When some
Tennessee Titans gleefully trampled yellow terry cloth last season -- scenes
of which are being hyped by NBC to promote the Sept. 10 rematch at Heinz
Field -- their coach said they were unaware of the story behind the Terrible
Towel.
"They don't understand the significance or meaning of the Towel itself to the
organization, the Steelers history or the Steelers fans," coach Jeff Fisher said
at the time, adding that the episode "isn't a big deal to me."
Yes, the Terrible Towel is the battle flag of a city and its football team,
and every quadrant of the Steeler Universe is about to throttle up to a setting
of Full Towel when the NFL season kicks off.
But since 1996, at the behest of the late Myron Cope, royalties from the sale
of hundreds of thousands of Towels have raised $3 million for a school that
serves some of society's most vulnerable individuals -- those with severe
intellectual and developmental needs who are unable to care for themselves.
"Myron's generosity has been a godsend, and that's no exaggeration," said
Regis Champ, president and CEO of Allegheny Valley School. "Every time we sell a
Towel, his legacy grows as our special benefactor, and our residents benefit."
The charitable contributions are earmarked for high-end wheelchairs, computer
technology that gives voice to those who cannot speak, a mechanized lift in the
swimming pool or something as mundane as fixing a leaky roof.
Outsiders may not be the only ones unaware of the story, however, and the
powerful threads that connect two of the most colorful figures in the city's
sports history.
In a hallway at the school's corporate center in Coraopolis, two displays
hang side by side. One has a portrait of Myron Cope -- who had a Hall of Fame
career as the color announcer on Steelers broadcasts -- and The Towel. The other
depicts the late Bob Prince and his own icon, the Green Weenie, which benefited
the school from its earliest days. And it was The Gunner -- as he was known
during his Hall of Fame career when he was the voice of the Pirates -- who
helped enroll Myron's son Danny into the school.
"Bob Prince raised a lot of money for Allegheny Valley School. It was his
favorite charity. Our gymnasium and pool complex is named after him," said Mr.
Champ. "This is a story of how Pittsburgh takes care of its own, which makes it
the place that it is."
A legacy of voices
Allegheny Valley School was born in 1960 because an orphanage closed. When
adoptive families could not be found for 10 children from the Pittsburgh Home
for Babies, philanthropist Patricia Hillman Miller established the school.
"Bob Prince was a close friend of hers, and he was a founding member of the
board of directors. Whatever money he made from the Green Weenie, he donated to
the school," Mr. Champ said in a recent tour.
Baseball fans of a certain age will recall that the Green Weenie, like the
Terrible Towel, had special powers, or so its inventor claimed. At crucial
moments in a game during 1966, The Gunner would exhort fans to help the Pirates
by shaking a green plastic hot dog at opponents. Honest.
The Terrible Towel, meanwhile, became part of the local sports scene in a
1975 playoff game. The blend of color and motion had special powers to lift the
Steelers at crucial moments, or so its creator maintained.
Then fate brought the two icons together. In 1982, Mr. Prince heard through
the grapevine that Mr. Cope was looking for a new school for his son, who had
been living in Philadelphia. Diagnosed with severe mental retardation when he
was an infant, the boy required 24-hour care.
There was some friction between the two ego-driven announcers. But when The
Gunner pitched Allegheny Valley School as the place for Danny Cope, a friendship
blossomed.
"After the ice was broken between them, they became fast friends," Mr. Champ
said. "Suddenly, they were supporting each other by raising funds for AVS."
Life works in astonishing ways. Danny Cope, now 41, has never spoken a word
in his life. The two best known benefactors of his school were known for their
distinctive voices.
Quality of life
Early on, the Cope family came to grips with the heartbreaking reality that
the demands of taking care of Danny were too much for them. His father placed
him in a home, and it was thought that he would never have a productive life.
"He's pretty much in a world of his own," said Elizabeth Cope, 38, Danny's
younger sister who has served as his legal guardian since she was 15. "He has
many limitations, but the love isn't limited.
"You can get to know him. He laughs. He cries. And even if he's never spoken
a word, he makes his feelings be known," she added. "He definitely has his own
personality. He's his own person -- as much as my dad was almost. I know he
feels loved."
