When Roderic Teamer was a star linebacker at Brother Martin High School, he would rush home with his dad after games to watch Ed Daniels’ Friday Night Football show on WGNO-TV.
Like for so many of his peers, the show was a must-see for Teamer and his family, the sports center of the local football scene.
“It was part of my career as a high school football player in Louisiana,” Teamer said. “I grew up with the show.”
Teamer went on to star at Tulane and now plays safety for the New Orleans Saints. Along with Tyrann Mathieu, Foster Moreau and Stanley Morgan, Jr., he is one of four players on the roster who were born and raised in New Orleans. And all four have lasting memories of the 67-year-old Daniels, who died last week from complications of a heart attack in late July.
“Ed Daniels Was “Friday night football,” said Moreau, a former standout tight end at Jesuit and LSU. “Being on that show was the highlight for us. It was huge.”
That each of the four New Orleans Saints players recalls being interviewed by Daniels over the course of their careers, most often for Friday Night Football, says something about Daniels’ legendary work ethic and his ever-present influence on local sports.
It’s difficult to quantify one person’s impact on a community, but for Daniels, it’s best measured by the number of young lives he’s positively impacted through his more than three decades of reporting in the city and region.
“For me, just getting exposure was a big deal,” said Morgan, who played alongside Leonard Fournette in St. Augustine. “He knew everybody, knew every team, knew the names. And the way he went about his job was unbelievable, just so professional.”
Daniels’ Friday Night Football served as a showcase for generations of local high school football fans, players and coaches.
While WGNO-TV routinely lagged in the ratings among local newscasts, Friday Night Football was a huge success and moneymaker for the station, largely due to Daniels’ commitment to excellence. He was the show’s impresario, a one-man wolf pack who produced, hosted, reported and sold sponsorships. It was his baby, a labor of love that required him and his staff to make fans all over the region and cover as many as a dozen games on Friday nights.
“That’s how I was introduced to him,” said Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu, who played for the St. Augustine Purple Knights before becoming a Heisman Trophy candidate at LSU. “I knew he just did the Friday night show, and that was a big deal, man. When he talked about you, (when) he played the highlight, you were somebody special, so I think all high school players, especially in my era, aspired to be recognized by him.”
For every Mathieu, Moreau, Morgan or Teamer, there were thousands of other players Daniels covered who never competed after high school. For them, Friday nights were the brightest moments of their football careers, and an appearance on Daniels’ show was the highlight of their young lives. Getting on the highlights was great. Being interviewed by Daniels was even greater, the ultimate sign of respect for a rising talent.
“In Louisiana, especially New Orleans, kids are looking for opportunities to get in the spotlight and showcase their talents,” Teamer said. “And the kids were able to show off their accomplishments on his show, the hard work they’ve done on the field, and they got the opportunity to get scholarships and go to college. I feel bad for the kids that don’t get to be interviewed by Ed and be on his show.”
Daniels’ death sparked deep sadness throughout the New Orleans community. The City of New Orleans issued a statement the night of his death, a rarity for a local television journalist. The New Orleans Saints and LSU football coaches also issued statements.
His funeral service Thursday at St. Philip Neri Church in Metairie drew a huge crowd. Seemingly every high school coach in southern Louisiana was in attendance, along with celebrities such as Benson, former Saints star Archie Manning and Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall.
“He was always involved in the community and moving us forward, moving the sport forward, not just football but all sports,” Mathieu said. “His voice was loud. To have a guy like him, a guy of that caliber, so committed to high school football, did a lot for the game.”
Moreau added: “He loved what he did. He really, truly put love into everything he ever did. He cared so much about everyone, every game, every play and every moment. And he was a consummate professional. I loved Ed. It’s awful that I never got to say goodbye to him.”
