Chuck & Gene, On the FAN

By Mike Jerome

Chances are that most participants in the Cox Classic wouldn’t know Chuck Russo and Gene Innocenti if the pair was standing right next to them. But their obscurity is relative: Just ask any of the personalities of WFAN or any of the other high-profile celebrities who attend the Cox Classic.

“I used to call them the ‘AT&T Boys,’” notes Mike Francesa, co-host of WFAN’s Mike and the Mad Dog program. “They are among the first volunteers to greet us and they are the ones who take care of us throughout the day.”

That’s because this duo is responsible for looking after the needs of VIPs and high fliers, many of whom would be lost without them. “It’s a combination of ambassador, chauffeur, gopher, and just being a familiar face in the sea of people,” says Innocenti of his duties at the Cox Classic. “It’s a role I am proud to play.”

FAN Patrol: Gene Innocenti and Chuck Russo, the Cox Classic’s “go-to” team when it comes to managing the event’s VIP and celebrity guests.

As for Mr. Russo, a former AT&T marketer who now manages his own entertainment company, his Cox Classic event role is a hand-in-glove fit given his friendship with WFAN’s vice president for sport programming, Mark Chernoff. “Radio’s always been my first love,” notes Russo. “I met Mark way back when at WDHA-FM in New Jersey and we’ve kept in contact over the years.” Says Mr. Chernoff, “Chuck is a great asset to the Classic. He understands our business and the personalities behind it.”

The pair has been involved in the event for nine years. “I heard Mike Marion on the WFAN Radiothon back in 1997 and sent him an email the next day asking how I could help,” says Innocenti, who still holds a management position at AT&T. “Mike responded immediately. In fact, he asked Chuck and me to join him on air at the Radiothon the following year.”

Naturally, given their roles, you would be hard pressed to find a better source of anecdotes from the Cox Classic’s storied past. A few years back, prior to a live remote of the Imus in the Morning program from the event, Russo and Innocenti escorted Mr. Imus from the parking lot to the Fiddler’s Elbow ballroom. “It was five am, and about 20 feet in front of us a skunk was waddling slowly toward the open ballroom door,” recalls Russo. The I’Man pulls out his pistol and says, ‘You want me to shoot the bastard?’ It was classic!”

Fortunately, distracted by Innocenti, the skunk turned and headed back into the early morn-in darkness, possibly sparing Mr. Imus a nasty letter from PETA and the Russo-Innocenti team from a very nasty clean-up job.