Don't Disrespect The Terrible Towel : Pittsburgh Steelers Terrible Towel

steelerscurseofcope

It’s not known for sure but the Curse of Cope might be eternal, as the Tennessee Titans are finding out. The Titans again fell victim to the curse losing 13-10 to the Steelers on the regular season opening game September, 10 2009.

Created in 1975 by Myron Cope, the Steelers radio broadcaster, the Towel has become one of the most widely recognized symbols of fan loyalty of any major professional sports team. The Towel has been taken to the peak of Mount Everest and even seen on Saturday Night Live. It is widely recognized as a symbol of the Steelers and the city of Pittsburgh.

If you don’t live in Steeler Country one of the easiest ways you can get the Terrible Towel is by ordering online at Amazon.com

Terrible Towel Facts:

During the 2005 season, when the Steelers won their fifth Super Bowl, more than 1 million Towels were sold; as some fans bought 200 Towels at a time.
The Original commercially marketed Terrible Towel, sold exclusively by Gimbel’s Department Store in 1976, and the current manufacturer of the Towel is McArthur Towel & Sports Co., in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
Cope advertised the idea of the towel to fans on the radio and evening television news before a game against the Baltimore Colts, using the phrase “The Terrible Towel is poised to strike! However, there was concern that fans would think the towel was a jinx if the Steelers lost the game.
Linebacker Jack Ham told Cope, “I think your idea stinks”; Ernie “Fats” Holmes was also against the Towel idea. Also against the idea of the Towel was Andy Russell. During the Towel’s debut game Andy Russell, who had opposed the idea of the Towel, returned a fumble 93 yards for a touchdown which inspired local fan Lisa Benz to write a poem about the Towel, which she later sent to Cope.
Fans have taken the Towel to locations such as The Great Wall of China, the South Pole, Vatican City, and to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, the peak of Mount Everest, Iraq and Afghanistan and even the International Space Station.
In 1994, Browns running back Earnest Byner stepped on the Towel yelling, “We don’t care about your towel. We’re going to beat you this time.” This act “provoked other Steelers and Browns to mingle. Not affectionately. The Steelers won the game.
In 1996, Cope gave the rights to The Terrible Towel to the Allegheny Valley School in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania and proceeds from the Terrible Towel have helped raise more than $3 million for the school.
During a December 4, 2005 game at Heinz Field, T. J. Houshmandzadeh of the Cincinnati Bengals wiped his feet on a Towel after he scored a touchdown. Although the Bengals managed a 7-point victory in that regular season game, the Steelers came back to defeat them 31–17 in the playoffs, on their way to a victory in Super Bowl XL.
On December 21, 2008, LenDale White and Keith Bulluck of the Tennessee Titans stepped on a Terrible Towel after the Titans’s 31–14 victory. Tennessee was eliminated during the divisional round of the 2008 playoffs, and then the Titans lost 13-10 to the Steelers on the regular season opening game September, 10 2009.
On January 27, 2009, before the Arizona Cardinals faced the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon used the Terrible Towel to wipe the armpits of Cardinals mascot, Big Red. Gordon then blew his nose on the towel. The Cardinals then proceeded to lose the Super Bowl to the Steelers, 27-23.