It wasn’t their fault
As with Cope before him, Groat’s work slipped in face of undefeated Time
Where was Joe Gordon when Dick Groat needed him?
Turns out Gordon, the Steelers’ former long-time public-relations icon, was on the beach in Fort Myers, Fla., on his annual, month-long respite from Pittsburgh’s funky March weather.
“Did Dick die?” Gordon asked me when I called him Thursday night.
No, thank goodness, Groat is very much alive at 88. But a piece of him must have died when Pitt officials told him he was done as a color commentator on their men’s basketball radio broadcasts after 40 years of service. His final game was Pitt’s final game of the season, a 73-59 loss Wednesday night to Syracuse in the ACC tournament.
“Dan Rooney and I talked a lot,” Gordon said. “He always said there’s no way you can fire someone and have it be pleasant. That’s just the reality of
sports or business or politics.”
It was brutal for Bob Prince in 1975 when KDKA fired him as Pirates broadcaster after 28 years. He was more beloved than any player in the organization with the possible exception of Roberto Clemente.
It’s just as brutal for Groat, a kind, gentle man liked by everyone. He lived for and loved his work at Pitt and treasured his time with play-by-play man Bill Hillgrove every bit as much as he did his spectacular career as an athlete, which took him from Swissvale High School to Duke, where he was an All-American basketball player with his jersey hanging in the Cameron Indoor Stadium rafters, to the Pirates, with whom he played shortstop and became a National League MVP.
“He was the best athlete to ever come out of Western Pennsylvania,” Gordon said. “The guy was a phenomenal athlete. In reality, he was a legend.”
I second that opinion. Pitt officials have taken a bit of a beating for firing Groat, just as KDKA executives were vilified for firing Prince. That’s unfair. Pitt was in a difficult spot. Groat’s work had slipped through no fault of his own. Father Time is and always will be undefeated. Pitt needed to make a change. It probably should have made it a few years ago.
Groat really could have used Gordon.
This goes back to the 2004 NFL season, legendary radio broadcaster Myron Cope’s 35th and final season with the Steelers. Cope was more popular among the team’s fan base than any of the Hall of Famers from the team’s Super ‘70s dynasty with the possible exception of Jack Lambert. Cope died in February 2008, at 79, but his impact on the franchise and the city is easy to see even today when Terrible Towels are waved at Heinz Field and stadiums across the country.
“Maybe five years earlier, Myron came to me and said, ‘If I ever slip, please be the first to tell me,’ “Gordon recalled. “I knew he was very sincere about that. He took so much pride in his work. His standards were very, very high.”
The day finally came soon after the 2004 season. Gordon visited Cope at his Mount Lebanon townhouse.
“He was my best friend and I was his best friend,” Gordon said. “In that context, you want to do what’s right for your friend. You don’t want him to embarrass himself.”
Gordon was brutally honest with Cope.
“You say I’m done. How do you know I’m done? You don’t listen to the broadcasts,” Cope told Gordon.
“He was right,” Gordon said. “It never made sense to me to watch a game on television and listen to it on the radio. But a couple of the Steelers’ marketing people had told me that Myron was losing it. They said he was losing his fastball and making a lot of mistakes. So I started to listen …
“I told Myron, ‘They’re right. You’ve lost it.’ “
Gordon estimated the conversation took 10 minutes.
“That’s it. I’m done,” Cope told Gordon.
“There was no further discussion,” Gordon said. “He accepted it. He didn’t resent it. He didn’t fight it. I give him all the credit in the world for that.”
Cope announced his retirement in June 2005, citing health reasons. Gordon saved him the embarrassment of being fired.
It was the least a best friend could do.