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.
Rob King is now the Play-by-Play announcer for the Steelers
There may have been some curiosity about Rob King when the news broke. Although he may be unfamiliar to those who don't live in Pittsburgh, he has been involved in Steelers broadcasts for ten years and has been a prominent figure in Pittsburgh sports media for 25 years. Additionally, King is no stranger to the Steelers broadcast booth, as he has filled in for Bill Hillgrove approximately six times throughout Hillgrove's 30-year tenure.
Although King might need to develop his own announcing style for the games, the Steelers have wisely selected Hillgrove's replacement. He will serve the Steelers effectively as their new radio voice. However, many online articles reporting the news use the cliché line that he has big shoes to fill in his latest endeavor.
Perhaps that is true, but Pittsburgh sports fans are spoiled. They had the best broadcasting market across all the major sports in Pittsburgh. In football, Fleming and Hillgrove were the bedrock of Steelers play-by-play, and they had perhaps the best color analyst in the business, Myron Cope, who was generally the fan favorite in broadcasts more often than not.
In baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates had the great Lanny Frattare. He began as a color analyst for Milo Hamilton and would call two innings of a game. In 1979, he took over play-by-play and signed off from every Pirates victory with his signature phrase: "The Pirates win, and there was no doubt about it." It's worth noting that Bob Prince, another legendary announcer, influenced Frattare.
In the world of hockey, we had the great Mike Lange, a renowned figure in the broadcast profession. For decades, he entertained fans with his famous catchphrases like "Call Arnold Slick from Turtle Creek" or "Get in the fast lane, grandma, the bingo game is ready to roll." He also made the ever-popular announcement, "Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has just left the building," after every Penguin's win. Like Frattare and Cope, Prince inspired Lange's style.
As the 2024 season gets underway, it's hoped that King will continue the tradition of vibrant and engaging play-by-play announcers that Pittsburgh fans have cherished over the years. Hopefully, he will inspire the next generation of Steelers fans, providing them with their broadcast memories for the next 30 years. Meanwhile, even as King starts his tenure as the new voice of the Steelers, we can still expect to hear Craig Wolfley's trademark "gadzooks" occasionally.