She's working to get her brother a computerized device that will allow him to
speak. Meanwhile, in the years that he has been at Allegheny Valley School,
Danny developed skills that enable him to hold down a job, earning a small
paycheck for sorting things like parts for electrical switches. He and three
roommates live in a supervised home. He goes to some social events, but it would
be a stretch to say that he understands what football is.
"Things changed dramatically for Danny. He's leading a quality life," Mr.
Champ said. "Myron could not get over Danny's growth. His mind was at ease when
he died."
When Mr. Cope passed away in 2008, his daughter draped his coffin with a
quilt made from Terrible Towels that were sewn together by a fan. She chose the
quilt because it represents the many different people who touched their lives.
"There aren't many things in life that bring people together, but the
Steelers are one of those things," Ms. Cope said.
But she wrestles with mixed feelings because twirling towels remind her of
the father she lost. Her mother, Mildred, died in 1994.
"There's a mixture of pain and pride," she said. "I miss my dad more than
anyone will ever know. I miss hearing his voice at games. He was way more than a
towel. But I know [the towel] helps the school, and I'm grateful for everything
they've done. I wouldn't be able to take care of my brother myself. He's the
only family I have left."
A super donation
The Terrible Towel had become so popular that it was trademarked, mass
produced and sold as an officially licensed product for 20 years.
Then one day in 1996, its creator visited the school that cares for his son
and casually tossed a packet of legal papers across the president's desk.
Mr. Champ remembers the conversation like it was yesterday.
"He said, 'I'm giving you The Towel.' I said, 'Thanks, Myron, but I already
have a couple of them.' Then he said, 'No, no. I'm transferring the trademark.'
It took me one second to understand what he was doing and what it would mean for
us. It was incredibly generous and thoughtful," Mr. Champ said.
The only instructions were to preserve the dignity of The Towel, and that the
money from the royalties should be used to improve the quality of life of the
school's residents.
"We take that responsibility very seriously. We owe it to Myron to do that,"
Mr. Champ said.
The school has grown into a statewide network, serving about 900 children and
adults in nine counties. Its mission is to have them live with purpose and
dignity and to function as independently as possible.
Allegheny Valley School operates as a Medicaid program with an annual budget
of $130 million in federal dollars.
The Terrible Towel has provided $3 million extra in the past 13 years. When
the Steelers won Super Bowl XL, it meant a windfall of $1 million in royalties
from The Towel and related items. Spurred by the winning of a sixth Lombardi
Trophy in February, this year's sales have approached that amount.
"Detroit was phenomenal. Tampa is close. We couldn't be more pleased," Mr.
Champ said.
And the way Mr. Cope set up the legacy, all the marketing is done by the
Steelers.
"We get a check from them every month," Mr. Champ said. "We could not have a
better partner than the Steelers. They make us feel like part of their family.
It's not a business deal. It's a family deal."
Towel power
The last time the Steelers lost was Dec. 21 to the Titans. The lingering
images involve Keith Bulluck and LenDale White doing the Tennessee two-step on
the terry cloth, and Jevon Kearse blowing his nose in it.
Network analyst Bill Cowher said at the time that if he were still coach of
the Steelers he'd keep the videotape handy for when the two teams meet again. "I
know what I'm pulling out the night before the game," he said.
He's not the only one who sees a lesson in being careful about what you step
in. Tackle Max Starks tucked the memory into the back of his mind.
"It's a matter of respect. I guess teams feel like they're getting back at us
by beating up on a lifeless object," he said. "Their time will come. It's not
exactly bulletin board material, but you don't forget."
Those associated with Allegheny Valley School and the Cope legacy are
magnanimous about it.
For one thing, the desecration backfired, as did the act of Phoenix Mayor
Phil Gordon wiping his nose in a Terrible Towel before the Super Bowl.
"No offense was taken," Mr. Champ said. "The stompers actually did us a big
favor. That stomp got us a lot of national publicity. It did nothing but keep us
in the public eye. I have to say thanks. It was one of the best things that ever
happened to us."
Ill feelings aren't something that Elizabeth Cope wants to carry around
either. "I am so not offended," she said. "This was something that happened in a
football game. There was no evil intent. They didn't mean any harm to my brother
or Allegheny Valley School or Bob Prince. They don't know the huge story behind
the Towel."
Besides, look how things turned out.
"The Towel cannot be beaten. When you see all those people waving towels,
it's like a wave of consciousness," Ms. Cope said. "There are some forces
greater than ourselves. I think the Terrible Towel is one of those things."
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