Chad Broderick Hanna

Chad Broderick Hanna was born on December 20th, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois, with his parents moving to St. Louis when he was young. Chad was the first-born of five children from the marriage of Marshall and Christine Hanna, both of whom preceded him in death. Chad graduated from Southwest High School where he was a standout on the football field, earning a full-ride football scholarship to Jackson State University. He eventually transferred after career ending injuries, and completed his Bachelor’s Degree at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE). From there, he began a career in the broadcast field working for Charter, KPLR, KSDK, and eventually breaking into midwest sports. In 1993, Chad joined ESPN’s College GameDay Crew as an EVS technician, cueing up replays, collaborating on important stories, and creating spectacular highlight packages. His work as an EVS technician would turn out to be his crowning jewel, working for 31 seasons on ESPN’s College GameDay: Football. He was, and is, the longest-running crew member on the production side, and the second-longest running crew member overall, only eclipsed by Lee Corso himself. Chad earned 12 Emmy’s for his work and contributions to ESPN and College GameDay: Football. His career also saw other highlights such as College GameDay: Basketball, The Masters, The PGA Tour, College Football National Championships, The Rose Bowl, The Sugar Bowl, The Fiesta Bowl, The Orange Bowl, The Pro Bowl, U.S Open (Golf & Tennis), The (British) Open, Wimbledon, The Olympics, NFL Draft, NBA Draft, Final Four and much, much more. In short, his professional career was rich, and only shadowed by his personal connection, care, and love. Pop, as his ‘grand buddies’ referred to him, loved his family and friends. This was marked not only by his desire to connect with others, but also his God-given ability to connect so well. Pop was a friend to all, as noted by the various co-workers who named him as their “favorite person’ or ‘close-friend’. Many went so far as to call him a mentor, ‘big brother’, and even ‘father-figure’, certainly due to his powerful and welcoming presence and care. Pop was proud of so much, but namely, and firstly, of his 35+ year marriage to Stacia; many times he would talk about their love as a ‘Hallmark story’. They could be found consistently referring to one another as ‘my forever love’. This love was evident and shown as they traveled together throughout the years, and built a beautiful family, having first their son, Colin (Alexa), and then their daughter, Kristen (Rodney). This strong, loving, and steadfast family of four, grew to fill the room with six ‘grand buddies’. Colin “Broderick” Hanna II and James “Jay” Chad Hanna were born to Colin & Alexa; Aniya Rose Freeman, Rodney Curtis Freeman III “Free”, Kyrie Alex Freeman, and Amelia Vale Freeman were born to Rodney & Kristen. Pop was a wonderful Patriarch for the Hanna Family Tree. He was a strong, kind, and wise mentor, blessing his friends and family with his love. He leaves other family members to cherish his memories: sisters Waltrin Richards (Mike Richards) and Patryce Myers (Eric Myers), brother Jayson Hanna, and his close cousin Jacqueline Hanna Martin. He also leaves behind a host of nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews, in-laws and close friends who love him dearly. He was preceded in death by his beloved brother Alex Hanna, and his lifelong best friend Wayne Gooch. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you would consider donating to the Glioblastoma Foundation.

Chad Broderick Hanna

December 20, 1957 - July 8, 2025