OT: RIP Don Shane
Local legend on the sports desk for many years, mostly at Channel 7.
Anyone else remember the days of timing the sports segments of channels 2, 4, and 7 on Saturday nights to catch Michigan highlights and interviews, then Michigan Replay the next morning, then Sports Final Edition and Sunday Sports Update Sunday nights?
February 25th, 2023 at 11:07 AM ^
Indeed , my favourite up here in the Soo was the abc station out of Flint with Ed Phelps making his fearless forecasts on the Friday sports segment … Michigan Replay every Sunday night at 11 pm !!!
February 25th, 2023 at 11:30 AM ^
I remember listening to the WJR 15 minute sports shows at 6:15 and 11:15. With Bob Reynolds and Paul Carey. And entire 15 minutes specifically dedicated to sports! Wow!
BTW...Paul Carey was the broadcast voice of the Pistons before joining Ernie Harwell. The man was a great basketball announcer.
February 25th, 2023 at 11:08 AM ^
I just saw this, too. Man, he was a very smooth broadcaster. RIP.
February 25th, 2023 at 11:15 AM ^
So sorry to hear this. I remember him well including watching highlights on channel 7, Michigan replay etc. 70 is too young.
February 25th, 2023 at 11:16 AM ^
70 is too young? What?
February 25th, 2023 at 11:40 AM ^
In 2023, yeah that is pretty young. Like almost a decade below the average life expectancy for men
February 25th, 2023 at 12:03 PM ^
Wait until that guy hits 69. He'll change his tune pretty quickly.
February 25th, 2023 at 4:00 PM ^
According to Social Security Administration actuarial tables, 70 year old males can expect to live to 84.6 years old.
February 25th, 2023 at 12:17 PM ^
what is wrong with you? you've been on a tear. do you have someone you can talk to? a family member or a friend? there has got to be some demons kicking around in your melon and it might be a really good day to try and exorcise some of them. good luck.
February 25th, 2023 at 1:09 PM ^
Wait, this coming from the dude who was fake black? Gaslight much?
February 25th, 2023 at 1:16 PM ^
Learn the definition of the word gaslight before you throw it around so carelessly.
XM is not trying to make you crazy and that it's your fault.
XM is wondering what is the matter with you.
February 25th, 2023 at 1:26 PM ^
I'm about to start a GoFundMe page to help buy you a clue (or several).
Edit/add: You're clearly and sadly mistaken about XM.
February 25th, 2023 at 1:57 PM ^
ohno, the other day you dumped all over wendy, who is a 5-star poster, cook/baker, michigan fan and all-around good egg. now today again, nothing but hyper-negative comments. that comes from one thing and i'm being serious: you are in a season of your life where it is really difficult for you. might be health, relationships, family, money, whatever, but it is an absolute crud sandwich for you. thus my comment above is likewise serious, go see someone. get out of the house. make a friend. go to church/temple/the doctor/a sporting event/gym/go for a walk, but whatever it is, do something and get some help.
and to your attempted shot at me, i hope you know how many people, including mods and some very well known posters, know/knew me and my family prior to that made-up controversy. if you know that, you know i never, ever was 'fake' anything. so many people on this list, some i've known for decades, could burn me to the ground in a nanosecond, and i'd deserve every bit of the mockery and shame that would accompany that.
February 25th, 2023 at 2:19 PM ^
Weird how there's no controversy that Ace is gone.
February 25th, 2023 at 2:05 PM ^
Let me settle this once and for all since I’ve been here for years. XM never claimed to be black. If you thought that, then either you are a moron or you heard it from someone who is a moron. It was abundantly clear what XM’s family makeup was if you paid attention. If you didn’t, that’s on you, not XM.
February 25th, 2023 at 5:35 PM ^
Now that you have come out as a Spartan. Demonstrative.
