NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — WGNO Sports Director Ed Daniels has died on Friday, Aug. 16, three weeks after suffering a heart attack in California.
Ed was in the Los Angeles area to cover the New Orleans Saints’ training camp.
His wife Robin accompanied him, so the trip also included some vacation time.
According to Robin, a little after midnight on July 26, Ed suffered a massive heart attack. He remained hospitalized in California until he was transported back to the New Orleans area where he was taken to the Ochsner main campus on Jefferson Highway. In a letter to the Clarion Herald, Robin Daniels expressed her gratitude to Saints owner Gayle Benson for providing the flight to bring Ed back to Louisiana.
Ed was the most senior team member in the WGNO newsroom. He started as the station’s sports director in 1992 and was the creator of Friday Night Football. Later, the football program would inspire another sports program to highlight young local athletes, Friday Night Fastball.
Louisiana was always home to Ed. He graduated from Archbishop Rummel High School in 1975 and from Loyola University in 1979.
Covering sports in Louisiana, Ed was a towering figure and was recognized for his work, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the New Orleans Press Club and twice behind named Louisiana Sportscaster of the year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.
Ed’s importance to WGNO cannot be overstated. He was the most important and impactful person to ever work in our newsroom. We miss him and will continue to work to uphold the standards of professionalism he displayed during his decades here.
Our condolences and prayers to out to Ed’s family, friends and viewers. We will continue to post stories about Ed and his legacy here at WGNO in the days ahead.
Friends, family and viewers can offer their condolences here.
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