Feb 27 2008
Myron Cope, we’ll miss ya…
I’m usually not one to get emotional when public figures pass on, but this particular man, Myron Cope, left an indelible mark on the city of Pittsburgh, on the world of sports, on the National Football League, and on the millions of people who came to know and love him.
He was an accessible, down-to-earth broadcaster with the heart of a fan. He was an intelligent, passionate, and insightful columnist, sportswriter, and analyst. He connected with the people of Pittsburgh because he was, and always will be, the voice of our Pittsburgh Steelers.
And what a voice it was. A former student of mine (from Ohio) described him as “Gilbert Gottfried with a stammering problem.” People who weren’t born and raised in the city of Pittsburgh simply could not understand why we, as fans, would sit and listen to him on the radio instead of listening to the color analysts on NBC, ABC, CBS, or Fox. The truth is, the network analysts weren’t colorful enough.
Myron was black and yellow, red-faced with passion, blue-collar in mentality. He was forged in the same molten orange of the steel mills of our fathers, and always had an off-color comment at the ready to counter the dry wit of Bill Hillgrove (or so many of his other broadcast partners). The only color he wasn’t was Cleveland brown.
But above all, Myron Cope had a heart (and a towel) of gold, and he will be missed.
