(670 The Score) As the first program director ever for The Score back in 1992, Ron Gleason was responsible for creating some of the station’s iconic shows.
Gleason paired Terry Boers and Dan McNeil together as well as Mike North and Dan Jiggetts. And one of the most memorable tandems was Doug Buffone and Ed O’Bradovich, two former Bears players who first joined The Score in 1992 and formed a dynamic pairing until Buffone’s passing in April 2015.
Buffone and O’Bradovich spoke – and often yelled – about the Bears with the enthusiasm and passion of former players while so easily relating to their Chicago audience. Gleason recalled the perfect pairing as he joined the Parkins & Spiegel Show on Thursday in a Score Stories segment as the station continues to celebration its 30th anniversary year.
“The first year, we were doing some different things,” Gleason said. “And Doug Buffone was a part-timer, so he would sometimes be on and do Bears pre or post, but it might be with Dan McNeil or Mike North or something like that.
“Ed O’Bradovich used to be on as a guest periodically and somebody came to me and said, ‘You know, what would you think about this pairing?’ And I’m like, it’s worth a shot, let’s see what they sound like together.
“It was magic. I mean, they were unreal. And talk about something completely different.”
Buffone played 14 seasons for the Bears from 1966-’79, appearing in 186 games as a linebacker. He died at the age of 70. O’Bradovich played 10 seasons for the Bears from 1962-’71. He was a defensive end who recorded 51.5 sacks over 124 career games.