Darcy Pohland

Inducted 2010

Darcy Pohland was a veteran WCCO TV reporter who worked her way up from a part-time dispatcher in 1986 to a full-time on-air reporter in 1994.  Her curiosity, communication skills, and determination earned her the opportunity to work in a market most reporters worked years to reach, despite her lack of on-camera experience – and despite the fact that she was a quadriplegic.  In 1983 she dove into a shallow pool, injuring her spinal cord and leaving her unable to stand or walk, and with very limited use of her arms and hands.  Darcy didn’t let this “inconvenience” get in the way of getting a story; she could cover any topic, but she especially loved the Vikings and the Golden Gophers.  Her laugh was legendary and her wit razor-sharp; give her a ramp and room to roll, that’s all she asked.  Her enthusiasm, ability, and compassion came through in her stories, and it was easy to look past the fact that she was disabled, a word she disliked and that hardly seemed to apply to her.  Her job as a high-profile TV reporter made her an inspiration to viewers and colleagues alike. 

Darcy Pohland passed away suddenly on March 5, 2010, at the age of 48.