WCCO's Rainey dies of cancer

July 27, 2008 at 3:55AM
Bob Rainey, WCCO
Bob Rainey, WCCO (Dml -/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Bob Rainey, a sports reporter and weekend anchor at WCCO-TV, died Saturday morning after battling colon cancer.

Rainey, who was 46, joined the station in February 2004 after having worked as a sports reporter and anchor in Nashville for seven years. A graduate of Xavier University in Cincinnati, Rainey started in the television business in 1985 and also had stops in Kentucky and Philadelphia.

Longtime WCCO sports anchor Mark Rosen, who hired Rainey, said working in the Twin Cities was a "professional dream" for Rainey because he got to cover the Vikings. Rainey had been a lifelong fan of the team. "He always talked about covering the Vikings," Rosen said. "That's what he lived for for work."

Rainey hadn't been on the air for several months as he fought the disease. He elected to keep his battle private and thus his absence was not explained by the station.

"Bob had a very private way of handling this horrible disease," Rosen said. "He decided this is the way he wanted to go. It was difficult for us to try to say, 'There are so many people who admire you, like you and enjoy you who would come to your support.' But we weren't walking in his shoes."

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