Ed Daniels, WGNO Sports Director Death: Ed Daniels, WGNO Sports Director, died on Friday, August 16, three weeks after having a heart attack in California.
Ed was in Los Angeles to cover the New Orleans Saints training camp. His wife Robin accompanied him, thus the trip included some vacation time.
According to Robin, Ed had a huge heart attack shortly after midnight on July 26. He remained hospitalized in California until he was returned to the New Orleans region and moved to the Ochsner main campus on Jefferson Highway.
In a letter to the Clarion Herald, Robin Daniels thanked Saints owner Gayle Benson for providing the airplane to bring Ed back to Louisiana. Ed was the most senior member of the WGNO newsroom. He became the station’s sports director in 1992 and created Friday Night Football.
Later, the football program inspired Friday Night Fastball, a sports program that highlights young local athletes. Ed had always called Louisiana home. He graduated from Archbishop Rummel High School in 1975 and Loyola University in 1979.
Ed was a towering figure in Louisiana sports coverage, and his work was acknowledged with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the New Orleans Press Club, as well as being awarded Louisiana Sportscaster of the Year twice by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.
Ed’s impact at WGNO cannot be understated. He was the most important and influential person to have worked in our newsroom. We miss him and will continue to endeavor to maintain the professional standards he set during his decades here. Our thoughts and prayers are extended to Ed’s family, friends, and viewers.