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Dallas sportscasting legend Dale Hansen retires from Channel 8 after 38 years

Dale Hansen is pulling the plug from TV.

WFAA/Facebook

One of the most famous faces in Dallas sportscasting is retiring from the TV game: Dale Hansen, a sports anchor and reporter on WFAA-Channel 8 for more than 38 years, will sign off on September 2, the station announced May 18.

“There's an old proverb that says all good things must come to an end, and it's true, all good things do,” Hansen, 72, said in a story posted on the WFAA website. “I've been waiting 25 years for the Cowboys to win another Super Bowl and I can't wait anymore.”

Hansen started at WFAA in 1983, and his “Dale Hansen’s Sports Special” has been a fixture of WFAA’s Sunday night lineup since that year, the station notes.

Besides covering Dallas-Fort Worth teams in three Super Bowls, three Stanley Cup Finals, two World Series, and two NBA Finals, Hansen famously uncovered a pay-to-play scheme within the SMU football program in the '80s. His investigation subsequently led to the team's year-long "death penalty" in 1987.

In recent years, the always-outspoken broadcaster has sounded off on topics both sports-related and non-sports-related — from gun violence to taking a knee for the National Anthem — in his "Unplugged" segments. After they began going viral, the Washington Post wrote a 2018 story headlined, "Sports broadcaster Dale Hansen, ‘a fat, white guy in a deep red state,’ is an unlikely liberal hero."

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Hansen broadcasted his nightly sports reports from the back porch of his Waxahachie home, never missing an opportunity for banter with sparring partner (and buddy) Pete Delkus, WFAA's chief meteorologist.

Born in Logan, Iowa, Hansen began his career as a radio disc jockey in his home state. His first job in Dallas was with KDFW-Channel 4, before moving to Channel 8 in 1983.

In a statement online, WFAA President and General Manager Brad Ramsey says, “For more than 38 years Dale Hansen has informed and entertained our audience like no other, and we are forever grateful for his dedication to our team and to the North Texas community.

"From major breaking sports news, to powerful investigations, to standing up for human rights, Dale forged an unprecedented path and became so much more than a sports anchor. There will simply never be another Dale Hansen.”

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Bicycling News

TxDOT funds $285 million for pedestrian and bicycle trails in Texas

TxDOT

Bike trail

The Texas Transportation Commission has approved more than $284.8 million for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure that will help improve safety, mobility, access and quality of life for people across the state.

According to a release, these federal Transportation Alternative funds will go toward 73 projects statewide — four of which are in the Dallas area — that will build sidewalks, shared use paths, dedicated bicycle lanes, and pedestrian bridges.

They will also be used for the development of active transportation plans that will help communities plan for non-motorized connected networks.

“This significant investment will make it safer and more enjoyable for people to walk and bike in their communities while improving access across the state,” says Texas Transportation Commissioner Robert “Robie” Vaughn in a statement. “By expanding transportation options, we can build more connected communities and a more connected Texas, while enhancing the quality of life for everyone.”

Examples of statewide projects include upgraded sidewalks, shared-use paths for biking and walking, on-street bicycle lanes, and safety enhancements like school zone upgrades, pedestrian crossings and lighting.

Examples of local projects include improving a shared-use path between Seagoville Road and McKinzie Road in Balch Springs; and building a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over an active Union Pacific railroad line between White Rock Lake and the Great Trinity Forest.

The four Dallas projects include:

Midtown Dallas Inc.: Midtown Dallas Shared Use Trail / Shared Use Path — $10,463,200
DART: Cotton Belt Silver Line Rail Trail, Phase 3a / Shared Use Path — $25,000,000
City of Balch Springs: Southeast Trail, Phase 1A / Shared Use Path, Sidewalks — $6,443,000
City of Dallas: Trinity Forest Spine Trail, Bike/Pedestrian Bridge — $10,903,200

While collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists make up a small percentage of traffic crashes in Texas, they account for 1 in 5 traffic fatalities. All of these projects will provide safer conditions for people who walk or use bicycles or wheelchairs.

More specifically, 27 projects will improve pedestrian safety in areas identified as potential risks in the Texas Pedestrian Safety Action Plan. And 29 projects are intended to provide safer routes for children walking and biking to schools.

Funding comes the federal Transportation Alternatives program, and are awarded after a competitive call for projects from cities and counties across the state.

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