To so many people, watching or listening to a sporting event is akin to a religious experience.
Every game is like going to church and listening to the sermon. And for the past 24 seasons, Bill Hillgrove has been the pastor who preaches to the choir that is Steelers fans.
The 2018 season, which begins Wednesday for Pittsburgh when the players report to training camp at Saint Vincent College, will mark Hillgrove's 25th as the play-by-play man for the Steelers' radio broadcasts. And it's been one heck of a journey.
Hillgrove, 77, has become synonymous with Steelers football for generations of fans. His distinct baritone voice is like a song each week to which Steelers fans dance — or mourn, depending upon the outcome of that week's game.
Like many great stories, Hillgrove's journey from the streets of the Garfield section of Pittsburgh to joining what he called a very small club with only 32 members, was one littered with a splash of luck coupled with a lot of hard work and talent.
The son of an electrician, Hillgrove was looking for a way to follow in his father's footsteps when his first stroke of good fortune arrived.
"When I was 13, my dad was an electrician. My aunt said she had a nun friend at the Pittsburgh Diocese TV School who was looking for a kid. 'You should investigate it.'" Hillgrove told me. "I said, ‘Yeah, I’d like to learn how to fix radios and TVs.’ I show up thinking this to be the case and she handed me a script and said to read it. I read it. She said, ‘Perfect, just what I’m looking for.’ I said, ‘What’s that, sister?’ She said, ‘A 13-year-old brat.’ I said, ‘I don’t need a script for that.’
"I ended up being a teenager from this family. The name of the series was “Morning, Noon and Night.” It was about a Catholic family. We did live stuff on (W)DUQ. We did live stuff on (W)MCK McKeesport, (W)EDO McKeesport. At a young age, I got a feel for the fact I was comfortable on this side of the microphone. That’s where it started."
This was the early 1950s and television was just starting to grab hold of the nation's attention. Radio was still king. And a young Bill Hillgrove found he liked talking into the microphone.
Sports also remained his first love.
"The field behind our house was high enough that you could see the lights at Forbes Field on a summer night," he recalled. "I remember looking at those lights and thinking, ‘Boy, I’d like to be part of that someday. I’d like to be a Major League Baseball player.’ I wasn’t the best kid in our neighborhood, so how was I going to be a Major League Baseball player? But one thing led to another. Sports was always there."
After his graduation from Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School and Duquesne University in 1962, Hillgrove landed a job at WTAE radio as a disc jockey. That also meant pulling other duties, as well, including working as a booth announcer for WTAE-TV, starting in 1968. He later became sports director and an on-air talent for the station.
And his love of sports shone through. His big break came in 1969.
"I had the evening shift that was heavy on scores. I did them every 15 minutes," Hillgrove said. "I was as close to sports as I could get at the time. Finally, the boss came to me and asked if I had done play-by-play. I said when I was a student at Duquesne, I did a little bit of high school football and a lot of Duquesne basketball. He said, ‘Good. Ed Conway is going to do the football and you’re going to do the basketball.’ Pitt basketball hadn’t been on since the Don Hennon days. This was a good 10 years later. He said, ‘Ed Conway can’t travel, so you’ll do basketball and help him with football.’ I was his color man for four years (on football). And then when Ed passed away in ’74, they said you’re the play-by-play man. That’s when that started."
Hillgrove has been the voice of Pitt basketball for the past 49 years. He'll mark his 50th year in the booth this season as the voice of the Panthers' basketball program along with Dick Groat, his partner since 1979, making them college basketball's longest-tenured radio broadcast team.
He became so synonymous with Pitt athletics that many people forget he is a graduate of once-fierce rival Duquesne. It was also a reason he didn't apply for the position as the Steelers' play-by-play man when longtime broadcaster Jack Fleming retired following the 1993 season.
Fleming had called West Virginia football and basketball in addition to being the voice of the Steelers since 1965. He and Hillgrove regularly crossed paths and he called Fleming to congratulate him on his retirement.
"I knew Jack Fleming very well. To say we were great friends would not be accurate, but we were pals," Hillgrove said. "When he retired, I called him to congratulate him and when I heard his voice, I could tell he wasn’t very happy. So I kind of knew what happened. Into the process, I get a call from Tony Quatrini, who then was the sales manager for TAE radio. He said, Mr. (Steelers president Dan) Rooney is asking for your tape.’ I said, ‘What tape? I didn’t submit any tape.’ He said, ‘No, he’s using it to compare to the others coming in. The more he hears it, the more he likes it.’ I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m a candidate for a job I’m not seeking.’"
Little did he know.
