PRINTER'S NO. 1820
No. 256 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY COSTA, PIPPY, FERLO, FONTANA, LOGAN, ORIE,
LAVALLE, STOUT, TOMLINSON, WASHINGTON, WOZNIAK, PUNT,
M. WHITE, TARTAGLIONE, RAFFERTY, BRUBAKER, ERICKSON, CORMAN,
D. WHITE, O'PAKE, MADIGAN, FOLMER, KASUNIC, BOSCOLA,
GREENLEAF, STACK AND REGOLA, MARCH 11, 2008
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, MARCH 11, 2008
A RESOLUTION
1 Honoring the life of Myron Cope.
2 WHEREAS, Myron Cope was a legendary Pittsburgher and the
3 voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers Football Team for an
4 unprecedented 35 seasons from 1970 to 2005; and
5 WHEREAS, Mr. Cope died the morning of February 27, 2008, at
6 the age of 79; and
7 WHEREAS, It is the intent of the Senate to recognize and pay
8 tribute to the life of Mr. Cope, his service to his community,
9 his legacy with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the game of football
10 and the City of Pittsburgh; and
11 WHEREAS, Mr. Cope is best known for his quirky catch phrases
12 and for creating the "terrible towel," which is twirled at
13 Pittsburgh Steelers games as a good luck charm and has since
14 developed into an international symbol of Pittsburgh Steelers
15 pride; and
16 WHEREAS, Mr. Cope coined the phrase "Immaculate Reception,"
1 which became a household term to describe the game-winning play
2 in the Pittsburgh Steelers 1972 American Football Conference
3 divisional playoff victory against the Oakland Raiders, one of
4 the most notable plays in all of National Football League and
5 sports history; and
6 WHEREAS, Mr. Cope spent the first half of his professional
7 career as one of this nation's most widely read freelance sports
8 writers, writing for Sports Illustrated and the Saturday Evening
9 Post; and
10 WHEREAS, Mr. Cope became the first professional football
11 broadcaster to be elected to the National Radio Hall of Fame in
12 2005; and
13 WHEREAS, Mr. Cope became so popular that the Pittsburgh
14 Steelers did not try to replace him when he retired in 2005,
15 instead downsizing from a three-man announcing team to two; and
16 WHEREAS, Mr. Cope served his community on the board of
17 directors of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Autism Society of
18 America and the highly successful Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix
19 charity auto races, of which he was a cofounder; and
20 WHEREAS, Mr. Cope also served on the Tournament Committee of
21 the Myron Cope/Foge Fazio Golf Tournament for Autistic Children;
22 and
23 WHEREAS, In 1996, Mr. Cope contributed his ownership of "The
24 Terrible Towel" trademarks to Allegheny Valley School, an
25 institution for the mentally and physically disabled; and
26 WHEREAS, Mr. Cope was born in Pittsburgh on January 23, 1929,
27 and lived all but a few months of his life in Pittsburgh; and
28 WHEREAS, The passing of Mr. Cope is a great loss to the City
29 of Pittsburgh and the game of football, and his life should be
30 honored with highest praise and respect for his heart of black
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1 and gold; therefore be it
2 RESOLVED, That the Senate recognize Mryon Cope as a familiar
3 voice to every Pittsburgher and football fan alike and his
4 beloved persona which will live on in the hearts of Pittsburgh
5 Steelers fans and Pittsburghers for generations to come; and be
6 it further
7 RESOLVED, That the Senate recognize the outstanding
8 contributions of Myron Cope to the City of Pittsburgh, the game
9 of football and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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