Behind the Lens: Happy 50th birthday to a Pittsburgh icon — The Terrible Towel

The Pittsburgh region has long been noted for producing icons, be it people, places or things. Our area has more than its fair share of iconic people the likes of actors, doctors, producers, authors, scientists, broadcasters and sports figures. We have iconic structures and statues along with material things associated with the aforementioned.

Drift back in time to the year 1975, when one such item began its meteoric rise to fame as a gimmick. A man who baffled listeners with his indescribable voice launched something that would eventually blossom into what has been hailed as one of the most iconic symbols in sports history.

Why all the hoopla? Because this Pittsburgher is about to celebrate its 50^th birthday. You guessed it — I’m referencing the iconic “Terrible Towel” and the person who played a large role in its invention.

I’m speaking of a man born in 1923 by the name of Myron Sidney Kopelman, known professionally as the legendary Myron Cope. An icon himself, Cope was an American sports journalist of Jewish and Lithuanian ancestry, a radio personality and sportscaster best known for being the voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cope would later marry and have three children and he firmly planted the family roots in the Pittsburgh area.

In 1975 the Steelers won the AFC Central title and qualified for the playoffs. Two weeks prior to the first playoff game, executives of the Steelers flagship radio station, WTAE, asked Cope — who was the radio broadcaster — to invent a gimmick to attract sponsors for his daily commentaries and talk show.

Initially, Cope didn’t want to participate, saying, “I am not a gimmick guy, never have been a gimmick guy.” However, after a WTAE executive suggested a successful gimmick would be good leverage for a raise in Cope’s upcoming contract renewal, Cope said, “I am a gimmick guy.”

Needing a way to excite fans for an upcoming 1975 playoff game against the Baltimore Colts, Cope and two executives along with other radio station personnel began brainstorming ideas. Cope urged fans to take yellow dish towels to the game and wave them throughout. Originally, Cope wanted to sell rubber Jack Lambert masks; another idea was a black mask that included coach Chuck Noll’s motto, “Whatever it takes,” but realized the high costs of production as not being a prudent investment. Cope said the gimmick should be something “lightweight and portable” and one executive suggested using towels.

From his own mouth on the invention of the Terrible Towel as Cope described it. “I said, what we need is something that everybody already has, so it doesn’t cost a dime. So I says, “We’ll urge people to bring out to the game gold or black towels, then I’ll tell people if you don’t have a yellow or black towel, buy one. We’ll call this the Terrible Towel.”

After much debate Cope agreed with the others in the room and suggested that the phrase “The Terrible Towel” be printed on the front. It was then agreed that the towels would be gold or yellow with the writing in black, depicting the Steelers colors. With the idea on the horizon, there would be one final hurdle to clear, which may have appeared to be a daunting task: final approval by one individual.

Franklin C. Snyder, who was head of WTAE’s radio and television stations, was the man tasked with giving the final approval, thus holding the fate of this endeavor in his hands. He approved the idea on the stipulation that black towels would also be allowed, to avoid accusations of racism from the FCC. Cope agreed. 

In the weeks leading up to the game, Cope advertised the idea of the towel to fans on the radio and evening television news, using the phrase “The Terrible Towel is poised to strike!”

Nervousness was building about whether fans would think the towel was a jinx if the Steelers lost the game, so Cope agreed to poll the players on their view of the towel. From the beginning of the interviews the towel’s acceptance appeared to be in grave danger. Linebacker Jack Ham told Cope, “I think your idea stinks.” Defensive lineman Ernie “Fats” Holmes also was against the idea. Linebacker Andy Russell also opposed the idea of the towel, mirroring Cope’s original thoughts by saying, “We’re not a gimmick team. We’ve never been a gimmick team.”

Cope grew nervous about the negative feedback, as he had already advertised the towel on the news multiple times. That being said, in typical journalistic fashion Cope polled the rest of the team with a banana republic vote. First up was the blonde bomber himself, quarterback Terry Bradshaw, with Cope inquiring, “How do you feel about the Terrible Towel?” Looking up from his locker stool as he read the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports page Bradshaw responded, “Huh?”