"I got a call from (then-Steelers director of football operations) Tom Donahoe a couple of weeks later and he said, ‘Things are looking good for you.’ I went, ‘Oh my, isn’t this something.’" Hillgrove said, his eyes still lighting up when recalling the story. "In retrospect, it’s probably the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me. It got me out of the local television sports business, which changed drastically — and not for the better, thanks to ESPN and its arrival. If you want information, that’s where you go. Local TV sports is kind of like warm and fuzzy stuff, which isn’t me. It was a great thing that happened. I go from being one of 320 college football broadcasters to being one of 32. It’s a very small club."
A very small club indeed. But he was also joining a moving train. And this one was one that was going places.
In 1994, the Steelers were gaining momentum under then-head coach Bill Cowher. After what was a down decade in the 1980s after the success of winning four Super Bowls in the 1970s, the Steelers were again starting to capture the attention of Pittsburgh.
And Hillgrove also was stepping into a booth with an icon, color man Myron Cope. Cope was as beloved as the Steelers. Not just anyone could step into that booth.
Luckily for Hillgrove, he and Cope had worked together before, first at WTAE, later in one season doing Pitt football in 1983, when color man Johnny Sauer was unable to handle his duties because of illness.
"I had a preview because Myron did the 1983 Pitt season when Johnny Sauer wouldn’t pass the doctor’s exam," Hillgrove said. "I remember (then-WTAE GM) Ted Adkins called Myron in and said, ‘Myron. Bill needs a partner.’ And Myron told him, ‘I’m busy enough, I’ve got morning commentary, afternoon, evening. I’ve got the Steelers. I’ve got the talk show.’ Ted goes, ‘Your contract is up at the end of the year.’ Cope said, ‘I’m all ears.’"
The two were paired together that season with one provision. Cope had a relative getting married that fall in Latrobe. He wanted to attend the reception. But there was one problem. Pitt was playing at Maryland that day.
"He had it written into his deal that Pitt would fly him in from College Park to Latrobe Memorial Airport," Hillgrove said. "As I understand it, they took off, it was a beautiful day. And as they got up over the mountains, they requested permission to land and there was an airshow at Latrobe. The guy told them they couldn’t land. They had biplanes and daredevils and bombers. (The pilot) said, ‘We can’t land there, what do you want to do?’ Cope said, ‘Tell them you’ve got a VIP on board. Tell them it’s Myron Cope.’ The pilot says, ‘I have Myron Cope on board.’ There’s 10 seconds of silence and then the tower says, ‘I need four for the Cleveland game.’ And they stopped the traffic and he landed and made it to his favorite cousin’s wedding reception."
You want stories? Hillgrove has thousands of them garnered from his decades of calling the games he loves. And many involve his good friend and partner, Cope.
Cope, who died in 2008, took up golfing late in life after his wife Mildred died. And, not a big man, he wasn't a big hitter off the tee by any standards. He also wasn't a great golfer, but not for lack of trying.
Hillgrove was golfing with him one day at a course near Hillgrove's cabin at Conneaut Lake, Pa., when Cope had his best shot at breaking 100.
"He shot 103 because of his hard-headedness," Hillgrove recalled with a chuckle. "We were at a par-3 No. 16 at the old park course, which is no more, at Conneaut Lake. It was about 145 yards and he pulled his first shot into the water. There was a red stake, and I said, ‘Myron, you can take a drop and have a little chip up onto the green.’ He says, ‘No, no.’ Boop, he hits his second one into the water and then a third."
A real, live moment out of the movie "Tin Cup," I ask?
"Tin Cupped it, exactly," Hillgrove said. "So he had a 103 and he would have broken 100 had he taken our advice and took the drop. He never did break 100."
The two meshed not only off the field, but in the booth, as well, with Hillgrove's smooth delivery providing the perfect match to Cope's quick-witted nasal, high-pitched screech.
"That was the great thing about Cope. He was off the wall, but if you lateraled him the football, he took it," Hillgrove said. "He knew what to do with it. I miss him. I miss him a lot. We were pals."
Cope retired following the 2004 season and Hillgrove has since been joined by color man and former Steelers offensive linemen Tunch Ilkin in the booth and Craig Wolfley on the sidelines.
They have called three Super Bowls together -- he and Cope did one in 1995 -- and those games and the ones leading up to them mark some of Hillgrove's favorite calls.
"Super Bowl 43," Hillgrove said of his favorite call without missing a beat.
Hillgrove's call is as iconic as the play itself. "Second-and-goal at the 7. Forty-three seconds to go. Ben gets the snap. He's back. He pumps. He scrambles around. He throws to the back corner of the end zone. Santonio with a touchdown! Santonio Holmes! I don't know how he did it!"
