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QUOTES PAGE: Steelers, Friends, Gov't. Officials Remember Myron Cope
POSTED: 2:13 pm EST February 27,
2008
UPDATED: 5:01 pm EST February 27,
2008
PITTSBURGH -- Here is a sampling of what current and former Steelers and government officials are saying about Pittsburgh's Myron Cope, who died Wednesday at age 79:
"His memorable voice and unique broadcasting style became synonymous with Steelers football. They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery and no Pittsburgh broadcaster was impersonated more than Myron. Myron brought Steelers football closer to the fans than any other one person."
-- Art Rooney, Steelers President
"His creation of The Terrible Towel has developed into a worldwide symbol that is synonymous with Steelers football."-- Dan Rooney, Steelers chairman
"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. Everybody probably remembers Myron more than the greatest players, and that's an incredible compliment."-- Jerome Bettis, Former Steelers Running Back
"My dad would listen to his talk show and I would think, 'Why would you listen to that?' Then I found myself listening to that. I (did) my show with him and he (made) me feel young."-- Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher
"My first thought was, what's a Myron? What's a Cope? He's got all this stuff going on and I'm thinking, gadzooks, what is this?""It was fantastic because you see him cutting loose on the air, then you saw him very professorial, like taking notes. He's very meticulous in his preparation and then boom, the switch goes on, and he's all over the place in the booth. He will be loved by all Steelers fans, because he was a guy who brought the excitement of the field home to the listener, and I think it was a beautiful book, and we just saw the last chapter."Craig Wolfley, Former Steeler
"Myron would want us to be laughing, because he had a wonderful sense of humor.""Myron was content. He was released from the hospital. He had spent a few weeks in the hospital fighting the good fight, and he was released to go back to his home, and he was happy. He was alert, and he was feeling good and then he passed away. One of the fans wrote in that he was up in heaven with Mr. Rooney, and Ray Mansfield handed out the cigars, and they're up there telling stories, and I like to think of it that way."Andy Russell, Former Steeler
"I thought of Myron and how he would want us to handle it. He would want us to celebrate, and that is what you have to do. He found humor in places you and I would never look. That was his secret. He took a boring game and made it interesting, because he would tell stories. The greatest storyteller that I have ever been around. He was Pittsburgh."-- Bill Hillgrove, Steelers Broadcaster
"It is a very sad day, but Myron lived every day to make people happy, to use his great sense of humor to dissect the various issues of the sporting world."I could remember driving to work listening to him and almost driving off the road (when) he'd make some outrageous comment. But, you know, he had a great sense of humor, he was able to analyze sports in a very interesting way, a unique way I think, absolutely unique to himself. He's a legend. The guy was just wonderful."-- Former Steelers linebacker Andy Russell
"There's no one in my experience in over 40 years in sports who did more preparing for his broadcasts, whether it was a Steelers game or his talk show. He was just so diligent and a perfectionist. If he made a mistake it just gnawed at him. "He never, ever tried to hurt anybody on the air, which is common today with media people, especially in talk radio and cable TV where they try to destroy people. But that was not Myron. If there was something negative about somebody, even if it was newsworthy and he thought it would hurt that individual or his family, he wouldn't use it."-- Joe Gordon, former Steelers' spokesman and Cope's longtime friend.
"Myron was one of the first guys who understood the value of mixing journalism and entertainment. Before then, you gave the scores, and that was pretty much it. But Myron elevated it to now, where we all mix entertainment with the sports element. And he was the first to do that. He was a master at it. He was the master at understanding what the audience liked and what they wanted, and he gave it to them."-- Stan Savran, Pittsburgh Sportscaster
"I spent so much time with him, particularly in training camp. We would be in the same dorm. He'd stay in the dorm. I'd go down his room, 'Hey Bouchette, come on down, have a tawdy with me.' I'd say, 'Myron, I got to do a little work first.' Then we'd go out at night, sit around, swap stories." -- Ed Bouchette, Steelers Beat Writer
"Myron's great legacy is, when you say the name Myron Cope, there will be a smile on everyone's face. To me, that's the greatest legacy anyone can leave."-- Steve Sabol, NFL Films President
"Like so many Steeler fans, I grew up listening to Myron Cope and his unforgettable voice and style. Myron symbolizes everything that is great about southwestern Pennsylvania, and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family. Today, the entire Steeler Nation mourns the loss of a great man and a great Pittsburgher.""Embodied everything we talk about of why we're family. This is about being a homie. He was a guy that actually represented all of us, and when we looked at him and we heard him, you knew he was one of us. That's what made him so great."-- Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato
(Video: Onorato Talks About Cope)
"Certainly, it's a sad day in Pittsburgh, and Myron Cope was a Pittsburgh legend and an icon in so many ways. Both obviously in his role with the Steelers but also in terms of what he did for the rest of the community in terms of giving things back."-- Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl
"Myron Cope embodied the spirit of our city and team, and he'll never be forgotten. We'll think of him whenever his Terrible Towel is waved, and we'll miss his unmistakable, joyful voice whenever the Steelers score. He was a true original."-- CIA Director Michael Hayden, a native of Pittsburgh
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"His memorable voice and unique broadcasting style became synonymous with Steelers football. They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery and no Pittsburgh broadcaster was impersonated more than Myron. Myron brought Steelers football closer to the fans than any other one person."
