Jami Bids Myron Cope Adieu

I tried to think of something clever to say, or poignant, or at least different from what most people are saying. Wednesday was doubly sad for the loss of both Myron Cope, a Pittsburgh living legend and William Buckley. I don't have much to say about Buckely, having to admit honestly that while I knew some about him, I haven't read any of his books. But everyone in Pittsburgh knew Myron Cope. Myron, one of the first sportswriters to turn into a radio show host as well as a commentator, didn't have the kind of voice you'd expect in an announcer. To be bluntly honest, there were times we turned the sound down on the TV when he just got to be too much. He wasn't a studly guy or a former athlete, but he was undoubtedly the Voice of the Steelers. Best known for his, uh, sayings: "Yoi" and "Double Yoi!" (rhymes with boy), and the instantly recognizable Terrible Towel, Myron also was known for calling a spade and spade and not being afraid to criticize a player who wasn't doing his best. Myron's legacy lives on in the Terrible Towel, not just because of the Towel itself, but because he gave the rights and trademark to the Towel to the Allegheny Valley School, a school for the disabled. To me, the reason Pittsburghers loved him, though, is that we knew he was real. He had flaws. He made mistakes. He made an occasional bad choice. But he got to be a part of the Steelers and he's the first pro football announcer to get into the Radio Hall of Fame. Today our city bid him farewell, in a manner befitting both Myron and the city he loved. At a rally, downtown, in the cold and snow, hundreds gathered to wave their towels and say their goodbyes. Goodbye, Myron. We'll see you in heaven, where all true Steeler fans go.