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A Sad Day in the Burgh

I lived the first 18 or so years of my life in the Pittsburgh suburbs. Coraopolis, Moon, Beaver. I also lived through the 'Decade of Champions'. The years between 1970 and 1980 when Pittsburgh ruled the sports world.

The Steelers were;
AFC Central Division Champs: 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979,
AFC Conference Champs: 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979,
Super Bowl Champs: 1974 (IX), 1975 (X), 1978 (XIII), 1979 (XIV),
The Pirates were;
East division Champs: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1979
NL Pennant Champs: 1971, 1979
World Series Champs: 1971, 1979

Talk about cementing a young kids love for a city... growing up with champions like these was incredible.

Throughout all of the football years was a radio announcer, Myron Cope. Myron invented the Terrible Towel. If you have ever seen a Pittsburgh Steelers football game you have seen them. the Steelers Nation takes them to every game.

I still have my original one form the early-mid '70s. I also have a couple plane ones and three 35th anniversary ones.

Sadly, though, Wednesday the legend, the voice or Steelers radio, the man, died. Myron Cope... I spent so many Sundays in the car with mom and dad driving from our home in Moon Township to Tarentum to visit grandma. We always had the radio on to hear the Steelers game and Myron was there.

He will be missed greatly by me and the Steeler Nation that he helped create.

Circles

We all have our circles. Mine include you bloggers, people I work with, family, Patriot Guard Riders, people at the various committees I work on and Steelers fans.

Some topics come up in one circle that gets talked about so much that when you causally mention it to someone not in that circle they are like “WTF??” and you are confused at their ‘no knowing’.

This happened to me recently. I was telling someone I work with about Steelers, the Steeler Nation and how large and fanatical we all are. I casually mentioned “like the guy that had his funeral viewing in a recliner in Steelers PJs and a TV with the game or highlights running”. HEH!!, he was dumb founded and I had to explain.

So, I got to thinking... maybe there are others that haven’t heard the story like yous guys here in the blogosphere.

July 6, 2005, James Henry Smith lost his battle with prostate cancer. The story was originally posted here at WPXI. CBS and AP News picked it up, here.

Here are the pictures that went around the Steelers fan circles a couple years ago. I’m not planning this kind of party when I pass. BUT...maybe, just maybe...