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Published on Friday, 21 September 2012 16:09
WSCR-AM/670 The Score's midday host Dan McNeil, a longtime advocate of autism awareness and charities, will be honored tomorrow evening with an award for his outstanding efforts to support the autism community.
The
Turning Pointe Autism Foundation is a not for profit organization, whose mission is to provide care, guidance, education, recreation, social, and vocational opportunities for children and adults impacted with autism, as well as for their families. Tomorrow night will be the organization's annual fundraising gala, "
A Place in Time - Chicago 1920s." At this gala event, Dan McNeil will be receiving the Turning Pointe True North Humanitarian Award.
The gala begins at 6:00pm, while the awards presentation is scheduled to begin around 8:00pm. "A Place in Time - Chicago 1920s" is being held at the Grand Ballroom of the Marriot Naperville (1801 N. Naper Blvd., Naperville).
Dan McNeil began in local radio at WGN-AM in 1985, first as an intern, and then as a producer for "Sports Central" and the station's Chicago Bears programming. McNeil first came to be well-known locally in 1988 on WLUP-AM as "Dangerous Dan McNeil," the executive producer of Chet Coppock's nightly sports talk show -- a direct predecessor to The Score's format. There, "The Dangerous One" would contribute his thoughts nightly, be Chet Coppock's main fill-in host, contribute to other WLUP-AM shows, such as Steve Dahl & Garry Meier's show, and be part of the station's Chicago Bulls programming.
In January 1992, he became one of the initial hosts of WSCR-AM, the new sports talk station in town, teaming up with Terry Boers. McNeil stayed with the station until October 2000, when he then left to join sports talk rival WMVP-AM. At ESPN1000, he co-hosted the "Mac, Jurko & Harry Show" (aka "The Afternoon Saloon") until being taken off the air in January 2009. The station informed McNeil that they could no longer afford his salary, and even though he still had four months left on his contract, felt it was best to part ways at that point. Soon after riding out his contract from WMVP-AM, Danny Mac rejoined WSCR-AM, pairing up with Matt Spiegel (aka "Speigs," aka "Meatpants") for a new midday show.
Originally titled "The Danny Mac Show," it later gave both hosts a billing, calling it "The McNeil and Spiegel Show." Regardless of the name, the Score's current midday show has consistently delivered the ratings for its owners. In the station's target demographic of Men 25-54, McNeil's popularity has placed the station at or very near the top of those ratings each month and a key reason the station is consistently in the Top 5 in that demographic overall.
McNeil has also had a long sportswriting career locally. In the mid-80s, he began writing for The Times of Northwest Indiana. Since then, he has been a sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, and is now writing for the Chicago Tribune. Additionally, Danny Mac is a published author, co-writing a book with former Tribune/Crain's sportswriter Ed Sherman entitled "
The Great Book of Chicago Sports Lists," which was released in paperback in September 2009.
Dan McNeil lives in northwest Indiana, where he has his whole life, is happily married, and has three sons. One of his sons, 19 year-old Patrick, is autistic, which is where McNeil's passion for helping autism charities comes from.