Checking off Bradshaw’s answer as a yes, Cope promptly reported back to WTAE hierarchy that the Steelers overwhelmingly approved the towel. Locally Cope’s idea had been openly mocked and chastised by the Post-Gazette, sending an already nervous Cope right over the proverbial edge.

The towel made its debut on Dec. 27, 1975, in that playoff contest against the Colts as Cope nervously watched fans gathering through his binoculars from the broadcast booth. At that time he said he saw fewer than a dozen towels as the players went through their pregame warmups. Cope recalled, “Nearing kickoff, the Steelers gathered in their tunnel for introductions, whereupon the crowd exploded — and suddenly, by my estimation, 30,000 Terrible Towels twirled from the fists of fans around the stadium.” In the towel’s debut, the Steelers went on to defeat the Colts 28-10 and in the following weeks the team defeated the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys en route to capturing the franchise’s second consecutive Super Bowl victory.

It’s been said that the towel’s mystique was what enabled the slower-than-molasses Russell to ramble 93 yards to the end zone after a fumble recovery in the win over the Colts. Others firmly believe that individuals and opponents who disrespect the towel will meet with grave consequences, mainly unequivocal bad luck for an extended period of time.

Cope’s Terrible Towel has gained much popularity since its invention and is arguably the best know fan symbol of any major pro sports teams. Along with the towel, sensing something more, Cope came up with an addition to its original catchphrase, expounding on it by stating, “The Terrible Towel is poised to strike and so are the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

Due to the Terrible Towel’s sudden popularity, Pittsburgh-area department stores sold out all black and gold hand towels, as they were often sold as sets with matching bath towels, leaving stores with uneven sets. 

In the fall of 1978, Bernard Pollock, divisional marketing manager of Gimbel’s department store, came up with the idea of putting a Terrible Towel logo on hand towels and sold the idea to Cope. The first Terrible Towels were sold on Dec. 20, 1978, at $6 apiece exclusively at Gimbel’s. The towel has become synonymous with Steelers Nation, appearing at every major game, from regular season matchups to Super Bowls, representing unity, pride, tradition and resilience.

With its ever-growing popularity, the towel has been taken by fans to famous sites while on vacation, including the peak of Mount Everest. It was even taken into space on the International Space Station. On a more local note, longtime season ticket holder Miss Nancy Savie hand-delivered a Terrible Towel to Pope John Paul II during an audience with him on a trip to the Vatican.

The towel has been redesigned multiple times, even spawning its own line of paraphernalia. The line is known as “Terrible Stuff,” as all items from T-shirts to earrings include the Terrible Towel logo. In 1998 the towel added the words, “Myron Cope’s Official” on the top and “A Pittsburgh Tradition” on the bottom. The towels have been redesigned a plethora of times for various special events and days, making them special edition towels.

Perhaps the biggest benefactor of the Terrible Towel is the Allegheny Valley School, a nonprofit organization in Coraopolis that provides services on a daily basis to more than 900 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Cope’s son Daniel was born with severe autism, and he has lived most of his life at the school as Cope devoted much of his time and energy to Pittsburgh causes addressing autism. Cope spoke candidly about his life’s experiences as a parent of a child with autism and his efforts to better educate the public at large about autism continued all the way up until his passing in 2008.

In 1996, Cope gave the rights to the Terrible Towel to the Allegheny Valley School, and proceeds from the sale of the towels have helped raise more than $8 million for the school. During the 2005 season when the Steelers won their fifth Super Bowl, more than 1 million towels were sold with some fans purchasing 200 towels at a time.

To Mr. Cope, I’ll speak on behalf of Steelers Nation and say, “Thank you for all that you have done for everyone.” To the Terrible Towel I say, “Happy birthday — long may you wave world-wide.”