Cope, ex-Steelers announcer, dead at 79

Published 8:39 am Thursday, February 28, 2008

PITTSBURGH — Myron Cope, the former Pittsburgh Steelers announcer known for his screechy voice and for creating the Terrible Towel, has died at the age of 79.

Joe Gordon, Cope’s longtime friend and a former Steelers executive, says the announcer died Wednesday morning at a nursing home in the Pittsburgh suburb of Mount Lebanon. Cope had been treated for respiratory problems and heart failure in recent months.

Cope’s tenure from 1970-2004 as the color analyst on the Steelers’ radio network is the longest in NFL history for a broadcaster with a single team and led to his induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2005.