Dale Eugene Hansen (born August 2, 1948) is an Americansportscaster, who formerly worked as the weeknight sports anchor during the 10 pm newscasts onABC'sDallas affiliateWFAA, who left the station on September 2, 2021. He formerly also hostedDale Hansen's Sports Special on Sundays at 10:35 pm, consistently one of the highest-rated local programs inDallas-Fort Worth. His segment each night garnered an audience of over 300,000 people. He also served as the station's sports director.
Hansen was born inLogan, Iowa.[1] After high school, Hansen served in theUnited States Navy.[2] He now lives inWaxahachie, Texas.[3] He is married and has two children.
According toThe New York Times, Hansen served in theUnited States Navy during theVietnam War.[4] Dale's best friend, Carrol Meyer, served in the Army, and was killed at the age of 18 just after six weeks of being deployed toVietnam.[5] OnMemorial Day in 2018, the WFAA Channel 8 team surprised Hansen with a portrait of Meyer by a local artist. The gift brought tears to Hansen eyes as he stated, "Meyer had died 50 years ago today but Meyer will be 18 years old forever."[5]
Hansen began his career inNewton, Iowa as a radio disc jockey and operations manager atKCOB, covering the Newton Cardinals and theNewton Nite Hawks. He then went toKnoxville, Iowa toKNIA radio as News Director. After that he moved toSaint Cloud, Minnesota toKCLD radio. After that he got closer to his hometown ofLogan, Iowa by working at a radio station he grew up listening to,KOIL inOmaha, Nebraska. He then took a job as a sports reporter atKMTV also in Omaha. Hansen then took his first job in Dallas atKDFW, which at the time wasCBS's Dallas affiliate. He left KDFW and joined WFAA in 1983.[6] Hansen was at 10 pm, and legendary anchorVerne Lundquist was at 6 pm, so WFAA had claimed them to be "Texas' Best Sportcasters."
Hansen made his reputation in 1986 when he and his producer, John Sparks, broke a story about amassive scandal involving payments to players onSouthern Methodist University's football team. Hansen's reporting ultimately led to theNCAA canceling the Mustangs' 1987 season—the so-called "death penalty." His reporting of the scandal garnered him aPeabody Award for distinguished journalism, aduPont-Columbia Award, and severaldeath threats.[6]
Hansen became nationally and even internationally famous in recent years when his commentaries on matters such as racism and domestic violence were circulated widely on YouTube. A 2015 profile of Hansen at the now-defunctGrantland website noted that many viewers assumed Hansen was a former conservative, when in fact he has been politically liberal his entire adult life and his views have often clashed with the mostly-conservative Dallas fan base of the Cowboys and Mavericks.[7]
On May 18, 2021, Hansen announced his retirement, effective September 2, 2021.[8]
Since 1983, Hansen has had a segment during "Sports Special" on the Sunday of the week before Christmas. He always shares a story of a child's death in the past year and talks about it before playing a video of clips from the 1980s of kids in Dallas. At the end is young Hansen with his own children. The video is played to "Thank God for Kids" byThe Oak Ridge Boys.[9] Hansen used the segment in 2011 to admit he was a victim of sexual abuse as a child, in hopes that it would convince others to come forward.[10]
Each week since 1988, Hansen introduces his scholar-athlete of the week, a high school senior or recent high school graduate who excels in sports as well as in the classroom.McDonald's then donates $250 (formerly $100) to the school in honor of the student.
In a February 2014 broadcast, Hansen delivered a commentary supportingNFL draft candidateMichael Samcoming out as agay man.[11] He contrasted Sam's homosexuality making players "uncomfortable", with criminal activity by otherNFL players which is routinely condoned, and likened contemporary discomfort with gay players to white athletes' and fans' past discomfort with black players.[12] He concluded saying, "I'm not always comfortable when a man tells me he is gay; I don't understand his world. But I do understand that he is part of mine."
In Hansen's commentary he described as what he saw a double standard within theNFL, stating, "You beat a woman and drag her down a flight of stairs, pulling her hair out by the roots? You're the fourth guy taken in the draft," he said. "Caught with drugs? Kill someone driving drunk? Rape a woman? People are O.K. with that. You love another man?" Hansen said. "Well, now you've gone too far."[4]
The video, posted to YouTube, garnered a large amount of interest onsocial media.[12] It also received attention from mainstream media, featured by the New YorkDaily News,[13]CTV News,[14]Newsweek,[15]People magazine,[16] and others.
As a result, Hansen appeared onThe Ellen DeGeneres Show on Feb 14, 2014.[17][18]
In September 2017, then-PresidentDonald Trump criticizedColin Kaepernick and other NFL players who took a knee during the national anthem before games to raise awareness forpolice brutality andracial injustice. He spoke at a rally inAlabama, stating, "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He's fired. He's fired!' "[19] Hansen took to the air to discuss his latest take on Trump and that week's NFL protests. Hansen mentioned he himself had served in theVietnam War and that his best friend in high school "did not die so that you can decide who is a patriot and who loves America more." He also stated, "The young, black athletes are not disrespecting America or the military by taking a knee during the anthem. They are respecting the best thing about America. It's a dog whistle to the racists among us to say otherwise."[20]
The video went viral, receiving millions of views on social media. It gained so much widespread attention, promptingThe New York Times to profile Hansen.[4]The Times described Hansen as a progressive voice, "talking — in remarkably personal terms" — aboutsexual abuse, violence against women, racism in sports andgun violence.[4]
Hansen started in sports radio atKRLD 1080 AM in 1985 as the Dallas Cowboyscolor analyst, with Brad Sham as theplay-by-play announcer. He served in this role until two games remained in the 1996NFL season. A heated on-camera argument with coachBarry Switzer during 1994 training camp and subsequent friction between Hansen, Switzer and Dallas Cowboys ownerJerry Jones contributed to the split.Babe Laufenberg took over his spot.[21]
Hansen joinedKTCK 1310 AM ("The Ticket") in 1999 as a regular on its Dallas Cowboyspost-game report after the games were broadcast onKLUV 98.7 FM. He also hosted a show from noon to 1 pm year-round, every Monday and another one-hour show on Fridays during the NFL season.
In May 2006, Hansen moved toKESN 103.3 FM (ESPN Radio'sDallas affiliate) from The Ticket, just as KTCK was named the new Dallas Cowboysflagship radio station. At KESN, he hosted "The Hour of Hansen" weeknights from 6–7 pm and also contributed to other programming, including the station's Cowboys pre and post-game shows.[22]
Hansen has made a number of commentaries on social media. In 2014 he defendedMichael Sam in a video. Courtney Collins and Rick Holter ofKERA wrote that it "was seen by millions on YouTube".[23]
Since 1989, Hansen has been in charge of the Dale Hansen Golf Classic.[24] In 1990, Hansen joined with the Dallas Can! schools. However, he and The Hansen Foundation split from the 16-year partnership, as a result of lawsuits against each side totaling almost $700,000.[25] Starting in 2007–2008, The Hansen Foundation sponsors $100,000 of scholarships forUniversity of North Texas students, with the money coming from the annual Dale Hansen Golf Classic.[26]
Hansen has won many awards in his career, including:
In March 2019, Hansen was honored with theRadio Television Digital News Association's Lifetime Achievement Award, joining the likes of past winnersTom Brokaw,Robin Roberts,Bob Simon,Charlie Rose, andAndy Rooney. Hansen stated upon receiving the award, "What we do matters, What we do is too important to give up now."[28]