If you were to hear Myron Cope talking on the street, you would probably turn your head in shock that such a sound even existed. To describe Cope’s voice as nasally is almost a disservice to the word itself. It is a medical wonder that the man could even breathe.
But in the broadcast booth, his voice was pure Pittsburgh poetry. His unmatched excitement; along with his borderline nonsensical catch phrases (To this day, I have no idea what “Feh” or “Yoi” mean.) have woven themselves into the vernacular of the city. He’s become inextricably linked to some of the biggest moments in team history, and his legacy will live forever due to the invention of a little yellow towel.
After the 1975 regular season and leading into the playoffs, Cope was tapped to help develop something the fans could take to the game in order to fire everybody up. It needed to be small, portable and simple. Finally, someone came up with the idea of a towel. Cope liked it, and suggested calling it the “Terrible Towel.” He plugged his towel on the radio for weeks, even though the players didn’t particularly care for the idea. Andy Russell (who may be the most underrated Steeler of all-time) asked Cope, “What’s all this crap about a towel?”
Cope still had his reservations about how well the Terrible Towel would go over with the fans. Would it be a total flop? Did anyone get any? 30,000 fans strong answered his question by waving their towels will passion and ferocity, just the way Cope had envisioned. Even Andy Russell had to question their power after scoring on a 93-yard fumble recovery that game. That moment even prompted a fan of Cope’s, Lisa Benz, to write a poem about it:
“He ran ninety-three like a bat out of hell,
And no one could see how he rambled so well.
“It was easy” said Andy,
As he flashed a crooked smile.
“I was snapped on the fanny
By the Terrible Towel!”
As time wore on, the legend of the towel grew. But what many people don’t know is all the good that it has brought to the world. Myron and his wife Mildred had an autistic son, Daniel. His autism was so severe that it prevented him from even being able to speak, and he’s spent the majority of his days at the Allegheny Valley School. Before he retired, Cope bequeathed the rights to the Terrible Towel to the school, and it has raised over $4 million to fund many different programs.
From his broadcast booth, Cope saw the Steelers win four Super Bowl titles. He saw the fifth one from the comfort of his own home. Cope never saw the Steelers sixth Super Bowl, as he passed away from respiratory failure in February of 2008 at the age of 79. His creation, however, lives on. The Terrible Towel has seen every continent in the world, and has even paid a visit to the International Space Station. And with every wave of the towel at anyplace around the globe, Myron Cope lives on too.