"Ben (Roethlisberger) took them down the field despite a holding call, and put the ball on the hands of a Steelers player every single time," Hillgrove said of the play. "Santonio (Holmes) probably should have had the one on the left side of the end zone, but it was away from me, looking to the other side on the left side of the field, so I’m in a predicament. But I was always taught to watch the official. I see Ben throw it and I see the (defender’s) hands go up, but it goes through the defender’s hands. I see Santonio appear to catch it, but at that point, I’m guessing. And I saw, and I think it was Boris Cheek, I think he was the field judge on that side. When his hands got to his waist, I knew they were going up for a touchdown, so I was kind of lucky calling touchdown. That’s the way it was. If you watch any replay, it certainly was a touchdown, despite the protestations of people from the other side. That was a magical moment. That was as good as it gets."
As good as it gets. In that respect, Hillgrove has been fortunate. The Steelers have had just three losing seasons in his time behind the microphone. They've made the playoffs 18 times in his 24 seasons, advancing to the Super Bowl four times -- winning twice -- with nine AFC Championship Game appearances.
"I can't begin to verbalize all of the great calls he's had over the years," said Wolfley. "When you hear that voice, it takes you into all of that history. It's just amazing. And to also do Pitt basketball and football at the same time? I don't know how he does it, but Billy doesn't miss a beat. He's always on (target)."
It's a run of which many broadcasters can only dream.
"It really has been," Hillgrove said. "Four Super Bowls in 25 years. A lot of cities can’t look at that ratio, for sure, even a lot of cities near lakefronts. That includes Detroit. It’s been a good run. And a lot of fun. I get busy, sure, starting in August. But it’s kind of a slow rev up and it hits a peak in November, when basketball gets started. I’m looking forward to that, too, which hopefully makes up for that aberration last year. It was a tough year. People say, 'How tough was it?' I say it was way tougher on Dick Groat and Curtis Aiken because they had to try to make sense out of it. I can talk about points, minutes, fouls. I can do my thing. Those guys, they didn’t have much to talk about. They never did learn how to win. It was sad. I think it will change quickly.
"(The Steelers) never think about 4-12. A bad year is 8-8. That’s terrible. The standard is the standard, to borrow some words. And when you walk past those Lombardi Trophies in the hallway, you’re reminded that winning is expected. That’s a very good thing."
That's also why Hillgrove isn't thinking of retirement, even though he's asked about it from time to time.
He loves what he's doing and doing what he's always loved. He is, after all, just a Pittsburgh guy. And Pittsburgh guys get the job done. And they don't put on airs, even if their voice is synonymous with the Steelers for generations of fans.
"It is kind of scary. You go from a kid from Garfield who hopes to have a broadcast career to what some people consider icon status. I don’t, but if they do, that’s fine," he said. "I’ve always believed that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If they like it and they like me, OK. Another thing I’ve always accepted and Myron did, too, is that you’re always on duty, 24-7. If people want to come up when you’re in a public place and say ‘Hi,’ fine. Don’t act like a big shot or a celebrity. Be accommodating. If you’re important to them, that’s great. Besides, if I did act like a big shot, a couple of my mother’s brothers would come out of the grave and kick the crap out of me."
Over 50 years of broadcasting and consistent travel can take a toll, though. And for that, Hillgrove is thankful for his family and their commitment to his craft, as well.
His wife, Rosette, and children, Bill Jr. and Leah, have been there for a lot of the good times, as well. And they've put up with his crazy travel schedule.
Now, his son serves as one of his two spotters during Steelers games, just as he has done for a number of years on Pitt broadcasts.
"I kiddingly say my wife has raised two beautiful children while I was playing in the sand box," Hillgrove said. "There’s a lot of truth to that. I couldn’t have done it without the family support. I remember talking to (former Green Bay Packers broadcaster) Ray Scott. Ray was always my idol. He sent me a three-page letter when I got the Steelers job. That system is the one I use today and it’s the one that works. You need two spotters, one to watch the one team and one to watch the other team. One guy can’t watch two teams. I remember Ray telling me, ‘Billy, I have 230 travel days coming up and I feel it’s a strain on my marriage.’ Sure enough, he ended up getting a divorce and it was sad. Fortunately, my travel, compared to the guys that do the national stuff, is pretty limited. I have home games. They don’t have home games. It’s a tough row to hoe. My kids grew up, even though I’m a Duquesne graduate, running around the basketball floor at Pitt. My wife, who is also a Duquesne graduate, also is a Pitt fan. It’s a natural process. But without their support? Nobody is an island. They made it possible."
So have the millions of fans out there for both Pitt and the Steelers.
"It’s a blessing to be involved with teams I grew up rooting for. It doesn’t even begin to resemble work," he said. "It’s just pure pleasure. People say, ‘Do you think about the R word?’ Why would I think about retirement? What could I retire to where I would have more fun than I’m having now? It’s been a good ride and I hope it continues for a long time."
