Myron Cope | |
|---|---|
 Cope during his final radio show in 1995 | |
| Born | Myron Sidney Kopelman[1] January 23, 1929 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | February 27, 2008(2008-02-27) (aged 79) |
| Known for | |
| Sports commentary career | |
| Team | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Sport | American football |
Myron Sidney Kopelman (January 23, 1929 – February 27, 2008), known professionally asMyron Cope, was an American sports journalist, radio personality, and sportscaster. He is best known for being "the voice of thePittsburgh Steelers".
Cope was acolor commentator for the Steelers' radio broadcasts for 35 years. He was known for his distinctive, higher-pitched nasally voice with an identifiablePittsburgh accent, idiosyncratic speech pattern, and a level of excitement rarely exhibited in the broadcast booth. Cope's most notable catch phrase was"yoi"[2]/ˈjɔɪ/. He helped popularize theTerrible Towel, arally towel associated with the Steelers. In 1996, Cope gave the rights to the towel toAllegheny Valley School, which has received more than $6 million in proceeds from towel sales.
Cope was the first football announcer inducted into theNational Radio Hall of Fame.[3] Cope'sautobiography,Double Yoi!, was published in2002.[4]
Born inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, toJewish parents of Lithuanian ancestry, Cope graduated fromTaylor Allderdice High School in 1947 and was inducted into theiralumni hall of fame in 2009.[5][6] He also graduated from theUniversity of Pittsburgh.[7]
Cope was originally a journalist before becoming a broadcaster. His first job as a journalist was inErie, Pennsylvania, with theDaily Times,[8] and by the summer of 1951, he was working for thePittsburgh Post-Gazette.[9] Cope then became a freelance journalist, most notably forSports Illustrated,[1] theSaturday Evening Post,[8] and thePittsburgh Post-Gazette.[3] In 1963, Cope received the E.P. Dutton Prize for "Best Magazine Sportswriting in the Nation", for a portrayal ofCassius Clay.[10] Cope spent the 1983 college football season as a color analyst for thePittsburgh Panthers.[7] In 1987, he was named by theHearst Corporation as a noted literary achiever, along withMark Twain,Jack London,Frederic Remington,Walter Winchell, andSidney Sheldon.[10] At its 50th anniversary,Sports Illustrated selected Cope's profile ofHoward Cosell as one of the 50 best written works ever published in the magazine.[3]
In 1968, Cope began doing daily sports commentaries on what was thenWTAE-AM radio in Pittsburgh.[11] His unique nasal voice, with a distinctive Pittsburgh area accent, was noticed by the Steelers' brass, and he made his debut as a member of the Steelers' radio team in1970.[12]
During Cope's 35-year broadcasting career with the Steelers—the second longest term with a single team in NFL history, he was accompanied by only twoplay-by-play announcers:Jack Fleming, with whom he broadcast until 1994, andBill Hillgrove.[8][13]
In keeping with his comic personality, a series of television commentaries onWTAE-TV saw Cope calling himself "Doctor Cope" and wearing a whitelab coat while pretending to examine the opposing team's strengths and weaknesses. His predictor was known as the"Cope-ra-scope."[14]
In his last seven years, Cope would work alongside former Steelers offensive tackleTunch Ilkin in the booth and help groom him for his own broadcasting career. Ilkin, upon his own retirement in 2021 due to complications fromALS (which he would later die from on September 4, 2021), later joked that while he learned a lot from riding in the car with Cope for away games, Cope primarily rode with him because he allowed Cope to smokecigarettes in the car.[15] Ilkin would eventually serve as ade facto replacement for Cope following Cope's retirement.
Like other sports announcers in Pittsburgh, particularlyPenguins commentatorMike Lange and the latePirates announcerBob Prince, Cope had a repertoire of uniquecatchphrases employed in his broadcasts, such as "Mmm-Hah!" (when he loses his train of thought, or forgets a player's name) and "Okel Dokel" (his version of "okey dokey").[8] Cope often usedYiddish expressions, especially "Feh!" and "Yoi!" (sometimes multiplied as "Double Yoi" or rarely "Triple Yoi").
