The Terrible Towel Turns 50
Did you know the Terrible Towel has been to space?
PHOTO BY ELAN MIZRAHI
Fifty years ago, an icon was born — out of the kitchen.
In late 1975, the legendary broadcaster Myron Cope asked fans to bring yellow dish towels to Three Rivers Stadium to wave during a divisional-round playoff game. The Steelers defeated Baltimore amid a sea of twirling towels; the next week, they edged out Oakland to win the AFC Championship.
By the time the team traveled to the Orange Bowl to face Dallas in Super Bowl X, fans were armed with the official version: A gold towel bearing the words “Myron Cope’s Terrible Towel” — so named because Cope’s daughter, Elizabeth, called her father’s promotional ideas “terrible.”
In 1996, Cope handed the rights to the Terrible Towel to Merakey Allegheny Valley School, a nonprofit organization that provides services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities; Cope’s son, Danny, lived at the school for many years. The Terrible Towel celebrates its 50th birthday this month, and it’s come a long way from the kitchen: It’s now a staple of Steelers fandom, officially waved by a celebrity guest before many of the team’s home games and taken around the world by loyal fans.
Do you have a picture with a Terrible Towel? Email it to amcclain@pittsburghmagazine.com and we may feature your photo online. Please include your first and last name.
476-307-3
Steelers’ regular season record since the introduction of the Terrible Towel (Best in the NFL)
5
Super Bowl victories since the introduction of the Terrible Towel
Space Travel
The Terrible Towel has been to space, having traveled to the International Space Station with Astronaut Col. Mike Fincke.
$9.5 million +
Merakey Allegheny Valley School has received more than $9.5 million from sales of the Terrible Towel and related merchandise.
Cursed?
Many NFL players believe in the Curse of the Towel, which carries misfortune on opposing players who step on or otherwise disrespect a Terrible Towel.
