This is horrible news. Chicago Bull great Norm Van Lier has passed away at the age of 61. According to ChicagoBreakingNews.com, "Fire personnel responded to a request to check up on him at his apartment in the 1100 block of West Madison Street when he was found unresponsive, according to the Chicago Fire Department."
I can't say I ever truly knew Mr. Van Lier, but every time he entered the CLTV newsroom, you knew he was here. When CLTV contemplated taking Sports Page off the air, Norm was not happy. He was a frequent guest on the program and always dominated the airtime. I'll never forget when he made me march down to my programming director's office and demand that Sports Page come back.
"Who's going to host it," I asked him. "Me?"
He gave me a serious stare, then laughed. "No, I will. Now go give the message."
Norm Van Lier was always outspoken and honest - and one of the most magnetic people I've ever had the pleasure to be around. He told it like it was, whether you wanted to hear it or not. He will always be missed - both on-air and off.
Comments (1)
Chicagoans remember him as an NBA player. I remember his same toughness playing in a YMCA tourney in Altoona,PA as a post collegiate player. Imagine a future NBA star playing with that same fire in a YMCA tournament. The valley where he grew up must have bred him with the same toughness as another Chicago tough guy who grew up a few miles upriver: Mike Ditka.
Posted by Paul Hawk | February 26, 2009 9:07 PM
Posted on February 26, 2009 21:07