mdotto9 0 Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Story from WCCO: (WCCO) WCCO-TV sports reporter and weekend anchor Bob Rainey passed away Saturday morning after a courageous battle with colon cancer. He was 46 years old. Rainey worked at WCCO for four years, but he left a lasting impression. It wasn't just his GQ looks, his stylish suits or his incredible knowledge of sports that made people want to watch him on the set. It was the excitement in his voice. Rainey was living his dream; the Twin Cities was a place he'd always wanted to work. He was a life-long Vikings fan. He often said he had to pinch himself knowing he was covering his favorite team: the "purple people," his people. Rainey really did live and breathe sports. Even at the young age of 7, he dreamed of becoming a sportscaster. As a kid he would practice his play-by-play from his living room couch. He would even imitate the legendary Howard Cosell. He went to college at Xavier and landed a job at the university radio station, where he hosted his own show. No matter the sport, Rainey knew the stats. He was like a walking sports encyclopedia, particularly when it came to horse racing. Rainey could rattle off every horse that ever won the Kentucky Derby. You could literally give him a year and he would remember the name of the horse. He spent more than 20 years as a sportscaster working in his hometown of Rochester, N.Y. and later Kentucky, Philadelphia, and Nashville, Tenn. before eventually landing in Minnesota in 2004. He felt privileged to have covered Tubby Smith at Kentucky. And even though Rainey was sick, he insisted on flying down to the Final Four to land the first one-on-one with his favorite coach when he got hired at the University of Minnesota. Rainey also loved music. He would often sing songs on the set to see if his co-workers could name the artist. He had a quick wit and a playful sense of humor. He once filed a story about a golf invention that used powder to help determine which direction the wind was blowing. The device was shot down in an invention contest, but Rainey found an alternative use, as a sweaty-hand helper. However when he tried to dispense the powder into his hands it went everywhere. He rolled with it, poking fun at himself as he sat there with white powder all over his hands. Golf was Rainey's real passion. He called himself a "struggling golfer," but would never pass up the chance to play a few rounds. He always dreamed of playing Pebble Beach and made sure he went home to enjoy a women's golf tournament in Rochester, N.Y. each summer. He even took his mother to the event because he was so excited about the sport. He covered World Series, Super Bowls and Final Fours. But no matter how many sports stars he interviewed, his favorite stories involved everyday people overcoming obstacles. Rainey was a man of few words, but he had a big heart. He wanted to fight his battle with cancer in private, yet there is one lesson he would want to share: listen to your body and get tested, even if you may be younger than the suggested age when tests should be performed. In a note to WCCO employees the station's Vice President and General Manager, Susan Adams Loyd wrote: Bob worked "with a deep passion of covering the sports he loved. He was particularly delighted to report about the Minnesota Vikings, having been a life-long Vikings fan. There is much that one can say about Bob's achievements as a sportscaster, or perhaps as an athlete himself. However, when thinking of Bob, you probably think first of his gentle spirit before his accomplishments. He was a soft-spoken person who often had a kind or funny thing to share with others around him, and a loyal co-worker who diligently honed his craft that he had pursued from the time he was a child... I know that many of you were close to Bob and that you stood by him throughout his ordeal. It is so difficult to deal this year with yet another loss. Yet, it has once again been demonstrated that WCCO employees are like family, standing by one another in the toughest of times. Those of you who cared for Bob during his illness proved to be the closest of friends, an example for us all, and I am certain that he and his family appreciated your love through it all." --------------------------------------------------- WCCO's memorial Video is posted on WCCO.com http://wcco.com/local/bob.rainey.death.2.780634.html He will be missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtmclaug 51 Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 I saw the video for Bob, and I have to say that was really great. He was so passionate about the Vikings. I guess he can be doing the sports in Heaven now. If Heaven has sports teams, that is. RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ib-td 1 Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 not to change the thread-- are more people dying of cancer in this profession? seems to be a lot of them in recent years RIP Mr. Rainey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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