Boston sports radio veteran and WEEI afternoon show host Glenn Ordway has announced his retirement after 34 years with the station. While Ordway will step away from his day-to-day role as co-host of “Ordway, Merloni and Fauria,” he will remain on the station in various ways -- including as host of “The Real Postgame Show” following every Patriots game in the fall. Ordway will also continue to have guest appearances on WEEI and will develop a podcast.
“To be able to do something I’ve loved doing daily for nearly five decades has been a blessing, but to do it in the best sports city during the best championship run in the history of sports…what more can you ask for,” said Ordway. “I’ve had the opportunity over the years to do it with some of the best talent in the business on a legendary radio station. Though I’m walking away from the daily hosting role, I’m excited about new opportunities and my continued presence at WEEI and maybe a little free time every once in a while.”
“Glenn has been an ever-present force at WEEI, both on air and off air, for over three decades,” said Mark Hannon, Regional President, Audacy. “He was the station’s first program director and oversaw some of the most dominant years in Boston radio. He has been an enduring on-air presence and has been side-by-side talking to Boston sports fans through the best and worst times. Glenn will go down as one of the most influential players in sports radio format history, and thankfully his presence will continue on the station into the future.”
“Ordway has had a storied career with WEEI and is a pillar of this iconic local institution,” said Tim Clarke, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Audacy Boston. “While we will miss his breadth of knowledge surrounding the New England sports landscape in our afternoon show, we look forward to celebrating the next chapter of his career with him. We’d like to thank Glenn for over three decades of commitment to the success of WEEI and congratulate him on his retirement.”
Ordway is a staple of the Boston sports community, having been on the air in a variety of capacities for almost 50 years, including 34 years at WEEI. His tenure as host of “The Big Show,” which launched in Sept. 1995, was one of the most successful tenures any talent has ever had since the sports format began in 1987. He began his broadcasting career in radio at a small station in Beverly, WMLO. He then went to WMEX/WITS in Boston in 1975, where he hosted the Red Sox Radio pregame and postgame show and subsequently became Sports Director, as well as working as the color analyst on Boston Bruins radio broadcasts during the 1978-79 and 1979-80 seasons. In 1981, Ordway gained prominence at WRKO in Boston where he manned a popular, award-winning call-in show, “Sportscall.” Ordway is also known for his 14 years as commentator for the Boston Celtics, where he worked alongside legendary Boston Celtics play-by-play man Johnny Most for several years. During this period, he appeared as himself in an episode of the long-running Boston-based sitcom "Cheers."
Ordway succeeded Most as play-by-play voice of the Celtics in 1991 and held the lead position on the broadcasts through the 1994-95 season. In 1986, the Celtics moved their radio programming to WEEI, where Ordway became executive sports director, and later program manager. In 1995, he left the Celtics to become program director of the new SportsRadio 850 WEEI and the stations ratings began to soar. He also began “The Big Show.” Ordway’s show was ranked No. 1 in its target demographic of men 25-54 for 11 years from 1997 to 2008 and his staple feature, “The Whiner Line,” was the most listened to 15 minutes on Boston radio over that period of time. He helped develop “THE WHINEYS,” an annual awards event honoring the best Whiner Line callers of the year. The event became so popular it was moved into the Wang Center and then the TD Garden. Ordway was nominated for three Marconi Awards for best Major Market Personality and contributed to WEEI winning four.
Ordway has also hosted a program on Comcast Sports Net during New England Patriots season called “New England Tailgate,” discussing the team with former players Fred Smerlas and Steve DeOssie. He has also appeared on the HBO sports documentaries "The Curse of the Bambino" and "The Reverse of the Curse of the Bambino." He has narrated and/or written numerous documentaries including “Not to be Denied,” “Remember Reggie,” and "’86 CELTICS."