New Orleans sports broadcast legend Ed Daniels laid to rest

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Ed Daniels, a veteran sports journalist whose voice became synonymous with Louisiana sports, was laid to rest Thursday following a funeral service at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church.

Daniels spent more than four decades telling the sports stories of Louisiana. Outside of church, people were sharing stories about him. Although it was a somber setting, many attending funeral services for Daniels reflected on their memories of him with a smile.

“I think of the times we laughed. We used to make jokes on one another. We teased each other,” said Les East, a freelance sports journalist with Crescent City Sports.

East said he and Daniels covered sports in the region for more than forty years, occasionally working together.

“When I think of Ed, it was his work ethic. He has worked as hard as anybody I have ever known, and he made it a point whenever possible to be on site for stories,” said East.

“If you knew Ed as a person you saw the real man. The man behind the mic so to speak. The family man, the man of faith, the man who reached out to other people. How are you doing? What can I do for you,” said former Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard.

Last month, Daniels suffered a heart attack in California. He was on assignment covering Saints training camp for WGNO-TV. His family desperately wanted to get him back to New Orleans. With the help of Saints owner Gayle Benson, Daniels was flown to his hometown where he was able to pass away with his loved ones by his side.

“He touched so many lives, and when I got the call, it was a no-brainer. I just said yes, immediately. There wasn’t even a thought about it,” said Benson.

Benson joined a who’s who of Louisiana sports, politics and journalism in paying respects to Daniels.

New Orleans Saints legend Archie Manning said Daniels’ legacy will include his coverage of local high school football through Friday Night Football, the weekly show he created in the 1990s. Manning said Daniels’ dedication to high school sports will be missed.

“My grandson Arch is really affected by this, and I thought about it, there’s got to be hundreds of high school kids who got to know Ed. You can’t replace Ed. He’s a hard worker. He was a serious guy, I’d try to loosen him up sometimes because he would get so serious, but we had fun with that,” said Manning.

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JT Curtis, longtime head coach of the football team at John Curtis Christian School, served as co-host of Friday Night Football. Coach Curtis said Daniels’ attention to detail was infectious.

“He was always a consummate professional. He wanted that show to be the way I wanted my game to be on Friday night,” said Curtis.

According to those close to Daniels, he treated and covered high school sports with the same level of care he gave professional teams. Knowing that, they say Daniels would’ve appreciated someone like Cheryl Gills.

“I’ve been watching him since I was like a teenager. I’m 52 now, so I’ve been watching him for a long time,” said Gills.

Gills doesn’t consider herself a part of any particular scene. Like most of us, she knew of Daniels through his 33 years at Channel 26. Gills simply wanted to say good-bye to the man she relied on for consistent sports coverage. Gills said the amount of people with the same intention was overwhelming.

“When you see all these people, it shows nothing but love. And when you have that much love, it doesn’t matter whether you connect with him, if you knew him, if you didn’t know him, it’s nothing but love,” said Gills.

A spokesman for the Superdome said the dome will be illuminated in white light Thursday night to honor the life of Daniels.

He is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren.

If sports is a metaphor for life, then Ed Daniels left it all on the field. Now, he can finally rest.

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