Career
Raised in north Minneapolis and dropping out of high school when he started delivering papers for the Minneapolis Tribune, Hartman received no formal writing training. Hartman penned his first column for the Minneapolis Daily Times on September 11, 1945, and continues to report, now for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Minneapolis Lakers
As a 27-year-old in 1947, Hartman became the acting general manager of the Minneapolis Lakers.
Hartman helped build what would become the first dynasty in the National Basketball Association.
Sid Hartman has been a popular and widely read sports columnist throughout his career.
Hartman"s columns have always been strong on reporting, while the writing is less admired. Dick Cullum, Hartman"s first editor, explained it this way: "Writers are a dime a dozen, but reporters are impossible to find." Steve Rushin of Sports Illustrated, noted, "English sometimes appears to be his second language."
Hartman has also appeared as a radio sportscaster and commentator for years on Minneapolis"s Washburn Crosby Company Radio.
One of the elements of his style - often caricatured by local comics and other radio personalities - is his habit while interviewing a sports figure of referring to him or her as "my close personal friend".