"His creation of The Terrible Towel has developed into a worldwide symbol that is synonymous with Steelers football."-- Dan Rooney, Steelers chairman
"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. Everybody probably remembers Myron more than the greatest players, and that's an incredible compliment."-- Jerome Bettis, Former Steelers Running Back
"My dad would listen to his talk show and I would think, 'Why would you listen to that?' Then I found myself listening to that. I (did) my show with him and he (made) me feel young."-- Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher
"My first thought was, what's a Myron? What's a Cope? He's got all this stuff going on and I'm thinking, gadzooks, what is this?""It was fantastic because you see him cutting loose on the air, then you saw him very professorial, like taking notes. He's very meticulous in his preparation and then boom, the switch goes on, and he's all over the place in the booth. He will be loved by all Steelers fans, because he was a guy who brought the excitement of the field home to the listener, and I think it was a beautiful book, and we just saw the last chapter."Craig Wolfley, Former Steeler
"Myron would want us to be laughing, because he had a wonderful sense of humor.""Myron was content. He was released from the hospital. He had spent a few weeks in the hospital fighting the good fight, and he was released to go back to his home, and he was happy. He was alert, and he was feeling good and then he passed away. One of the fans wrote in that he was up in heaven with Mr. Rooney, and Ray Mansfield handed out the cigars, and they're up there telling stories, and I like to think of it that way."Andy Russell, Former Steeler
"I thought of Myron and how he would want us to handle it. He would want us to celebrate, and that is what you have to do. He found humor in places you and I would never look. That was his secret. He took a boring game and made it interesting, because he would tell stories. The greatest storyteller that I have ever been around. He was Pittsburgh."-- Bill Hillgrove, Steelers Broadcaster
"It is a very sad day, but Myron lived every day to make people happy, to use his great sense of humor to dissect the various issues of the sporting world."I could remember driving to work listening to him and almost driving off the road (when) he'd make some outrageous comment. But, you know, he had a great sense of humor, he was able to analyze sports in a very interesting way, a unique way I think, absolutely unique to himself. He's a legend. The guy was just wonderful."-- Former Steelers linebacker Andy Russell
"There's no one in my experience in over 40 years in sports who did more preparing for his broadcasts, whether it was a Steelers game or his talk show. He was just so diligent and a perfectionist. If he made a mistake it just gnawed at him. "He never, ever tried to hurt anybody on the air, which is common today with media people, especially in talk radio and cable TV where they try to destroy people. But that was not Myron. If there was something negative about somebody, even if it was newsworthy and he thought it would hurt that individual or his family, he wouldn't use it."-- Joe Gordon, former Steelers' spokesman and Cope's longtime friend.
"Myron was one of the first guys who understood the value of mixing journalism and entertainment. Before then, you gave the scores, and that was pretty much it. But Myron elevated it to now, where we all mix entertainment with the sports element. And he was the first to do that. He was a master at it. He was the master at understanding what the audience liked and what they wanted, and he gave it to them."-- Stan Savran, Pittsburgh Sportscaster
"I spent so much time with him, particularly in training camp. We would be in the same dorm. He'd stay in the dorm. I'd go down his room, 'Hey Bouchette, come on down, have a tawdy with me.' I'd say, 'Myron, I got to do a little work first.' Then we'd go out at night, sit around, swap stories." -- Ed Bouchette, Steelers Beat Writer
"Myron's great legacy is, when you say the name Myron Cope, there will be a smile on everyone's face. To me, that's the greatest legacy anyone can leave."-- Steve Sabol, NFL Films President
"Like so many Steeler fans, I grew up listening to Myron Cope and his unforgettable voice and style. Myron symbolizes everything that is great about southwestern Pennsylvania, and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family. Today, the entire Steeler Nation mourns the loss of a great man and a great Pittsburgher.""Embodied everything we talk about of why we're family. This is about being a homie. He was a guy that actually represented all of us, and when we looked at him and we heard him, you knew he was one of us. That's what made him so great."-- Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato
(Video: Onorato Talks About Cope)
"Certainly, it's a sad day in Pittsburgh, and Myron Cope was a Pittsburgh legend and an icon in so many ways. Both obviously in his role with the Steelers but also in terms of what he did for the rest of the community in terms of giving things back."-- Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl
"Myron Cope embodied the spirit of our city and team, and he'll never be forgotten. We'll think of him whenever his Terrible Towel is waved, and we'll miss his unmistakable, joyful voice whenever the Steelers score. He was a true original."-- CIA Director Michael Hayden, a native of Pittsburgh
Related Links:
More County NewsGet RSS | E-Mail Alerts
Copyright 2008 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
