Reaction has been pouring in following news of the passing of Chicago sports radio personality Harry Teinowitz at the age of 64. Teinowitz was a staple of the wildly popular Mac, Jurko, and Harry on ESPN Chicago, drawing massive ratings and notoriety from around the country as a co-host of the “Afternoon Saloon.”
Earlier today, two former co-hosts of Teinowitz shared their memories of their late teammate, as Carmen DeFalco and John Jurkovic began their Carmen & Jurko program.
“Harry’s exceptional knowledge of baseball and basketball and all the minutia in every single sport was an absolute necessity on the show [Mac, Jurko, and Harry],” said Jurkovic. “Harry was a comedian in himself. He understood what was funny and what wasn’t funny. The give and take, his perspective on things compared to Mac’s perspective or my perspective was ultimately the chemistry that we found that drove the show to the heights that it became when it was here.”
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Teinowitz suffered from heart and liver issues and had received a liver transplant within the last two years. The 64-year-old sports radio talent first appeared in Chicago on rival station 670 The Score, where he made football selections on Tom Shaer’s morning program. From there, his career would take him to stops at 97.9 The Loop and WGN Radio, eventually ending up at ESPN Chicago.
“Harry had a pretty wicked sense of humor. He had a quick wit. He did have a very good sense of humor. I don’t think we ever called them dad jokes back then, but boy, did he have a million of them,” said DeFalco. “He was an idea man. When we tell you he was an idea man, he would throw stuff against the wall and in Harry’s mind, it was always going to work.”
Teinowitz was a member of Mac, Jurko, and Harry from 2001–2009, and then with Carmen, Jurko, and Harry from 2009–2013.
“Harry was an actor. He was a comedian. He was a writer. He did do a lot. He tried a lot. He was never afraid to try things, ever,” said DeFalco. “We had a lot of good times and a lot of laughs with Harry. There were some tumultuous times over the years… The ups and downs of the old Mac, Jurko, Harry show, but it really is one of the truly legendary sports talk radio shows—just talk radio shows—that this town has ever seen. And I think it’s important for us to remember that and talk about Harry’s contributions.”
Ultimately, Teinowitz is being remembered today as a charismatic personality around the entertainment industry in Chicago—a comedian, actor, and a radio personality for the better part of three decades.
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