Myron Cope, the longtime Pittsburgh Steelers announcer, died Wednesday morning at age 79. Cope was best known for his screetchy voice, his clever anecdotes and his institution of the Terrible Towel at Steelers games.
Cope died at a nursing home in Mount Lebanon, PA, a suburb of Pittsburgh. Cope had been treated for respiratory problems and heart failure in recent months.
Cope's tenure from 1970-2004 as the color analyst on the Steelers' radio network is the longest in NFL history for a broadcaster with a single team and led to his induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2005.
Cope is best known for pioneering the Terrible Towel, the yellow cloth twirled by fans as a good luck charm at Steelers games since the mid-70s. The towel is arguably the best-known fan symbol of any major pro sports team, has raised millions of dollars for charity and is displayed at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Cope and a rookie quarterback named Terry Bradshaw made their Steelers debuts on Sept. 20, 1970.
"He doesn't play, he doesn't put on a pair of pads, but he's revered probably as much or more in Pittsburgh than Franco (Harris), all the guys," running back Jerome Bettis said. "Everybody probably remembers Myron more than the greatest players, and that's an incredible compliment."
For more sports news, please check out http://news.finditt.com/NewsList.aspx?cat=6&wcat=5
