Tom Brookshier, broadcaster and Eagles great, dies

"Al [Morganti] and I were at The Inquirer, and WIP had just gone over to sports," Cataldi said. "They didn't have 24-hour programming, and Al thought we could sell ourselves as radio guys. I let Al do all the talking because I thought we were in over our heads."

That was a Friday. Monday morning, Cataldi said, he went on the air for a one-hour show.

"It was a disaster - the worst hour in the history of radio," Cataldi said. "When we walked out of the studio, Brookie was laughing. He said, 'Don't worry, you guys will get better.' He said he thought it was pretty funny."

Twenty years later, Cataldi and Morganti are still filling the morning time slot at WIP. Cataldi spent two years co-hosting the show with Brookshier.

"I remember when I first started working with him, I walked in at 4 a.m. to prepare for the show, and he was already there," Cataldi said. "I'm thinking to myself, 'What is he doing here? This is a guy whose number was retired by the Eagles who worked at CBS for 25 years, mostly as a number-one analyst, and he's prepping at 4 a.m. I don't think anybody realized how hard he worked."

Barbara Brookshier said her husband was most proud of the impact he had on the radio station.

"That was at a time in his life when he really wanted a new project," she said. "He started that show with Angelo, and he really enjoyed it."

In addition to his wife, Barbara, Mr. Brookshier is survived by daughters Betsy and Linda; a son, Thomas Jr.; and a granddaughter.

Friends may call from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday at the Ardmore Presbyterian Church, 5 West Montgomery Ave. (near intersection of Millcreek Road) in Ardmore. A memorial service will begin at 11 a.m., followed by a private burial.

Donations may be made to Devereux Foundation, Devereux Pennsylvania Development Office, 30 South Valley Rd., Suite 206, Paoli, Pa. 19301; or Eagles Fly for Leukemia, 5100 State Rd., Suite W310, Drexel Hill, Pa., 19026; or Food for the Poor, www.foodforthepoor.org.

INSIDE

Bill Lyon recalls his friend and the laughter

he left in his wake. Sports,E1.

Inquirer staff writers Frank Fitzpatrick and Sally Downey contributed to this article.

Contact staff writer Bob Brookover at 215-854-2577 or bbrookover@phillynews.com.