EPISODE 367: Myron Cope: Voice of the Steelers - With Dan Joseph

October 27, 2024

Voice of America news editor and Pittsburgh native Dan Joseph ("Behind the Yoi: The Life of Myron Cope, Legendary Pittsburgh Steelers Broadcaster") joins the podcast this week for a deep dive into the legacy of one of pro football's most unique broadcast voices.

Myron Cope (1929-2008) served as the radio color commentator for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers from 1970 to 2005, becoming an irreplaceable voice in NFL broadcasting. Known for his distinctive, gravelly tone and catchphrases like “Yoi!” and “Okle-dokle,” Cope's excitement and unapologetic support for the Steelers led fans to mute their TVs and tune into his radio broadcasts. His career extended beyond game days, with his pioneering evening talk show dominating Pittsburgh’s airwaves for over two decades and earning him the honor of being the first pro football announcer inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh to Lithuanian Jewish parents, Cope initially pursued journalism, writing for publications such as Sports Illustrated. But it was through the airwaves that he truly captured fans’ hearts. In 1975, Cope created the "Terrible Towel" - a gold towel Steelers fans waved in support of their team - which became a powerful emblem of Steelers Nation. His contributions to the team’s lore also include co-naming 1972's “Immaculate Reception,” forever tying him to one of the NFL’s most iconic plays.

Beyond broadcasting, Cope’s legacy reflects his dedication to his family and community. He donated all Terrible Towel royalties to the care facility where his son, born with brain damage, still resides. Over his lifetime, Cope raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for children with disabilities, underscoring the kindness and loyalty that endeared him to Pittsburgh and solidified his place in sports history.

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Behind the Yoi: The Life of Myron Cope, Legendary Pittsburgh Steelers Broadcaster - buy here

EPISODE 281: "Where Pittsburgh Played" - With Dave Finoi

October 16, 2022

Pittsburgh-native sports historian (and previous Episode 242 guest) Dave Finoli ("Where Pittsburgh Played: Oakland’s Historic Sports Venues") returns to the pod for a deep dive into the notable histories of the Steel City's important first generation of modern-day sports venues.

We dig into some of the memorable (and many not-so) professional teams and leagues that called the city's Oakland neighborhood home, in places like: Pitt Stadium (NFL football's Steelers); the Duquesne Gardens (the early NHL Pirates & numerous minor-league hockey clubs; the BAA basketball Ironmen); and of course, the legendary Forbes Field - which not only housed baseball's Pirates, but also the same-named (pre-Steelers) sister football franchise, two WWII-era NFL contractions (1943's "Steagles" & 1944's "Card-Pitt"), the Negro Leagues' iconic Homestead Grays, and even the 1967 one-and-only season of the NPSL soccer Phantoms.

PLUS: we "send in" a special collegiate nod to the still in-use Fitzgerald Field House !

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AND: Get up to $100 in matching deposit credit when you sign up to try PrizePicks - and use promo code GOODSEATS!

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Where Pittsburgh Played: Oakland’s Historic Sports Venues - buy book here

EPISODE #04: Author Matthew Algeo & the NFL’s 1943 "Steagles"

March 25, 2017

Author Matthew Algeo (Last Team Standing: How the Steelers and the Eagles – "The Steagles" – Saved Pro Football During World War II) joins Tim Hanlon all the way from Maputo, Mozambique to discuss the marriage of convenience that literally saved the National Football League from collapse in 1943. Algeo describes how a desperate Art Rooney scrambled to save his Pittsburgh Steelers franchise, depleted by wartime military call-ups; how a hastily assembled squad of ragtag draft rejects practiced football at night while maintaining defense jobs by day (including one player who worked on the eventual war-ending Manhattan Project); why the "Phil-Pitt Combine" wore Eagles colors and played more home games in Philadelphia than in Pittsburgh; and, in a PODCAST EXCLUSIVE, why the story of the Steagles just might soon be coming to a theater near you.

Behind the Yoi: The Life of Myron Cope, Legendary Pittsburgh Steelers Broadcaster - buy here

Where Pittsburgh Played: Oakland’s Historic Sports Venues - buy book here

Last Team Standing: How the Steelers and the Eagles - "The Steagles" - Saved Pro Football During World War II - buy book here