Ed Daniels, a New Orleans native who created the city’s first televised high school sports broadcast during a five-decade career as a Louisiana sportscaster, died Friday of complications from a heart attack last month. He was 67.

Daniels spent 11 days in a hospital near Los Angeles before being flown back to New Orleans on August 5.

Before the term multimedia journalist became common in the media industry, Daniels already had experience with the three main forms of journalism.

Daniels’ primary home was television, where he visited the homes of New Orleans sports fans for more than 40 years – first at WDSU-TV and the last 33 years at WGNO-TV, where he became the station’s first and, to date, only sports director.

In 1992, shortly after Daniels arrived at WGNO – then an independent station – he launched Friday Night Football, the first show of its kind in New Orleans to focus on highlights of the evening’s games. Hall of Fame coach JT Curtis has been a co-host and analyst on FNF since the show’s inception.

Never afraid to speak his mind, Daniels was a sports columnist for the Clarion Herald for nearly two decades – where he took over the column post from his former boss at WDSU, Buddy Diliberto – and has been a regular contributor to Crescent City Sports and its predecessor editions since its launch in 2008.

On the radio, he spent nearly three decades co-hosting the “Three Tailgaters” program on various airwaves – most recently on 106.1 The Ticket – with high school and college classmate Ken Trahan. He also served as a radio analyst for Saints preseason games, New Orleans Night Arena football games and the University of New Orleans men’s basketball broadcasts.

While many athletic departments in the region focus their attention on professional and collegiate sports as well as national concerns, Daniels made it a priority to promote the efforts of high school sports.

The success of FNF led to two more shows – Friday Night Sports, which covered winter events, and Friday Night Fastball, which featured baseball, softball and other spring sports.

Daniel’s influence on high school sports was not limited to television.

In 2011, Daniels and former Riverside Academy coach Timmy Byrd co-founded the Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Classic basketball tournament. Originally designed for 16 boys teams, the event expanded last winter to include five different groups for boys and girls.

The success of the basketball event led to similar events in baseball and 7-on-7 football. In the fall, a seasonal volleyball event is scheduled to take place for the first time.

While many of the LHSAA state championships for selected and non-selected players were split between different venues, the National Prep Classic organizing group hosted the semifinals and finals of the girls basketball state championships at the Alario Center in February 2022.

Daniels’ career at WGNO included much more than just sporting events. Before the station began its news operation in 1996, he hosted the game show “NO It Alls,” produced by former NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff. When minor league baseball returned to New Orleans in 1993 in the form of the Zephyrs, WGNO also acquired the television rights and Daniels served as the team’s TV commentator in its early years.

Daniels has been voted Louisiana Sportscaster of the Year by his peers and honored by the National Sports Media Association three times (1997, 2014, 2018). He also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Press Club of New Orleans in 2014.

Archbishop Rummel High School, his alma mater, honored him in 2013 by inducting him into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame – an honor he shared with classmate and lifelong friend Trahan. He is also a member of De La Salle’s Athletic Hall.

The support for Daniels after his heart attack was enormous.

At a rosary on the evening of July 31 at St. Philip Neri Parish, where Daniels and his wife Robin were members of the congregation, hundreds of people prayed together for recovery.

Others, like LSU coach Brian Kelly and Tulane coach Jon Sumrall — who could almost always count on Daniels’ presence at their media events — mentioned Daniels by name as they opened their first press conferences as part of preseason training.

Daniels graduated from Rummel University in 1975 and received his degree in communications from Loyola University in 1979.

In addition to his wife, Daniels leaves behind five children and five grandchildren.

Preparations for the funeral are still pending.

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