Legendary Eddie Scozzare retires from WFAN after 37 years

Posted on by GoalVerseNews
Credit: WFAN

WFAN lost part of its soul this week, as legendary producer and board operator Eddie Scozzare retired after 37 years.

Boomer Esiason may have tried to steal the spotlight with his Radio Hall of Fame induction announcement this week, but Scozzare took it right back Friday morning. At WFAN’s Kickoff to Summer celebration in Belmar, New Jersey, Scozzare was celebrated by the station, its morning show, and its fans.

Not many behind-the-scenes people can ingratiate themselves with an audience the way Scozzare did. But as a WFAN-lifer, Scozzare became synonymous with the heritage sports radio station, running the board for some of its biggest hosts, including Don Imus, Steve Somers, Mike and the Mad Dog, Boomer and Carton, and now Boomer and Gio.

Scozzare was a unique personality with a lot of useless information. But he found a use for that useless information by ingratiating himself with WFAN listeners. While reflecting on his career earlier this week on WFAN, Scozzare revealed that his one regret is that he didn’t study forestry in school, which made his aspiration to become a Park Ranger difficult to achieve. Luckily, Scozzare noted National Parks do take volunteers, which could be a potential retirement gig to fill the radio void.

But more than Scozzare having to fill the void of what WFAN provided for him, WFAN will now have to fill the void left by Scozzare. No board operator will be able to interject with drops and sound bites the way Scozzare has for WFAN’s morning shows. Because no board operator has been with WFAN for its entirety, the way Scozzare has. Scozzare was to Boomer and Carton, and now Boomer and Gio, what Fred Norris has been for The Howard Stern Show.

“I just want to say on behalf of everybody at WFAN, and especially our show here this morning, Eddie, that we’re going to miss you. We love you,” Esiason said.

“Of course, this is a tough day for us. But a happy day for all of us as well,” Giannotti added. “None of us would be the employees and the people that we are today without you. That is a true statement, and that’s not bullcrap. I would not be standing here. I would not have had the success without the help that you gave me, and the guidance, and the friendship, and the colleague that you’ve been. They don’t hear this a lot when people retire. There will never be another you. There will never be anybody like it, and that’s what you have to take into your retirement. One of a kind, and an all-time great.”

Not only did Scozzare play a big role alongside producer Al Dukes behind the glass of WFAN’s morning show for the last 19 years, but he was everyone’s favorite employee. Being simultaneously respected and trusted by Don Imus, Mike Francesa, Chris Russo, Boomer Esiason, Craig Carton, and everyone who worked at WFAN, regardless of their stature, would seemingly be an impossible task. But in a business that is often ruthless and filled with ego, you won’t find anyone, on or off the air, who has anything negative to say about Scozzare.

The morning show, led by Esiason, gifted Scozzare a Ford Bronco, which will be perfect for getting to and from those National Parks. Listeners showed up to the annual Kickoff to Summer event with Scozzare t-shirts, cutouts, and wigs. Even though he never hosted a show on the station, the entire audience knew how much Scozzare had meant to WFAN.

WFAN and its morning show did a great job of honoring Scozzare as he approached retirement. But now they’re tasked with replacing someone who every listener agrees is a legend.

The post Legendary Eddie Scozzare retires from WFAN after 37 years appeared first on Awful Announcing.

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