“We’re going to keep your informed, entertained, and have a laugh or two along the way.” What better way to set the stage for a sports radio listener? It was a welcome to the program that explained expectations without chasing a trending topic or forcing a hot take meant to make the listener choose to immediately lean in or tune out. Terry Boers and Dan Bernstein were never conventional, and that was precisely the point.
When news broke Friday that Terry Boers had passed away, sports radio became less fun. Many outside of Chicago may not fully understand his legacy in the market, but his influence stretches far beyond city limits. I know that personally, having been a former Boers & Bernstein intern and colleague to Boers for six years in Chicago.
When I saw the news, my mind went immediately to the good times. I remember being part of a station filled with generational talent in one of the most competitive sports markets in the country. When pressure to perform was at its highest, the laugh of Terry Boers served as a calming influence. That was his magic, and it remains an example worth following for everyone.
Curt Cignetti once told people to “Google” him to understand his coaching resume. For anyone unfamiliar with Boers’ approach, execution of his craft, or the magic and hilarity he brought to radio, YouTube him.
Boers was a founding member of The Score. Before radio, he built his reputation as a sports columnist at the Chicago Sun-Times. He was the guiding but challenging voice during the rise of Michael Jordan and the Hollywood spotlight surrounding the 1985 Chicago Bears. His words carried weight in print, and in 1992 they gained a megaphone when The Score signed on.
I first became aware of Terry Boers in 2002 when I moved back to my hometown of Chicago. By then, he had already carved out his own lane as part of the Heavy Fuel Crew with Dan McNeil. A lineup shift in 1999 paired Boers with Dan Bernstein, and from 1999 through 2017, Boers & Bernstein became the longest-running sports radio show in Chicago history for the time.
The show was different. It created its own footprint in how Chicago sports connected with fans. Bernstein’s sharp, inquisitive mind paired seamlessly with Boers’ wit and humor, producing an authentic and intelligent conversation. You were never talked down to. You were welcomed in.
In 2002, I was still figuring out my career path. As the idea of pharmacy school faded like the White Sox playoff hopes each year, I became increasingly drawn to Boers & Bernstein. During a difficult period in my personal life, being informed, entertained, and sharing a laugh or two mattered more than I realized at the time.
The show felt inviting. It gave listeners a sense of belonging, like being part of a group they I may not have had elsewhere. You learned the inside language of your teams and rediscovered the fun in games you watched together.
Terry Boers was an entertainer, mentor, and friend to many. He knew when seriousness was required, but he also understood that sports are, at their core, wonderfully ridiculous. Boers was the ringmaster of the Chicago sports circus, guiding audiences through the good, the bad, and the uniquely bizarre.
He questioned authority and held teams accountable without interrogating. Instead, he conversed. Drawing from his background in sportswriting, Boers asked hard questions with a soft tone, leaving listeners with something unique every time.
That was his gift, and it kept audiences coming back.
More than anything, Boers stood out for how he treated people on and off the air. The rarest and most respected trait in broadcasting is authenticity, being the same person away from the microphone as you are behind it. Terry Boers embodied that.
He possessed natural gifts many spend a lifetime chasing. He was comfortable in his own skin and could take a joke as easily as he delivered one.
I take immense pride in my eight years rising from intern to teammate at 670 The Score. From being dubbed “Johnny Muldoon” by Boers to leaving the station in 2011 for Tampa Bay, those years shaped me. Even long after our day-to-day work ended, Terry was among the first to offer congratulations on my next steps in Florida. He genuinely celebrated seeing others move forward, especially when it came from contributing to the station he helped build.
After my departure, Boers continued to add to his already remarkable legacy. He worked six more years before retiring in 2017 as he battled with cancer. His post-retirement appearances on The Score became must-listen moments, blending insight on modern sports with stories from the past, always punctuated by that unmistakable laugh.
He also authored a book in 2017 chronicling his Chicago sports talk journey. It captured the story of a man, a career, and a radio station few believed would endure. He witnessed giants, traveled widely, and approached it all with a smile, a wink, and a laugh.
You can learn a lot about a man by his laugh. If you like a man’s laugh before knowing anything else about him, you can be confident he’s a good man. Terry Boers was a good man, a father, husband, grandfather, friend, writer, broadcaster, and proud Chicagoan, even if he hailed from Steger, Illinois.
“We’re going to keep you informed, entertained, and have a laugh or two along the way.” Terry Boers didn’t just say it. He lived it. For decades, he made sports feel smaller, life feel lighter, and radio feel like home.
Sports radio is less fun today, but it is far better for having had Terry Boers at all.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
