Former 670 The Score host Dan Bernstein is still sorting through what it means to mourn Terry Boers, the longtime Chicago sports radio icon and his former co-host, who died Friday. After decades spent alongside Boers on one of the most influential sports talk shows in the country, Bernstein admits that grief has come with an unexpected complication.
“Terry being Terry was his magic,” Bernstein said on his Dan Bernstein Unfiltered Podcast. “It was part of the joy and the complexity and just what made him so special and such a sui generis individual. There will never be another quite like that.”
Bernstein and Boers spent years shaping Chicago sports radio through Boers & Bernstein, a show that thrived on intelligence, irreverence, and a willingness to sound different than anything else on the dial. That legacy has been reflected in the public response Bernstein has received since Boers’ passing, much of it directed straight to him.
“I’ve been reading and seeing all weekend, just starting Friday night and through now, and it has not stopped,” Bernstein said. “To be sort of on the front lines, this is the contact point. Nothing has been officially set up for you to express things elsewhere. It’s wonderful.”
That outpouring, while meaningful, has also underscored how difficult it has been to process the loss in conventional ways. Bernstein explained that Boers’ personality, even in death, resists solemnity.
“Thank you for the outreach. Thank you for the condolences,” Bernstein said. “It’s hard because Terry makes it hard. I keep saying this, and the essence of this has come down to how difficult it is to mourn Terry appropriately.”
For Bernstein, attempts at sadness are routinely interrupted by memory. The result is laughter, not tears, and a sense of emotional dissonance that feels both wrong and completely fitting.
“Every time I try to be sad, I can’t,” he said. “You can’t think about Terry Boers without laughing or smiling about something. It’s impossible. What a legacy that is.”
Those memories are rarely grand or ceremonial. Instead, they are rooted in the small, absurd moments that defined Boers’ presence both on and off the air.
“Every time I think of Terry, I’m laughing about something,” Bernstein said. “The dumbest stuff. The silliest things. Strange noises. Or insults, or driving and yelling at people, spraying words in all directions.”
That instinctive laughter often gives way to guilt, Bernstein admitted, as if joy somehow betrays grief. Eventually, though, he arrives at the same conclusion.
“And the answer is all of it,” he said. “He’s very difficult to be sad about.”
Boers was a founding figure at The Score, helping establish its tone and credibility during Chicago’s all-sports radio formative years. Known for his sharp wit and willingness to challenge convention, he became a central station personality. He was also a trusted voice for listeners who valued opinion-driven sports conversation.
During his 25-year run on Chicago airwaves, Boers shared the airwaves with many talents. He co-hosted afternoon drive alongside Bernstein, a pairing that became one of the most recognizable shows in the market. Their dynamic blended humor, confrontation and insight, creating a program that consistently sparked conversation and helped define The Score’s brand.
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