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Myron Cope (January 23 1929 - February 27 2008), born Myron Sidney Kopelman, was an American sports journalist, radio personality, and sports broadcaster who is best known for being the voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Cope was a color commentator for the Steelers' radio broadcasts for 35 years. He was known for his distinctive, nasally voice with an identifiable Pittsburgh accent, idiosyncratic speech pattern, and a level of excitement rarely exhibited in the broadcast booth. Cope's most notable catch phrase was "yoi." Cope was the first football announcer inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. Cope's autobiography, Double Yoi!, was published in 2002. Legislation honoring Cope is currently pending before the United States House of Representatives.

Education and early career

A Pittsburgh native, he graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School and the University of Pittsburgh. He was originally a journalist before becoming a broadcaster. His first job was in Erie, Pennsylvania, with the Daily Times; but by the summer of 1951, he was already working for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Cope then became a freelance journalist, most notably for Sports Illustrated, the Saturday Evening Post, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In 1963, Cope received the E.P. Dutton Prize for "Best Magazine Sportswriting in the Nation," for a portrayal of Cassius Clay. In 1987, Cope was named by the Hearst Corporation as a noted literary achiever, along with Mark Twain, Jack London, Frederick Remington, Walter Winchell and Sidney Sheldon. At its 50th Anniversary, Sports Illustrated selected Cope’s profile of Howard Cosell as one of the 50 best pieces ever published in the magazine. Cope spent the 1983 college football season as a color analyst for the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Family life

Cope married Mildred Lindberg of Charleston, in 1965, and the couple moved to Mt. Lebanon. In 1972, the Copes moved to nearby Upper St. Clair. Mildred passed away on September 20 1994. In 1999, Cope moved back to Mt. Lebanon, to a condo in the Woodridge neighborhood. He remained there until his final days, when he entered a Mt. Lebanon nursing home, and is claimed by Mt. Lebanon as a "native."

Cope had three children, Elizabeth, Martha Ann, and Daniel. Martha Ann died shortly after her birth. His son, Daniel, was born with severe autism; he has lived most of his life at the Allegheny Valley School, an institution specializing in intellectual developmental disabilities. Cope devoted much of his time and energy to Pittsburgh causes addressing autism, and spoke candidly about his experiences as the parent of an autistic child and his efforts to better educate the public at large about autism. Proceeds from the sale of Terrible Towels benefit the Allegheny Valley School. In 1996, Cope gave the school the trademark and ownership rights to the Terrible Towel.

Steelers broadcasting

In the late 1960s, Cope had a radio show on WBGG (AM) in Pittsburgh. 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 in 1970. During Cope's 35-year broadcasting career with the Steelers—the longest term with a single team in NFL history—he was accompanied by only two play-by-play announcers, Jack Fleming and Bill Hillgrove.

In keeping with his comic personality, a series of television commentaries on WTAE-TV saw Cope calling himself "Doctor Cope" and wearing a white lab coat while pretending to examine the opposing team's strengths and weaknesses. His predictor was known as the "Cope-ra-scope."

Catchphrases and Nicknames

Like other sports announcers in Pittsburgh, particularly Penguins commentator Mike Lange and the late Pirates announcer Bob Prince, Cope had a repertoire of unique catchphrases employed in his broadcasts, such as "Mmm-Hah!" and "Okel Dokel" (his version of "okey dokey"). Cope often used Yiddish expressions, especially "Feh!" and "Yoi!" (sometimes multiplied as "Double Yoi" or rarely "Triple Yoi").

Cope also created nicknames for many players and opposing teams. It was Cope who popularized "The Bus" as a nickname for former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis (the nickname was originally given to Bettis in college), and he gave Kordell Stewart the nickname "Slash."

Terrible Towel

"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."

— Myron Cope on the invention of the Terrible Towel

Cope played a large role in the invention of the Terrible Towel. Needing a way to excite the fans during a 1975 playoff game against the Baltimore Colts, Cope urged fans to take yellow dish towels to the game and wave them throughout. The Terrible Towel has since become a symbol of the Steelers and the city of Pittsburgh.

In 1996, Cope gave the rights to The Terrible Towel to the Allegheny Valley School in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. The school provides care for more than 900 people with mental retardation and physical disabilities, including Cope's autistic son. Proceeds from the Terrible Towel have helped raise more than $2.2 million for the school.

Retirement and death

Cope announced his retirement from broadcasting on June 20 2005, citing health concerns. Eight days later, it was announced that Cope was the recipient of the Pete Rozelle Award for "long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football." Upon his retirement, the Steelers did not replace Cope, opting instead to downsize to a two-man broadcast team.

On October 31 2005, Cope was honored for his lifetime accomplishments at halftime of the contest between the Steelers and the Ravens. In addition, the Steelers produced a special commemorative edition Terrible Towel with his familiar expressions printed on it. As seen on the towel, it was limited to 35,000, representing 35 years of service to the Steelers.

