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February 28, 2008
How a towel became a symbol
An icon of my childhood died yesterday. Myron Cope, the long-time radio announcer for the Pittsburgh Steelers, died at age 79. Myron is the only football commentator to be inducted in to the National Radio Hall of Fame, and he was also the inventor of the Terrible Towel, something every diehard Steelers fan owns today.
The birth of the Terrible Towel is an instructive story about the importance of icons and rituals for anyone in the business of rallying a community.
Hoping to generate excitement for a 1975 playoff game, Myron urged fans to bring yellow dish towels to the game. Some players scoffed, but fans listened. An idea rooted in working-class simplicity suddenly became an easy-to-wave
flag. Fans brought thousands of towels to the game, and waved the Steelers on to victory. Overwhelmed by the reaction, the Steelers quickly launched the "Myron Cope
Official Terrible Towel" a few games later at SuperBowl X (yes, the
Steelers won).
I was 10 years old at the time, and I made my own Terrible Towel by ironing on letters to one of mom's nice dish towels. After that, I watched every game as a young girl with a Steelers beret fixed atop my head and my hands nervously wringing my towel like a stress ball. I would wave my towel at home in front of the TV in unison with the 59,000 people who were waving theirs at the old Three Rivers Stadium. I wish I had that towel today. It would complement my collection of six, including the Super Bowl Terrible Towel from 2005.
The Terrible Towel inspired a legion of copycats; teams of every stripe today have their own version. To their credit, the Steelers haven't covered their flag with sponsor logos. To me, that would cheapen a meaningful totem of my fandom.
What I really wanted to say in this post was, thank you Myron. Thank you for inspiring tens of thousands -- if not more -- of Steelers fans. Your passion and excitement for the game and the team helped define everything I love about football and being a fan.
Bonus links:
- Myron's unique sayings
- Myron the radio guy on video
Other blogs that reference How a towel became a symbol:
Jackie:
Huge fan of yours and Myron's. Born in the burgh. Raised in Chicago. Family from the South Hills - Baldwin Brentwood area. Relocated to Cranberry in 2004 and left three years later for another oppty.
Terribly sad news. The great MC will be missed, Zoinks!
Sean McGinnis
Jackie,
I've been a long time reader. Not a sports fan. Don't know who Myron is, but this is a great story. I really enjoyed it, and for some reason, after I read it, I can't help but think how awesome YOU are.
Your passion and excitement for the game (marketing) and the team (us) helped define everything I love about [reading your blog (and Ben's)] and being a fan.
I hope to meet you both some day. You seem like really awesome, generous and smart people.
Great post. Myron himself gave the best testimonial to the "brand equity" that the towel has built over the years. He said that other teams have tried to imitate the phenomenon by handing out their own towels at games, but the difference is that those teams had to give them away. Pittsburghers paid $10 for theirs.
One of the best things about Pittsburgh is that even if you move away, you are always a Pittsburgher. Myron (and his towel) was one of the common threads that all "Pittsburghers" cherish regardless of where they were currently living. He will be missed.
Jackie,
That towel absolutely was a wonderful symbol of a great (and long) era of Pittsburgh football. And Myron Cope is a legend, for sure.
However, I suspect the towel was inspired by Rick Weaver, radio voice of the Miami Dolphins.
For 3 years in the early 70s, before the Steeler dynasty, the Dolphins played in the Super Bowl. And the Orange Bowl was filled with white hankie-waving fans, inspired by Weaver. No name for the hankie - Weaver just told them, "Be sure to bring your white handkerchief and wave it!" And they did.
Look. I'm envious of the Steeler history since the Dolphins' last Super Bowl win (1974). But I suspect that seeing that huge sea of waving white hankies in the Orange Bowl was what inspired Myron Cope's "Terrible Towel."
Richard Dennis
Don't forget what Myron did with the copyright for the Towel, handing it over to the Valley School for Autism. He also had all his appearance money quietly funneled directly to the school.
Jackie -
Enjoying the "Citizen Marketers" book and loved your note! Thank you for the copy. I wrote a few words about Myron Cope and his influence on my blog:
http://aip.williamjmedia.com/2008/02/27/myron-cope-well-miss-ya/
Enjoy the thoughts and the memories. Everyone in Pittsburgh looks upon Myron's memory and legacy with pride.
- William
Jackie,
I am a management supervisor at bbdigital/Blattner Brunner in Pittsburgh. I read your blog a few times a month and really enjoyed this post. Thank you. The posts on Myron by the Pittsburgh diaspora throughout the blogosphere is truly amazing. It really makes you take pause about the impact the Western Pennsylvania region has had on the world.
Thanks again.