February 25th, 2023 at 8:43 PM ^
You can check out anytime
February 25th, 2023 at 11:19 AM ^
RIP and may his memory be a blessing. He was one of my favorite sportscasters, local or national. One of my friends was an intern for him years ago and he told me Don Shane was banging the table for the station to hire him--he supported and mentored the up-and-coming journalists who had that big dream to work in sports TV. My friend ended up doing some freelance producing for them until moving on to basketball coaching.
But of course, I am partial to how he and Bill Bonds interacted...
February 25th, 2023 at 11:21 AM ^
Also this one, a classic Dare Don segment.
February 25th, 2023 at 11:32 AM ^
And one more...this one may be my favorite
February 25th, 2023 at 12:53 PM ^
Thank you for the videos. Fantastic memorial to a really good guy. I'm more sad than I thought I could be over a news personality.
Rest well, Don.
February 25th, 2023 at 11:48 AM ^
Ahhh, good ol’ Billy. He had a lot of “eff it” moments at the end of the 11:00 news and would have a cig going at the end, hiding it under the counter with the smoke wafting up as they closed out the show.
February 25th, 2023 at 1:42 PM ^
Legends. RIP Don and Bill.
February 25th, 2023 at 11:28 AM ^
RIP Don Shane 🙏🏽 . He was one of the best. Pure class.
February 25th, 2023 at 11:43 AM ^
Never had the pleasure of a Don Shane broadcast during my time in AA, MI. The one memorable media personality that sticks with me was Sonny Eliot. His weather reports and forecasts were wonderful! "Snizzle" predicted? Guy was a gem. Yep, fun times.
February 25th, 2023 at 11:43 AM ^
Wow 70 way too young.Growing up I had great choices in local news.Billy Bonds was a legend and I always watched Sonny Elliot for weather.Sports Ray Lane,something about Al Ackerman that bugged me.Remember Bob Page always stirring the pot.
February 25th, 2023 at 12:06 PM ^
The Dare Don segments were great. Loved when Chris Spielman tackled him and broke Don's ribs.
He was the last guy to talk to Bo and Sparky.
He had been sick for awhile, not sure if it was cancer or what.
Rest in peace, Don.
Makes me wonder, is Bernie Smilovitz still around?
February 25th, 2023 at 12:45 PM ^
Believe it or not Bernie is younger than Shane. Bernie was born in 1959 which means he was real young when he got to Channel 4 in the 80’s. He’s still going.
February 25th, 2023 at 7:34 PM ^
Sadly, he had Parkinson's and dementia, from what I hear from fellow broadcasters in the area.
February 25th, 2023 at 12:24 PM ^
Man, this is sad. He was such a fun, likable sportscaster.
He was one of the last ones to see Bo alive. Bo was on the show with Don Shane when he collapsed in 2006.
Rest in peace, good sir.
February 25th, 2023 at 12:39 PM ^
This is awful news, an absolute legend.
Related, I've been trying to jog my memory of a Detroit sportscaster commercial from the early-mid 90s. It was a local parody/ripoff of the MJ/Larry Bird "off the scoreboard, from the upper deck" McDonald's commercials, filmed at the Palace. I want to say it was Don and Eli Zaret? Might have been hosts from AM 1130? Am I imagining things?
February 25th, 2023 at 12:46 PM ^
Big Ten Ticket with Bo and Don was a must on fall Saturdays.
Rest in Peace, Don.
February 25th, 2023 at 12:59 PM ^
Sad to hear this. He was one of my favorites. Always very fair to Michigan.
February 25th, 2023 at 1:13 PM ^
I remember Don Shane when I lived in MI in the late 80s. He always looked so young. He retired when he was 59 and only got a few years in retirement before getting ill. I remember watching Ray Lane, Al Akerman, Bernie Smilovitz. I remember in the 70s it was Bill Bonds, Diana Lewis, Al Akerman, and Jerry Hodak. Akerman went to ch.4 and Hodak went to ch.2.
February 25th, 2023 at 2:08 PM ^
Diana Lewis was in the meat locker with southpaw Rocky Balboa.Wonder what she made in residuals from that scene.
