Mike Detillier obit

Longtime WWL radio sports personality Mike Detillier dies

 

He was not on the list.

Mike Detillier, a veteran sports media personality and the co-host of SportsTalk on WWL-AM 870 radio, died Sunday, station officials announced Sunday. He was 65.

Detillier was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had been off the air in recent days.

“It’s so sad,” said Bobby Hebert, who worked with Detillier at WWL for the past several years. “Mike was a good friend and was like a brother to me. It’s heartbreaking. This really hurts.”

A native of Lafourche Parish, Detillier rose to local prominence as the editor and publisher of Mike Detillier's NFL Draft Report, which he launched in 1985. He made regular appearances on Sports Talk during Buddy Diliberto’s tenure as host, then joined the station as a college and pro football analyst.

In July 2021, he transitioned from longstanding guest analyst and fixture on Monday’s Second Guess Show to full-time co-host.

“The New Orleans Saints organization is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of WWL Radio host Mike Detillier,” the New Orleans Saints said in a statement. “A proud son of Louisiana, Mike was widely respected as a gifted football analyst, a trusted guide through the NFL Draft, and an exceptional family man. Beyond his incredible contributions to the game, he was above all a true gentleman and a dedicated family man. Saints gamedays at the Caesars Superdome, training camp practices, and press conferences simply will not be the same without his presence. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his immediate family and to the community of devoted listeners who considered him a friend over the airwaves.”

A veteran sports journalist who worked in various capacities at newspaper, radio and TV outlets throughout south Louisiana, Detillier was a former fullback and linebacker at Central Lafourche High School.

He also spent 29 years in the engineering world, studying aquatic engineering at Louisiana Tech and Sacramento State, and eventually worked as an engineer for the state of Louisiana.

Detillier began publishing what grew into the M&D NFL Draft Report in 1983, producing it every year for more than four decades and building a following far beyond Louisiana, according to TigerRag.com. He also wrote for USA Today Louisiana and was a regular guest on Tiger Rag Radio, extending his reach into LSU coverage beyond his home station. His depth and his fact-loaded, unglamorous approach to scouting earned him an unusual national distinction: in 2006, Sports Illustrated named him the Best Unknown Sports Voice in America, according to Fox 8.

Beyond the booth, Detillier was a fixture at the Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux, missing only two sessions across parts of three decades, according to WWL Radio. Mike Hoss, the current Voice of the Saints, ranked him alongside the station's other legendary analysts, Buddy D, Hokie Gajan, Jim Henderson, Hap Glaudi, Stan Brock and Hebert himself: "The name Mike Detillier is right up there."