In 50 years in sports broadcasting, George Ofman has learned to adapt. After being laid off by WBBM-AM in 2020 following 33 years in Chicago radio, Ofman created a podcast on which he interviews sports personalities with connections to the city.
Next week, that show will be released in book form.
“I was a sportscaster. I became a podcaster and a book-caster,” he said.
Ofman’s “Tell Me a Story I Don’t Know,” published by Triumph Books in Chicago, personalizes his podcast of the same name. Of the nearly 100 people he has interviewed, Ofman selected 50 to expound upon in vignettes about his relationship with each.
“The whole idea of the podcast is to bring these people to life,” said Ofman, who’s concluding the ninth and final season of the show. “Same with the book, where you’re going to read something about a person that you wouldn’t normally read. Like [Big Ten Network host] Dave Revsine’s incredible story about the golf outing when he was on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard.
“He told his wife, I’m just going to look for a golf game, and he found a foursome. He’s running late, he gets to the foursome and they introduce each other, and the last guy is O.J. Simpson.”
Another story comes from Northwestern basketball and football radio voice Dave Eanet, who as a child attended the funeral of President John F. Kennedy.
ESPN’s Mike Greenberg wrote the foreword. His first job after college was at all-news WMAQ-AM with Ofman, and they were The Score’s last hires before the station went on the air in 1992.
“I asked him, ‘Would you do this?’ ” Ofman said. “[He said] ‘Love to.’ Two hours later, it was in.”
Ofman worked at defunct Chicago outlets such as Sports Phone and WFYR-FM, where the legendary Red Motlow hired him. He also was a successful freelancer for 13 years. He has had enough experiences to interview himself for his podcast.
“You have no idea what life will throw at you,” Ofman said. “My whole career has been that way.”
Remote patrol
ESPN’s next “E60” tells the story of the late Mayra Ramirez, a running enthusiast from Chicago. In June 2020, she was the first person in the United States to receive a double lung transplant because of COVID. The episode focuses on her pact with Univision’s Jorge Ramos, an idol of hers, to run together on the lakefront when she recovered. It will air at 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
Marquee Sports Network will air the Chicago Public League football semifinal between Simeon and Young at 4 p.m. Saturday from Lane Stadium. Iowa Cubs broadcaster Alex Cohen and Marquee Bears analyst Henry Burris will call the game.
NFL games that will air Sunday in the Chicago market: Packers at Steelers, noon, CBS 2 (Ian Eagle, Charles Davis); Saints at Vikings, noon, Fox 32 (Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth); Giants at Cowboys, 3:25 p.m., Fox 32 (Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen).