February 25th, 2023 at 2:35 PM ^
Bill Bonds was in escape from the planet of the apes movie, as a news reporter in LA. Bonds was working in LA at the time but came back to Detroit.
February 25th, 2023 at 1:28 PM ^
I don’t remember Don as I moved to Chicago right after graduation. That’s when watching sports highlights really kicked in.
Regarding timing, I used to tune into CNN’s Headline News channel at 20 and 50 minutes after the hour and catch Van Earl Wright!
ESPN SportsCenter at 5:00 am (baby feeding!) and at 6:00 pm were awesome way back in the day.
But I digress… RIP Don
February 25th, 2023 at 2:06 PM ^
CNN sports tonight with Fred Hickman was great show RIP Fred.
February 25th, 2023 at 3:09 PM ^
I remember the brouhaha when they briefly replaced Bernie with Van Earl.
If course Wrights best work came later as the narrator on American Gladiators.
February 25th, 2023 at 3:23 PM ^
Van Earl is now a full-time caddy at Pebble Beach. He's had a unique life journey, he unfortunately got addicted to cocaine (after leaving Detroit for Lohs–ANN-Guh-Lees, as Van Earl himself would pronounce the town's name) and bottomed out in his 40s,
But does seem he is back enjoying life again. Here's a link to a chat between him and Devin Scillian, from earlier this year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osYie4bF09k
February 25th, 2023 at 4:12 PM ^
I remember Van Earl Wright on CNN Headline Sports and thought he was awesome. But in Detroit, he just didn't do it for whatever reason.
February 25th, 2023 at 6:31 PM ^
Fascinating interview. He sounds truly at peace. thanks for sharing that link.
February 25th, 2023 at 1:53 PM ^
Gosh I didn't realize it was over a decade since he retired. Time flies.
I wonder with the internet and instant viewing of everything on your phone if any local sports broadcasters will be so relevant as that era where to what replays you had to tune into an actual TV. I know what Galli is but haven't ever watched him on TV. Different times for sure.
February 25th, 2023 at 2:03 PM ^
Sad news. He was a favorite of ours. I thought he was a cut above many of the other sports guys in the Detroit Market.
RIP.
February 25th, 2023 at 2:16 PM ^
My favorite memories of Don Shane are when he hosted the Big Ten Ticket with Bo Schembechler. They'd spend about 95% of the episode talking Michigan and previewing our next opponent. Then they'd dedicate the last couple of minutes to covering MSU.
February 25th, 2023 at 2:27 PM ^
Always liked Don Shane. He was very non confrontational which is a lost art. Hated it when he got near the end though and resorted to a bunch of plastic surgery. He was almost unrecognizable but such is the life of trying to stay looking young to remain on tv.
February 25th, 2023 at 3:22 PM ^
I feel like after he took that vicious sideline hit during the November 2010 Michigan-Illinois game (the one that went 3OT), he wasn't the same. He looked very tired on camera soon after that incident and 15 months later in February 2012 he retired (doing the math, he would have been 59). I know he said he and his wife wanted to be closer to their kids out west, but I did wonder if there was a health factor as well that they didn't want to divulge.
February 25th, 2023 at 7:36 PM ^
I really don't think he had plastic surgery. My understanding from what I have heard from other broadcasters is that he had Parkinson's and later on, dementia. But the medications for the Parkinson's really appeared to affect his face and body towards the end of his on-camera career.
February 25th, 2023 at 3:30 PM ^
Oh no. I'm sad to read this. I didn't realize he was 70 (still too young).
I thought he looked much younger than that.
February 25th, 2023 at 4:45 PM ^
A long time ago, I was picking up my nephews from a Michigan basketball camp being run by then head coach, Steve Fisher. After the camp was done, we had to head back to the dorm they were staying in, collect their stuff and head out.
On the way out, we were joined by a few other parents and campers, including Don Shane. We were trying to take a shortcut though a basement, but kept hitting multiple dead-ends & locked doors. I finally said "I dare Don to get out of this basement." He was not amused.
My nephews never got a Michigan offer and would up playing at Kent State and Charleston Southern.