Pittsburgh Legacy of Sports Chroniclers

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Roger l. McNamara

End of By-Lines?    It may well be that the relentless march of technological change and associated everyday life style preferences will consign to the dustbin of history a daily appearance whose origins can be traced back over centuries, and whose regular enjoyment was as much taken for granted as the next breath of air.  The item in question is the newspaper.  The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (hereinafter: PG) has since 2018 curtailed hard copies to twice weekly, Thursday and Sunday.  A long standing popular afternoon daily,  The Tribune-Review  (hereinafter: TR) actually jumped ahead in this business model adjustment, publishing its final hard copy edition on November 30,  2016. Each of these can now be accessed on line seven days of the week. Decisions such as these are merely a few of doubtless hundreds in today’s print media responding to present day economies, just as surely as long ago the widespread availability of electric power tolled the knell for most indoor candles and all gas powered street lights.   

Pleasures Past and Present.   Western Pennsylvania sports enthusiasts have long been well served by outstanding writers, continuing into the present day.  This is especially so in that the scribes have often covered topics not generally addressed on Yinzer --- swimming, tennis, golf, track and field events, to name a few.  A look at the histories and present day output of a few from the talented PG group:

• Albert Edward Abrams (1904-1977) typed out his opening story for the PG in 1926, faithfully continuing until his 1977 passing.  His columns previewing days leading up to some  Steeler Super Bowls were (and remain) as cherished as those covering the game itself.  He served as Editor of the PG’s sports page for nearly 30 years, all the while finding the time and devoting his range of talents as Founder and President of the Post-Gazette Dapper Dan Club. From its 1936 debut until Abrams’ passing it contributed over $800,000 to various charitable organizations.  In a posthumous honor the Club in 1979 initiated an Al Abrams Memorial Award, presented to those elite athletes who had gained admission into their respective Halls of Fame.     

• Robert Smizik first applied his talents in 1969 as PG’s beat reporter covering The Pirates and University of Pittsburgh football and basketball.  A Pittsburgh native and graduate of both Peabody High School and the University of Pittsburgh, Bob earned a 1983 promotion to full time columnist.  PG’s pages were once energized and enlivened by a printed debate between him and colleague Joe Starkey on a question having no universally agreed upon answer:  Who Are the Top 10 Steeler Players of All Time?  Bob was further loved and admired by radio listeners in the 1990’s for his frequent guest appearances on Sportsbeat.  We may assume that, now into his early 80’s, Bob is enjoying retirement years while continuing to make Pittsburgh his home.

• Myron Sidney Kopelman --- familiarly Myron Cope (1929-2008) --- first brought his gifts of writing and narration to Western Pennsylvania in the early 1950’s with Erie’s Daily Times, then quickly joining the PG.   Although an immensely skilled writer over a range of athletic battlegrounds, Myron was best known for his body of work trained on football.   Deserving and fitting for this Pittsburgh native who was graduated by Taylor Allderice High School and the University of Pittsburgh, Myron settled in as radio voice color commentator of the Pittsburgh Steelers, a role he launched in 1970 and at which he excelled for the next three and one half decades.   Awards and formal accolades began to pour in, for example a 1987 designation by the Hearst Corporation for noteworthy literary achievements, Cope’s name joining those of Mark Twain, Jack London and Walter Winchell.  For a time he freelanced with Sports Illustrated, at whose 50th Anniversary Gala Cope’s profile of Howard Cosell was named one of the magazine’s 50 best pieces in its history.   Television viewers were often and roundly treated to his slots on WTAE, on which the white lab coated adorned “Dr. Cope” shared his predictions on the upcoming Steeler game under the rubric “Cope-a-Scope.”   It was he who from the booth nicknamed Jerome Bettis “The Bus”; Jack Lambert “Jack Splat”; Kordell Stewart “Slash” --- monickers retained to this day.  The introducer of The Terrible Towel would be called to rest at age 79 in Mt. Lebanon, PA.

These men having carved an enviable path, readers today are able to enjoy the work of:

• Gerry Dulac, who in addition to in depth coverage of the Steelers (on and off the field) maintains close and informative tabs on PGA Golf tournaments.  Something definitely to eagerly anticipate is his account of the upcoming Masters; 

• Gene Collier soldiers on at age 70. Now a 28 year veteran at PG, Gene has recently published   thought provoking opinions on the NFL’s approach to both head injuries and the various shortcomings of its replay set up, specifically how exactly a referee should best navigate assorted subtleties in ruling a completed pass reception; 

• Following nearly a half-century on the job, Ed Bouchette announced his 2019 retirement.  Occasionally turning his thoughts and articles to lifestyle habits and politics, Ed’s broad familiarity with the NFL has earned him a place on the League’s Hall of Fame selection committee; 

• A coming article in this space will address sports staff writers at the Tribune-Review.