Cope also creatednicknames for many players and opposing teams. It was Cope who popularized"The Bus" as a nickname for former Steelersrunning backJerome Bettis, "Jack Splat" forJack Lambert, and he gaveKordell Stewart the nickname"Slash."[16]
Cope also used the term "Cincinnati Bungles" to describe theirdivision rivals, known during the 1990s for a string of bad seasons and numerous draft busts.[17][18][19] Myron also used terms such as "Brownies", "Birdies", "Yonkos", "Cryboys", and "Redfaces" for the football teams fromCleveland,Baltimore,Denver,Dallas,Washington, D.C., in respective order.[20][21][22][23]
Cope was noted for accusing future Hall of FamerRoberto Clemente of being "baseball's champion hypochondriac".[24]
I said, what we need is something that everybody already has, so it doesn't cost a dime. So I says, 'We'll urge people to bring out to the game gold or black towels,' then I'll tell people if you don't have a yellow, black or gold towel, buy one. And if you don't want to buy one, dye one. We'll call this the Terrible Towel.
Cope played a large role in the invention of the Terrible Towel.[26] Needing a way to excite the fans during a1975 playoff game against theBaltimore Colts, Cope urged fans to take yellow dish towels to the game and wave them throughout.[25] Originally, Cope wanted to sellrubberJack Lambert masks, but realizing the high costs for the masks, opted for the inexpensive option for the Terrible Towel. The Terrible Towel has gained much popularity since its invention and "is arguably the best-known fan symbol of any major pro sports team".[26] The catchphrase is: "The Terrible Towel is poised to strike, and so are The Steelers."
In 1996, Cope gave the rights to The Terrible Towel to theAllegheny Valley School inCoraopolis, Pennsylvania.[27] The school provides care for more than 900 people[28] withintellectual disabilities andphysical disabilities, including Cope's son who has severeautism.[2] Proceeds from the Terrible Towel have helped raise $6 million for the school.[29]
Cope married Mildred Lindberg ofCharleston in 1965, and the couple moved toMt. Lebanon.[30]In 1972, the Copes moved to nearbyUpper St. Clair.[31] Mildred died on September 20, 1994.[9] In 1999, Cope moved back to Mt. Lebanon, to a condo in the Woodridge neighborhood.[31] He remained there until his final days, when he entered a Mt. Lebanon nursing home.[8]
Cope had three children, Elizabeth, Martha Ann, and Daniel.[9] Martha Ann died shortly after her birth.[13] His son, Daniel, was born with severeautism; he has lived most of his life at theAllegheny Valley School, an institution specializing in intellectual developmental disabilities.[27] Cope devoted much of his time and energy to Pittsburgh causes addressing autism, and spoke candidly about his experiences as the parent of a child with autism and his efforts to better educate the public at large about autism.[27]
Cope announced his retirement from broadcasting on June 20, 2005, citing health concerns.[32] Eight days later, it was announced that Cope was the recipient of thePete Rozelle Award for "long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football."[33] Upon his retirement, the Steelers did not replace Cope, opting instead to downsize to a two-man broadcast team.[13]
On October 31, 2005, Cope was honored for his lifetime accomplishments at halftime of the contest between the Steelers and the Ravens.[34] In addition, the Steelers produced a special commemorative edition Terrible Towel with his familiar expressions printed on it. As seen on the towel, production was limited to 35,000 towels, representing 35 years of service to the Steelers. Later that season when the team advanced toSuper Bowl XL, many Steelers fans wanted Cope to come out of retirement just to call "The one for the thumb." Cope declined partially for health reasons and partially to enjoy retirement.[citation needed]
A longtime heavysmoker, Cope died of respiratory failure at aMt. Lebanon nursing home on the morning of February 27, 2008.[13][35] In the days following his death, many ceremonies were held in his honor, including the local sporting events of thePittsburgh Panthers college basketball team.[36] Two days after his death, hundreds of people gathered in heavy snow in front of thePittsburgh City Hall to honor Cope; included in the ceremony was one minute of silent Terrible Towel waving.[37] His funeral, which was held on February 29, 2008, was private.[38] Due to Cope's large impact on the Pittsburgh area,Bob Smizik, a local sportswriter wrote,
Had the secret of the service and its site not been kept, ... tens of thousands would have descended on the Slater funeral home in Green Tree. Such was the affection for Cope, ... that the parkway in both directions would have been clogged. Greentree and Cochran roads, the two main arteries leading to the funeral home, would have been parking lots.[38]
Cope received many awards and honors, including:
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
