Dettman was a regular behind the camera at Minnesota sporting events for decades

The sports television community in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota are mourning following the loss of beloved veteran camera operator Dan Dettman.

Dettman, 68, worked for KSTP-TV in St. Paul, and was also a veteran camera operator for the local regional sports network, Fox Sports North, regularly working camera on broadcasts of the Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Wild, Minnesota Timberwolves, and local collegiate events.

Dan Dettman, a veteran camera operator in the Twin Cities area, passed away on Monday. (Photo courtesy: @davesniadak on Twitter)

“Dan was the patriarch of sports television photography in our area,” Charlie Cushing, an audio technician that worked sports broadcasts in the area with Dettman since 2006 said to the Star Tribune. “One of the hardest working guys on the crew. He was wildly talented covering any sport on any camera. He was 68 years old and still throwing a 50 pound camera on his shoulder.”

According to the Star Tribune, Dettman, 68, was found after a fallen tree rolled onto him outside his Minnetonka home on Monday afternoon.

On Tuesday evening, Twitter filled with tributes to Dan from many in the Minneapolis/St. Paul media community:

Finally gathering my thoughts – wanting to send condolences to the family of one of our camera guys, Dan Dettman. He always called me “my dear” and was the nicest man. Just shocking, heartbreaking news to hear of his passing. RIP, Danny D 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/jxUo0UOPO7

— Marney Gellner (@MarneyGellner) September 23, 2020

My condolences to the family of longtime @fsnorth cameraman
Dan Dettman…sports rube with had a huge heart. The ballpark and the rink will never be the same without his smile.
RIP and Godspeed DD
🙏

— Kevin Gorg (@FSNGorg) September 23, 2020

We all have great memories with Dan. He was witty, sarcastic, and quick with the one liners. But he loved showing up to the ballpark, rink, arena, you name it. He will be sorely missed by his TV family. https://t.co/cEORcOgFAC

— Vanessa Lambert (@vlamb24) September 23, 2020

Condolences to friends and family of #DanDettman, longtime broadcast photojouralist and storytelling legend, who passed away in an unfortunate accident. Seeing him work was inspiring, his eye for the visual was impeccable. Big loss for the camera operator community! pic.twitter.com/wQlIlAkNgT

— davesniadak (@davesniadak) September 23, 2020

Today is a sad day with the tragic loss of Dan Dettman of @fsnorth. He shot my first story at @KSTP in 1985. A lot of laughs, live shots and memories. We had a couple running jokes for over 30 years. You were a champ Dan! Your buddy Airtime.

— Joe Schmit (@JoeSchmitKSTP) September 23, 2020

He worked here at @KSTP for over 25 years. An internal email notes he passed after a freak accident involving a tree falling on him. 2020 remains the absolute worst. Like Jim, saw him at Target Field often and he was always friendly. Thoughts and prayers are w/ his family. https://t.co/FE7ztFkBwd

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) September 23, 2020

Extremely saddened about the passing of cameraman Dan Dettman. He’s been a fixture in my professional life in sports for 20 years. Dan was also responsible for creating the Yule Log that we’ve enjoyed for all these years on TV. That’s his arm throwing on the logs. RIP my friend

— Adam Abrams (@mnpaguy) September 23, 2020