Joe Namath Calls WFAN to Wish Jets Fan Host Joe Benigno Well in Retirement

Joe Benigno is retiring this week after 25 years on air at WFAN in New York. He is a remarkable story in sports media, and we might never see anything quite like it again. A die-hard Mets and Jets fan, Benigno was a regular caller to the station. He won the right to guest-host a show through a listener appreciation day promotion and wound up earning the overnight shift. Here's a Sports Illustrated story about how he went from Joe in Saddle River to a job at WFAN at the peak of the station's powers.

Later, Benigno did a number of years in midday with Evan Roberts before the pair moved to afternoon drive. On Monday, Jets legend Joe Namath called in to wish Benigno well in his retirement:






Namath was Benigno's favorite athlete ,and you could tell he really appreciated the surprise call.

Imagine what it would be like to get a call from your favorite athlete from when you were a kid, one who was iconic and won you one of your only championships as a fan. How special is that?



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Ryan Glasspiegel grew up in Connecticut, graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and lives in Chicago. Before OutKick, he wrote for Sports Illustrated and The Big Lead. He enjoys expensive bourbon and cheap beer.