Longtime Minnesota Twins Clubhouse Attendant and Player Favorite Wayne “Big Fella” Hattaway passed away on Thursday night at the age of eighty.
The Minnesota Twins as an organization have a long history of celebrating and caring for members of the Twins family and retaining good people and hard workers for as long as possible. The Twins family lost one of its members when Wayne ” Big Fella” Hattaway passed away on Thursday night.
According to the Twins’ Senior Director of Communications Dustin Morse, Hattaway passed away near his home in Mobile, Alabama after a battle with cancer. He was eighty years old.
The Twins released the news on Friday morning on Twitter, and the Twins community expressed their sadness over the franchise icon’s passing:
RIP Big Fella.
— Dustin Morse (@morsecode) May 1, 2020
He used to tell a player after a bad game that it wasn’t his fault - it was the scout that signed him.
Wayne lost his battle with cancer last night near his home in Mobile, AL. https://t.co/VGK0vLg3t2
Hattaway worked with the Twins organization from 1962 to 2018, working his way up to becoming a clubhouse attendant. He earned the nickname “Big Fella” due to his very slender small frame, and his trademark mustache and sense of humor were beloved by Twins players and staff alike.
His optimism helped uplift many players in the organization and that positivity helped the Twins get through slumps, droughts and more, and many current and former Twins poured out support for Hattaway:
I’ll miss you, Big Fella. Rest well buddy.
— Trevor May (Not Parody) (@IamTrevorMay) May 1, 2020
Sad to hear of the passing of Wayne Hattaway. Big Fella was a joy to be around. What a great human being. Prayers to his family
— Brian Duensing (@BrianDuensing52) May 1, 2020
So sorry to hear about the passing of Wayne Hattaway. He loved him his Crimson Tide, his Twins, and his damn never-ending stories. But boy was he beloved!! RIP Big Fella. You’re gone, but never forgotten, my friend....
— Frank J. Viola, Jr. (@FrankViola16) May 1, 2020
Saddened to learn of the passing of longtime Twins clubhouse attendant “Big Fella” Wayne Hattaway. His infectious laughter and positive attitude will be greatly missed. RIP Big’n pic.twitter.com/1AteZI6CoF
— Phil Hughes (@PJHughes45) May 1, 2020