Myron Cope died one year ago today. Since his passing, Cope had an asteroid named after him, he and his Towel were a focus of the New York Times, and the Steelers won the Super Bowl. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that Myron was still with us one year later.
I was talking with a friend two days ago about living in NYC and not getting the home broadcasts for Steelers/Pirates/Penguins games. He said he got satellite radio for that very reason…you have no idea how soothing Bill Hillgrove’s voice is when your ears are constantly assaulted by the New York media.
But no satellite radio can bring Cope’s voice back. One year later, and I still have trouble believing that Myron is gone. All the press about him and his wonderful life recently might have something to do with it.
Fans of other teams don’t get why we hold Cope and the Towel to a different standard. So what if Lendale White stomps on the Towel? Maybe because Cope was becoming the voice of the Steelers long before White or any young whippersnapper was born. Maybe because Cope didn’t care about riches and fame…he gave out of love and enjoyment.
No one will ever be able to fully explain Cope’s significance to fans of this city. Hell, I’m struggling right now and this is a post that was supposed to attempt it at a ridiculously small scale. Perhaps the uninformed masses just need to know that one year later, the city is using the anniversary of his passing to celebrate Myron Cope Day.
Because even though Myron is physically gone, he still holds a great deal of influence over the ever-grateful city of Pittsburgh.
Yoi!
