The approach for this obit came about because Tim Weigel was my friend too -- we bonded over our mutual love of cigars, smoked together at the Billy Goat, back when men could do that sort of thing. I remember arriving for dinner at Tim's house in Evanston for the first time, his address written on a piece of paper. I gazed stupidly at a baronial mansion on the lakefront and thought, "That can't be the home of the guy in the loud jackets reading sports on TV." Then showed the address to a neighbor. It was. For some reason I neglected to mention that he was Gene Siskel's roommate at Yale and they both succumbed to the same rare brain illness. Maybe I didn't know at the time.
Even those who only knew him from their TV sets, from his candy-colored jackets and his upbeat, affable, "Hey-it's-just-sports" delivery, felt a special bond with Mr. Weigel that made him among the most popular television personalities in the Chicago area.
He died Sunday at home in Evanston, almost one year since vision problems sent him to a doctor and an MRI revealed a tumor on his brain.
Mr. Weigel, 56, was sports director of WBBM-Channel 2 for the last six years before illness forced him to step back, though not before bravely facing the cameras in a toupee he was the first to make light of.
A fluid, graceful writer, Mr. Weigel also crafted a sports column for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1994 to 1996.
Born on a Gurnee farm, Mr. Weigel attended Lake Forest High School and Yale University, where he studied history, played keyboard for a rock band, Cleopatra and the Seizures, and was a member of the football team.
He received his bachelor's degree in history in 1968, taught third grade for two years and earned his master's degree in film from Northwestern University.
A promised newspaper job in Connecticut failed to materialize, and he became a waiter. His big break into journalism came when he served a meal to Yale President Kingman Brewster, who felt waiting tables "was an embarrassment to Yale," Mr. Weigel said. Brewster got Mr. Weigel an interview with the New Haven Register, which turned into his first newspaper job.
Mr. Weigel began covering college football in 1971 for the Chicago Daily News, winning awards and quickly moving up to cover the Bulls and the Bears.
"I've never been around anyone whose sense of humor was so infectious," said the man who hired him, Daily News sports editor Ray Sons.
Mr. Weigel's work was grounded in solid knowledge and fueled by a competitive streak, yet colleagues said he remained a fun-loving, loyal friend.
"It was impossible not to like Tim, even when we were on opposite sides of a story," said former Bears coach Mike Ditka.
Mr. Weigel "was one of the toughest competitors I've ever known, and he had the tenderest heart — he loved opera," said Channel 2 news anchor Mary Ann Childers. "Woe be it to the news manager who had to call Tim and tell him there was a breaking sports story on the night he had his opera tickets."
He entered broadcasting when WMAQ radio hired him for sports commentary. He moved to television after hearing about an opening at WMAQ-Channel 5.
Mr. Weigel was given the job on a trial basis. Soon after, he was given the No. 1 sports anchor job.
"It was a total fluke. I can't imagine that would happen today," he said. ". . . In a cool medium, I was fairly hot — different. It jolted people for a while."
"He was one of the first journalists to approach sports in a way that was both passionate yet professional," said his daughter Jenniffer Weigel.
Mr. Weigel was fired when the station was taken over by a management team from New York City. Channel 7 quickly hired him, where he created a name for himself with his "Weigel Wieners," a much-copied segment of sports gaffes and oddities.
He sported a backward beret when he lost his hair because of chemotherapy, which led to some disapproval from viewers who apparently didn't know he was ill, said his wife, Vicki Truax. They asked, " `Who did he think he was, going on the air looking like a gang member?' " she said.
Despite his ordeal, Mr. Weigel patiently wrote to the viewers that "he had lost the hair on the back of his head and needed to cover it," his wife said.
Family and friends recalled his hearty laugh. When he attended the opening of Broadway-bound "The Producers" in Chicago, Mr. Weigel laughed so hard that actress Sarah Jessica Parker — wife of the musical's star, Matthew Broderick — "kept turning around, and at the end she said, `I'm so glad you liked it,' " said Jenniffer Weigel.
Toward the end of his life he could no longer play piano, read or drive, yet he remained positive. When his daughter expressed her sadness, Mr. Weigel told her, " `No, it's OK_because I'm still able to love.' "
He was married three times, first in 1966 to Kathy Worthington, and to Carol Bishop in 1979. In 1992, he wed Vicki Truax.
In addition to his wife and daughter, Jenniffer, survivors include his son, Rafer; daughter, Teddi; father, John; brother, Tony, and sister, Deni.
— Originally published in the Sun-Times, June 18, 2001
I was lucky enough to play bubble hockey against Mr. Wiggle some time in the 90s. He was a very nice guy and i always enjoyed him when he was on TV.
ReplyDeleteDuring the Northwester Wildcat's Rose bowl run in '95, it was always a joy to hear him crow about his (our) Cats. Between him and his wife on Oldies 104.3, life that year seemed pretty grand.
I'm glad you included Tim W's memorable laugh in the obit. His laugh is what I remember best.
ReplyDeleteI also remember when he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, about a year after Gene Siskel died. That type of tumor is "rare", but its incidence was increasing in the early 2000s. Two colleagues of mine also died from glioblastoma in that same time frame. They both were early-adopters of mobile phones. I wasn't the only one at work to wonder about was the possible role of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) in this brain cancer. To this day, research is inconclusive, but there is a suggestion that longterm and frequent use of mobile phones - particularly early models - may be associated with this diagnosis. The 2 colleagues I knew who died from glioblastoma spent their days driving to schools and courts, and returned calls on shoe-sized mobile phones throughout the day. I put off getting a cellphone until my pager was phased out (and cell phones were the size of a deck of cards)
How well I remember Tim's final days at the Daily News, before he went into radio and TV broadcasting. Did not really know him all that well, but he was a helluva nice guy. A good dude, who died way too young.
ReplyDeleteI am somewhat of an asshole. When prominent people make errors I sneer at their ignorance. Never did that with Tim Weigel, who I loved. But I did sneer at Gene Siskel. He went to Yale, but I determined he was more ignorant than me with my plebian Roosevelt U. Siskel was reviewing the movie Gallipoli, and throughout the review he referred to the enemy as the Germans. He did not know that the Turkish Army was led by a German general. Helped other of their allies in that matter.
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