PITTSBURGH, PA (PTTP) – Legends come, and legends go in the world of sports media, and the
Pittsburgh area got to say goodbye to one of the greats. Bill Hillgrove, the local broadcasting
legend, and voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers, has announced his retirement from the Steelers
Radio Network after 30 years of calling games for the black and gold.
Hillgrove started at WTAE in 1959, working various jobs before landing a full-time sports
anchor role in 1975. He has been an influential voice in Pittsburgh sports for decades as the
play-by-play voice of the Pitt Panthers football team for 50 years and the Pitt basketball team for
55 years. In 1994, he was handpicked by Steelers owner Dan Rooney to replace the retiring Jack
Fleming as the team’s play-by-play announcer.
It just so happened that once Hillgrove had joined the Steelers, the 2000s became the decade for
the black and gold, other than the era of the Steel Curtain teams. Over the past 30 years, he was
there for every major moment, mainly including Super Bowl XL in 2005 when the then-Bill.
Cowher Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks, and in 2008, when the Mike Tomlin Steelers had
defeated the Arizona Cardinals in “Cinderella” fashion.
Hillgrove was the last play-by-play announcer for both an NFL team and a major college football
team in the same city. He was the only one who covered basketball, too. Joe Starkey called both
the San Francisco 49ers and the California Bears up until his retirement two years ago.
With that being said, according to CBS News, there is some excitement to look forward to if you
follow Pitt sports, specifically basketball and football. Hillgrove stated, “As to the next chapter
of my life, I’ll do Pitt football, and I’ll do Pitt basketball because my brother is the engineer, and
we room together on the road.”
The Steelers have not named Hillgrove’s replacement yet but for more information on who the
new play-by-play man may be, Pitt to the Point will provide updates in the coming weeks.
Credit: CBS News