Myron Cope
Born in Pittsburgh in 1929, Cope graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School and the University of Pittsburgh. He began his career as a journalist, writing for the Erie Times. In 1951, he became a general assignment writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Eventually, Cope began covering sports, traveling with local teams, tapping out stories on this lightweight Hermes typewriter. His work gained him recognition, and Cope began to branch out, most notably as a special contributor to Sports Illustrated and a freelance writer for The Saturday Evening Post. He wrote about local boys who made it big, such as Tony Dorsett, but also covered the national scene, penning articles on everything from golf to Howard Cosell.
In 1968, Cope took to the airwaves, doing a five minute sports show during morning drive time. When the Steelers moved their broadcasts from KDKA to WTAE in 1970, they pegged Cope as their voice. As the play-by-play radio announcer for the Steelers from 1970 to 2005 on stations WBGG and WDVE, Cope became well known for several unique catch phrases such as Hum-Hah!, Okel Dokel, and Yoi! He created a sound all his own, marked by witty give and take with his on-air partner of 24 years Jack Fleming and later booth mates Tunch Ilkin and Bill Hillgrove, as well as the use of unique catchphrases and a straightforward tell it like it is honesty. In 1975, charged by station management to find a gimmick to galvanize fans and listeners and drive advertising sponsorship for his coverage of the Steelers on WTAE Radio, Cope called on fans to bring a gold, yellow, or black towel to the stadium to wave in support of the Steelers. They responded by the thousands during the December playoffs. Blending color and motion, and seemingly imbued with special powers, the Terrible Towel has become a part of the fan experience at Steelers games.
In June of 2005, Cope announced that his broadcast days were over. He was then inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame and was honored by the Steelers at a game on October 31, 2005.
