Viktor
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
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Rashad's first career as an NFL receiver took off when he signed with Minnesota in 1976 and said Hartman made a strong initial impression:
"Sid was as much a part of the Vikings as anybody. He was Minnesota. When I first got to the team, he was one of the first people I met. You read his column every day. There was nothing he didn't miss, and he was one of these guys that knew everybody. I met George Steinbrenner with him. George Steinbrenner would come hang out with Sid. He was kind of a throwback. He carried that little recorder everywhere he went, and no one else was doing that. He was a staunch, real reporter, and there was nobody quite like him in the country.
Rashad said Hartman helped his second career by providing tips and encouragement:
"When I started doing television in Minnesota, he was always a person that would come over and inspire me, you know, ask me what I was trying to do, where I wanted to go with this. 'Maybe you should do a little of this or that.' He was just a wonderful, wonderful man. He was just great. There's so many great things to say about him. After I left Minnesota, I was working for NBC and I was doing Wimbledon. I was there with Johnny Carson. There was one day I wasn't going to go, and Sid called me and told me his son was in town and would like to go to Wimbledon, so I left him tickets, and I think he ended up sitting with Johnny Carson. Sid never let me forget that. Every time I saw him for a year or 20 years later, he would thank me for that.
"There are certain people in your life that have a certain importance that really leaves a mark on your life, and when you look back at it, you realize how fortunate I was to have had someone like Sid Hartman in my life."
14. CARL ELLER
"The thing that I remember the most about Sid is that he was always around. He was a standard ... it was kind of like if Sid said it, that's the way it was. His word was Gospel. He was definitely the Minnesota sports person. He really had the trust from the public. He was the guy they wanted to hear from.
"Sid was truly dedicated and took all of it seriously. You could always count on him to get something, a scoop. People relied on Sid. Sid could get the story when there was a story to be had.
15. JIM MARSHALL
"Sid and I had a lot of fun together. Since I've been here, Sid's been a part of the Minnesota Vikings. He was a lot of fun. You could tease him and see that you were being successful at teasing him.
"I was always the jokester around Sid. I told him one time, 'You're not allowed in our locker room anymore, Sid, because we've heard you've been going out and talking about' — it was just something we made up. Sid would say, 'I never did that. I would never do anything like that.' That would be the impetus that we needed to keep on. It was a lot of fun.
"After a few times of him being around and seeing how he worked with the coaches, we began to notice him and accept him."
16. MARCUS SHERELS
"It was always fun seeing Sid around. When I was with the Gophers and Vikings, he would always ask me about my brother and how we were doing before any sports-related questions. Sid was and always be a legend, and he will be missed greatly."