Myron Cope facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Myron Cope
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Cope during his final radio show in 1995.
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| Born |
Myron Sidney Kopelman
January 23, 1929 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Died | February 27, 2008 (aged 79) |
| Sports commentary career | |
| Team(s) | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Sports | American football |
Myron Cope (born Myron Sidney Kopelman on January 23, 1929, died February 27, 2008) was a famous American sports journalist and radio announcer. He was best known as "the voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers" football team.
Cope worked as a color commentator for the Steelers' radio broadcasts for 35 years. He was famous for his unique, high-pitched voice and a strong Pittsburgh accent. He also had a very exciting way of speaking. Cope's most famous saying was "yoi" /ˈjɔɪ/. He was the first football announcer to be put into the National Radio Hall of Fame. His book, Double Yoi!, came out in 2002.
Myron Cope's Early Life and Career
Myron Cope was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His family was Jewish and came from Lithuania. He finished high school at Taylor Allderdice High School in 1947. Later, he was added to their alumni hall of fame in 2009. He also went to the University of Pittsburgh.
Cope started his career as a journalist before becoming a broadcaster. His first job was at the Daily Times in Erie, Pennsylvania. By 1951, he was working for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Writing for Top Magazines
Cope then became a freelance journalist, meaning he wrote for different places. He wrote for famous magazines like Sports Illustrated and the Saturday Evening Post. In 1963, he won an award for "Best Magazine Sportswriting in the Nation." This was for a story he wrote about Cassius Clay, a famous boxer.
In 1987, the Hearst Corporation named him a noted literary achiever. This put him in a group with other famous writers like Mark Twain. Sports Illustrated also picked one of his articles as one of the 50 best ever. This article was about another famous sports announcer, Howard Cosell.
Myron Cope's Family Life
Myron Cope married Mildred Lindberg in 1965. They lived in Mt. Lebanon. Later, in 1972, they moved to Upper St. Clair. Mildred passed away in 1994. Myron moved back to Mt. Lebanon in 1999. He stayed there until his final days.
Cope had three children: Elizabeth, Martha Ann, and Daniel. Sadly, Martha Ann died soon after she was born. His son, Daniel, was born with severe autism. Daniel has lived most of his life at the Allegheny Valley School. This school helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Myron Cope spent a lot of his time helping causes related to autism in Pittsburgh. He often spoke openly about being a parent of a child with autism. He worked hard to help people understand autism better.
Broadcasting for the Pittsburgh Steelers
In 1968, Myron Cope started doing daily sports talks on WTAE-AM radio in Pittsburgh. The Steelers team noticed his unique voice and Pittsburgh accent. He joined the Steelers' radio team in the 1970 season.
Cope broadcasted for the Steelers for 35 years. This is the second-longest time anyone has worked for one team in NFL history. During this time, he only had two play-by-play announcers working with him. They were Jack Fleming until 1994, and then Bill Hillgrove.
Cope was known for his funny personality. On WTAE-TV, he would call himself "Doctor Cope." He would wear a white lab coat and pretend to study the opposing team. He called his prediction method the "Cope-ra-scope."
In his last seven years, Cope worked with former Steelers player Tunch Ilkin. He helped Ilkin learn about broadcasting. Ilkin later joked that Cope mostly rode with him because he let Cope smoke cigarettes in the car. Ilkin later took over some of Cope's broadcasting duties after Cope retired.
Myron Cope's Famous Sayings and Nicknames
Like other sports announcers in Pittsburgh, Myron Cope had many unique sayings. These included "Mmm-Hah!" and "Okel Dokel." He also used Yiddish words like "Feh!" and "Yoi!" (sometimes "Double Yoi" or "Triple Yoi").
Cope also gave nicknames to many players and teams. He helped make "The Bus" a popular nickname for Steelers running back Jerome Bettis. He called Jack Lambert "Jack Splat." He also gave Kordell Stewart the nickname "Slash."
Cope also had nicknames for opposing teams. He called the Cincinnati Bengals the "Cincinnati Bungles." He called the Cleveland team the "Brownies." He also had names like "Birdies" for Baltimore and "Cryboys" for Dallas.
The Terrible Towel
Myron Cope played a big part in creating the Terrible Towel. Before a 1975 playoff game against the Baltimore Colts, he wanted to get the fans excited. He told fans to bring yellow dish towels to the game and wave them. At first, he wanted to sell rubber Jack Lambert masks. But those were too expensive, so he chose the cheap Terrible Towel instead.
The Terrible Towel became very popular. It is now "arguably the best-known fan symbol of any major pro sports team." A famous saying about it is: "The Terrible Towel is poised to strike, and so are The Steelers."
In 1996, Cope gave the rights to The Terrible Towel to the Allegheny Valley School. This school is in Coraopolis. It cares for over 900 people with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities. This includes Cope's son, Daniel, who has severe autism. Money from the Terrible Towel has raised over $3 million for the school.
Retirement and Passing
Myron Cope announced he was retiring from broadcasting on June 20, 2005. He said it was because of health concerns. Eight days later, he received the Pete Rozelle Award. This award is for "long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football." After he retired, the Steelers did not replace him. They decided to have a smaller two-person broadcast team instead.
On October 31, 2005, Cope was honored at halftime of a Steelers game. The Steelers also made a special Terrible Towel to celebrate him. It had his famous sayings printed on it. Only 35,000 of these towels were made, one for each of his 35 years with the Steelers. Later that season, the Steelers made it to Super Bowl XL. Many fans wanted Cope to come out of retirement to call "The one for the thumb" (meaning their fifth Super Bowl win). Cope said no, partly for health reasons and partly to enjoy his retirement.
Myron Cope was a longtime smoker. He passed away from respiratory failure on February 27, 2008. He was in a nursing home in Mt. Lebanon. After his death, many ceremonies were held to honor him. Hundreds of people gathered in front of the Pittsburgh City Hall. They honored Cope with one minute of silent Terrible Towel waving. His funeral was private.
Awards and Honors
Myron Cope received many awards and honors, including:
- 1963 – E.P. Dutton Prize for "Best Magazine Sportswriting in the Nation"
- 1987 – Named a noted literary achiever by Hearst Corporation
- 2004 – His article about Howard Cosell was chosen as one of 5 all-time classic articles by Sports Illustrated
- 2005 – Became the first pro football announcer elected to the Radio Hall of Fame
- 2005 – Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award for his contributions to pro football broadcasting
- 2015 – Inducted into the Pittsburgh Pro Football Hall of Fame
- He was a "special contributor" at Sports Illustrated.
- He helped start the Myron Cope/Foge Fazio Golf Tournament for Autistic Children.
- He was the only broadcaster on the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Board of Selectors for 10 years.
- The asteroid 7835 Myroncope was named after him in 2008.
See also
- Steeler Nation
- Pittsburgh Steelerettes
- Steely McBeam
