Dan celebrated his 20th anniversary in Chicago radio in August of 2005. An afternoon mainstay in Chicago sports radio for 15 years, McNeil's candor, quick wit and unpredictable approach are his trademarks. Under Dan's stewardship, ESPN 1000's afternoon drive program consistently has been among the highest-rated programs among adult men for several years.
McNeil, 45, was an original cast member of "The Score," for which he served as an afternoon host until his resignation in October of 2000. During Danny Mac's nine-year run, he developed a reputation as a well connected, college and pro football addict whose feel for radio production separated him from the pack.
"I'm lucky not because I've got a job every guy would want, but because I recognized I wanted it around seven or eight," McNeil says. "I was a decent amateur athlete, but I knew I wanted to be Oscar Madison when I grew up. I was writing for my high school newspaper one month into my freshman year and I was the nerd doing play-by-play into a Ross portable cassette recorder while watching Blackhawks games on the tube. I got a jump on everybody years before sports radio was born."
Following his college years at Ball State, McNeil interned at WGN Radio in the summer and fall of '85 as a producer for "Sports Central" and for Chicago Bears pre-game, halftime and post-game shows. Mac then took a position as a staff writer/columnist for his hometown daily paper, The Times of Northwest Indiana.
In January of '88, McNeil got his first big shot in Chicago when he was hired as executive producer of Chet Coppock's weeknight sports yakker and Chicago Bulls broadcasts on WLUP AM 1000. "Dangerous Dan" quickly developed his own following as a sidekick and fill-in host, as well as a contributor to the station's popular Dahl and Meier show.
Dan has three sons and resides with his wife, Sheri, an insurance defense attorney, in Northwest Indiana. His fundraising endeavors include autism research and treatment, neuroblastoma research and the Highland High School athletic department.
