesson for all of us.
  Sid was a loving father and grandfather. His son, Chad Hartman, 
followed him into the world of sports, and they served alongside each 
other at WCCO-AM radio for years. Friends, family and community meant 
the world to him, and his integrity and fairness opened doors and 
generated scoops that few could rival.
  Sid's contributions to the sports culture of Minnesota are unmatched 
and indelible. He made the Twin Cities big league towns, and touched 
countless lives along the way. It was an honor and privilege to know 
him and to devour his column every morning for decades. Perhaps from 
heaven he can help the Vikings win the elusive Super Bowl he was never 
able to celebrate over the course of 60 seasons.
  Minnesota and I will miss Sid Hartman, and our entire delegation 
joins me in sharing our heartfelt condolences with Sid's family, loved 
ones, fellow sports journalists, and friends.

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