Radio broadcaster Ed Ingles dies at 87; spent years as a mentor at Hofstra

When Marc Ernay, sports director of 1010 WINS, heard about the death of revered radio broadcaster Ed Ingles on Friday, he had this to say:

“They can open all the doors at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, block off Fifth Avenue for half a mile on all four sides and there still wouldn’t be enough room to contain the lives he touched and who loved him more than he will ever know. That’s the measure of the man.”

Ingles, a resident of Freeport, died Friday at North Shore Hospital, where he had been battling cancer. He was 87.

For decades, Ingles was the radio voice of New York sports. In a career spanning 60 years of radio broadcasting, he had been the sports director of WCBS and a commentator for Jets games and St. John’s basketball. He had covered golf, tennis, horse racing, auto racing and several Olympics.

He also had mentored countless up-and-coming broadcasters, both as a working professional and as a professional in residence at Hofstra University’s WRHU before retiring last year.

Longtime Knicks broadcaster Mike Breen interned for Ingles in the 1980s. “He put on a clinic every morning on how to get everything possible in 2 1⁄2 minutes,” Breen told WCBS radio. “For me and for countless broadcasters, he was an inspiration to get into the business.”

Ingles’ passion for the business, and passion for life and those he mentored, defined his legacy for Breen.

“Throughout my career, when people ask me, ‘What did you want to do? What were your goals?’ My answer often was just, ‘I want to be Ed Ingles’ because of what he accomplished both on the air and, more importantly, the impact he had off the air in the industry,” Breen said.

New York radio personality Ann Liguori was one of the many who felt the gift of Ingles’ personality and professionalism.

“Ed was a giant in radio and in academia, influencing and inspiring so many,” Liguori said. “He set the standard for all of us New York sports radio people, on and off the air. He had a giant heart to match. Ed was the epitome of class. He was a true gentleman.”

In an interview with WCBS last year, Ingles expounded on his career.

“I didn’t have a job, I had an adventure, and the reason for that was, when I got up at 2 o’clock in the morning, I was happy to go to work,” Ingles said. “I felt I was a storyteller, scores are OK, but I wanted to be a storyteller. I wanted to come every morning with one or two good stories you can hang your hat on. If I could do that, either with tape or written copy, I was a happy camper.”

Ingles had a profound effect on the students he taught at Hofstra and on its radio station, WRHU.

“As a Hofstra alum, I got to see the impact Ed had . . . in raising WRHU to the heights I don’t think anybody ever could have foreseen,” Ernay said. “The amount of successful professional broadcasters they send out into the world is beyond my comprehension. Ed knew what it took to be great. He knew how to guide someone from how good they were to be that much better . . . That is the legacy of Ed Ingles.”

Hofstra alum Shannon Guarascio is a manager of affiliate relations for the CBS network and someone greatly influenced by Ingles.

“Ed left an indelible mark on my life and many others and any students who came across him,” Guarascio said. “He was really an angel among us and we were lucky to have him as long as we did. He will always be the greatest mentor I ever had. He believed in the students more than they believed in themselves.”

Typically, Ingles found his own inspiration in teaching at Hofstra.

“From a personal standpoint, it’s a great way to keep young,” he said. “You don’t want to be in some gated community or nursing home with old people talking about their ailments. You want to hang out with young people who have energy and who are also very smart. The thing we don’t always realize is how much we learn from young people, and that’s what keeps me going.”

Ingles was born in the Bronx in 1932, was raised in Baldwin on Long Island, attended the University of Georgia and eventually settled in Freeport.

His survivors include his wife of 40 years, Margaret, and his daughter, Diana, who is an associate director for CBS Evening News. His son, Kevin, predeceased him in 2018.

There will not be a funeral, but a celebration of his life is being planned, his wife said.

Ingles was an avid golfer and once was president of the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association.

“He’s probably on his way to heaven,” Margaret said. “Kevin will be waiting at the pearly gates and he’ll say, ‘Hurry up, Dad. We can get nine in before supper.’  ”