The Steelers have had only three head coaches in any NFL season since 1969. Another interesting fact is that the Steelers have had only two play-by-play announcers, Jack Fleming and Bill Hillgrove, since 1965.
For most of Fleming’s tenure as the Steelers’ play-by-play announcer, he worked alongside Myron Cope, his color analyst. Cope’s colorful announcing occasionally stole the broadcast with his “yoi’s” and “double yoi’s,” but Fleming remained a giant in the industry.
After 28 years, Jack Flemings retired in 1993, and the Steelers replaced him with Bill Hillgrove, a prominent figure in the Pittsburgh media. Hillgrove began by announcing Pitt Basketball games and working as a DJ in the Pittsburgh radio market. He later became a sports anchor for WTAE news and was their sports director. This transition was well-received by Steelers fans, and the color analyst Myron Cope, who worked with Hillgrove at WTAE, made Hillgrove’s choice perfect.
Hillgrove’s play-by-play calling was more vibrant than Fleming’s. He would use phrases like “he got flagged for Habeas Grabus” whenever there was a holding penalty. What made Hillgrove special to some of us was his tendency to get emotionally involved in the games, similar to Myron Cope and his fellow color analysts, Tunch Ilkin and Craig Wolfley.
For some long-time fans, being unable to listen to Bill Hillgrove anymore will be quite a change, as it marks the end of an era. We’ll have to get used to a new play-by-play announcer now. The Steelers have just announced the replacement for Hillgrove, Rob King.
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