I’m saddened by Myron’s (and that’s the only name you need when talking about him) death. He was the voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was one of a kind, funny, opinionated, the ultimate homer, and totally Pittsburgh. If anyone wanted to understand Pittsburgh Steelers football and the City of Pittsburgh you started by listening to him. He had a voice perfect for “silent radio” and despite it (or because of it) we loved him and even switched off the sound on our TV sets and turned up the radio. During big plays you could imagine him in the booth getting all worked up sputtering into his microphone just as happy or upset as any fan in the cheapest seats in the house or on his living room couch with a sandwich, some nachos, and a beer. Steelers broadcasts haven’t been the same since he retired and likely never will be again. And I hope that when the Steelers honor him, they don’t do it with a moment of silence in a half full stadium before a game. After all Myron was never silent. I hope they honor him with a packed house with every single fan standing and waving their terrible towel over their head and cheering them self hoarse so that Myron can hear us all the way up in heaven.

Among universally-beloved Pittsburgh icons, Myron was right up there with Mr. Rogers. Just a great, great guy, who left behind a wonderful body of work.

We'll miss you.

I'm curious to how many "legendary" radio guys still exist in football. We mostly get to hear our home market guys, and thanks to Janet Jackson, you can't even synch the radio with the TV broadcast (easily) anymore. Satellite radio lets you get a taste, but most people find a way to get to a TV in the fall. It's sad that the golden age of radio is passing. R.I.P. Myron.

I've been interested in football for a long time, but since I live in Germany, it's often impossible to watch the games live on TV (unless you're willing to spend a fortune). Rather, I started listening to live radio broadcasts of the games about five years ago. At first, I was unsure as to which games to listen to, so I just sorta sampled several games and listened to several broadcast crews. One day, I started listening to the Steelers crew (this was back when Myron was still doing live games). Anyway, Myron was funny, informative and very unique, and I enjoyed listening to him tremendously. I have been listening to Steelers Radio ever since. Thanks for the memories, Myron. RIP.

If you grew up in Pittsburgh, as I did, you have to feel like you lost a favorite uncle today.

Myron was a big local celebrity in those pre-ESPN, pre-Internet days when local sportscasters were much bigger stars than they are today. But he didn't come across like a star at all. He seemed more like the old guys who would show up at your parish fair and throw back four scotches and talk about the Steelers all night.

Myron of course invented the Terrible Towel, and what you have to understand about the Towel is that it wasn't created with the intent that it would generate a ton of money and inspire countless knockoffs. Originally the idea was for fans to just grab a dish towel out of their kitchen drawer and bring it to the game. That was part of what made it fun.

In his later years I suppose Myron was known chiefly as a legend, or worse, as a caricature. But he was a fantastic football writer in his time and a wonderful broadcaster. He was opinionated of course and he could be abrasive with that sandpaper voice, but he was also exceptionally knowledgeable and always gracious and courteous with callers.

I vivdly remember the one and only time I called in to Myron's show. I was ten years old and had just spent the day at Steeler training camp in Latrobe. Somehow I cornered Chuck Noll and asked him for an autograph and as he was signing I asked him for a prediction on that season's record. Noll smiled and said "Undefeated."

Undefeated! Now this was something that Myron had to hear! So I called the show and sat on hold for the better part of an hour. When I finally got through I reported that Coach Noll had just personally told me that the Steelers would go undefeated that season.

"Hmm-ha!" Myron said "Some breaking news from Steeler training camp as this young cub reporter informs us that the Emporor Chaz has predicted an undefeated season for the Steelers!" Man, what a thrill. You rarely if ever hear kids on sports talk radio today, but Myron's show was a conversation with the whole community and it was common for him to take calls from kids, old women, people who knew absolutely nothing about sports. It had a much friendlier feel than what you typically hear now.

It's sad to lose one of the dwindling number of links to the time when Pittsburgh really was the Steel City. In those days before the steel industry cratered Pittsburgh had a unique character, and Myron played a big role in defining it. It's still a nice town, of course, but every year it feels a little more like everyplace else. Myron was Pittsburgh when Pittsburgh was Pittsburgh. I miss that town and I'll miss Cope.

We always said that you could tell the real Pittsburghers from the visitors by checking to see if they winced during Mahrn's color commentary.

Well isn't that just a kick in the balls.

The games on radio weren't the same the last two years without him. Wish he could have been there during the Super Bowl.

Oh, no. No, no, no. I love Myron, he can't be dead.

Click my name, which links to a page with a ton of classic Myron Cope sound clips.

Re:#10

Does that list include his attempt to pronounce then Browns' cornerback Fakhir Brown's name?

And yes, it is everything you might imagine it to be.

Re: #7

So true. And any time I tried to explain his brilliance to such "outsiders" recently, I would often end up at the page linked to in post #10.

Upon hearing Cope's clips, these people would often look confused or say things like "this is terrible."

Man, they had no idea what they were missing. I guess if you don't grow up with that voice, it can be hard to accept. But as PG writer Gene Collier just wrote in Cope's obituary, the man was "a genuine oasis in a sea of ever homogenizing media-ocrity." I've linked to the full Post-Gazette obit.

Speaking of that great Cope sound page linked to in post 10, do yourself a favor and listen to the Cope's Cabana theme music. "Oh, did you like that game? Or did you just say, 'Feh!'" Still priceless.

We'll miss you, Myron.

Re 10: Thank you so much for posting those. Awesome!

This Steeler fan and one-time Burgh resident thanks Boo and Mikey for the beautiful eulogies. Well said.

RIP for a legendary broadcaster who was apparently quite beloved in his home city.

As to actually listening to him, count me in with the same group mentioned in #12-having him off the air almost certainly represents a quality improvement for all but those who grew up listening to Myron.

What a loss for Pittsburgh. I loved Myron.

Great posts from #2 and #6. Thanks.

My favorite Myron memory was a broadcast 7 years ago or so when Myron was ranting because somebody (the league I think) told him he probably shouldn't be referring to other teams in unfriendly terms like "the Bungles" or "the Redfaces" haha.

RIP Myron.

You're a Real Pittsburgher if:

- You didn't realize until you went away to college that Myron Cope had an unusual voice.

I'm not a Steelers fan (Broncos fan - lived in Denver most of my life) but I've hear d many clips from Myron Cope and found them all to be quite enjoyable. I would have paid money to be able to sit in the booth and listen to him and Bill Hillgrove call a game.

His screechy voice and catch phrases are what made him so great!

He's an icon along with Bill King, Van Miller, Merrill Reese and Gene Deckerhoff.

They don't make 'em like Myron anymore. A lot of today's radio guys seem way too corporate. Thankfully, his employer let him be himself.

I was gone from Pittsburgh by the time Myron went on air, but I listened to him here in Israel over the Internet for his last years. I think he was great, of course.

But I must correct one statement that has been thrown around. We turned down the sound on the TV and listened to Jack Fleming on WWSW before Myron joined the broadcast team. That pareticular Pittsburgh tradition is not Myron-related.

I am without words. I couldn't stand him on the radio half the time, and the rest of the time, I couldn't image a game without his voice.

Re: #16

From the Post-Gazette Web site:

"One time, Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder tried to influence him, sending a henchman into Mr. Cope's booth at Heinz Field to order him to stop calling them the Washington 'Redfaces,' a term he used because Washington had failed miserably that year to live up to its Super Bowl hype. Mr. Cope chased the guy out of his booth and continued to refer to the 'Redfaces.'"

I believe Cope's exact words were, "If that boy billionaire thinks he can shut me up, he should stick his head in a can of paint."

#21 - 3 cheers to Cope for giving a young owner his comeuppance.