Cope died of respiratory failure at a Mt. Lebanon nursing home on the morning of February 27 2008, at the age of 79. In the days following his death, many ceremonies were held in his honor, including the local sporting events of the Pittsburgh Panthers college basketball team and the Pittsburgh Penguins professional hockey team. Two days after his death, hundreds of people gathered in heavy snow in front of City Hall in Pittsburgh to honor Cope; included in the ceremony was one minute of silent Terrible Towel waving. His funeral, which was held on February 29 2008, was private. Due to Cope's large impact on the Pittsburgh area, Bob Smizik, a local sportswriter said,

"Had the secret of the service and its site not been kept,...tens of thousands would have descended on the...funeral home... 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."

List of awards and honors

Cope received many awards and honors, including:

• 1963 - E.P. Dutton Prize for "Best Magazine Sportswriting in the Nation" for his portrayal of Cassius Clay
• 1987 - Named as a noted literary achiever by Hearst Corporation
• 2004 - His profile of Howard Cosell was selected as one of 50 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 long-time exceptional contributions to pro football in television and radio

• Held the title of "special contributor" at Sports Illustrated
• Served as a board member of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Autism Society of America and the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix
• Co-founded the Myron Cope/Foge Fazio Golf Tournament for Autistic Children
• The only broadcaster appointed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Board of Selectors, serving for 10 years

Bibliography

• Brown, Jim (1964). Off My Chest. Doubleday. p. 230. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) (Jim Brown's autobiography)
• Cope, Myron (1968). Broken Cigars. Prentice-Hall. p. 275. (collection of articles)
• Cope, Myron (1970). The Game that was: The Early Days of Pro Football (edition 1 ed.). World Pub. Co. p. 294.
• Cope, Myron (1974). The Game that was: An Illustrated Account of the Tumultuous Early Days of Pro Football (edition 2 ed.). Crowell. p. 253. ISBN 0690005865.
• Cope, Myron (2002). Double Yoi! (edition 1 ed.). Sports Publishing, L.L.C. p. 229. ISBN 1582615489.(autobiography)
• Cope, Myron (2006). Double Yoi! (edition 2 ed.). Sports Publishing, L.L.C. p. 229. ISBN 1596700696.(autobiography)

References

Notes

1. ^ "Myron Cope". Radio Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2008-02-27.
2. ^ Fybush, Scott (2008-03-03). "This Week's Bloodbath: Citadel". NorthEast Radio Watch.
3. ^ Collier, Gene (2008-02-28). "Remembering Myron Cope: He spoke for Steelers Nation in a language all his own". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2008-02-29. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
4. ^ H.Res. 1033
5. Collins, Mark (September 1996). "Everything is Cope-aesthetic". Pitt Magazine. University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved 2006-11-25.
6. ^ Associated Press (2008-02-29). "Terrible Towel Day Honors Cope". KDKA. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
7. ^ Associated Press. "Myron Cope, ex-Steelers announcer, dead at 79". Erie Times-News. Retrieved 2008-03-20. Cite error: The named reference "erietimes" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
8. ^ Cope, Myron (2002). Double Yoi!. Sports Publishing, L.L.C. ISBN 1582615489. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
9. ^ Gene Collier (2008-02-27). "Obituary: Myron Cope's career spanned newspapers, magazines, radio and TV". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
10. "Myron Cope". The Charleston Gazette. 1968-06-20.
11. ^ Kevin Kirkland (2006-11-04). "Yoi-cation is everything: Myron Cope, Frank Gustine Jr. downsized to Mt. Lebanon". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
12. ^ "Steelers' former radio announcer Myron Cope dies at 79". Retrieved 2008-02-28. Cite error: The named reference "Yahoo" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
13. ^ "Allegheny Valley School Mourns the Loss of Myron Cope". Allegheny Valley School. 2008-02-27. Retrieved 2008-02-29. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
14. ^ "Myron Cope". Retrieved 2008-02-28.
15. "Popular Cope expressions, or Cope-isms". Retrieved 2008-03-12.
16. "Myron Cope Was A 'Pittsburgh Original'". CBS Broadcasting. 2008-02-27. Retrieved 2008-02-29. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
17. "Myron Cope Retires". Retrieved 2008-02-27.
18. ^ "Steelers' Cope named 2005 Rozelle Award winner". Retrieved 2008-02-29.
19. Robert Dvorchak (2005-11-01). "Cope officially throws in towel". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
20. "Pitt plans Cope tribute". Retrieved 2008-02-29.
21. "Hundreds join Terrible Towel wave in memory of Cope". Retrieved 2008-02-29.
22. ^ Smizik, Bob (2008-03-02). "Cope was beloved, and he loved right back ... a commentary". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2008-03-02.

External links

• Myron Cope at the National Radio Hall of Fame
• "Myron Cope / 1929 - 2008: An index to Post-Gazette coverage". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2008-02-27. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
• Fan site with a collection of Myron Cope soundbites
• Myron Cope Biography, Penn State University
• "Allegheny Valley School, Myron Cope, and The Terrible Towel"

• 1929 births
• 2008 deaths
• American radio personalities
• Sportspeople from Pittsburgh
• National Football League announcers
• Pittsburgh Steelers
• American Jews
• American journalists
• University of Pittsburgh alumni
• People from Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania