Following the passing of Pittsburgh sports icon Stan Savran on Monday evening, members of the Post-Gazette sports staff felt compelled to share their memories. Below is a collection of our thoughts, which will be updated throughout the day:
Mike White, high school sports reporter
I was a freshman in high school in 1976, listening to pretty much anything on sports at night on my parents’ gigantic stereo console in our family living room. Moving the radio dial one night, I came across this guy who moved here from Cleveland and had a sports talk show on WWSW-AM. I was captivated.
That’s when I became a Stan Savran fan.
In his early days, Stan would give out a “Stanley cup” to someone who was a special caller to his show, someone who made good points and Stan enjoyed. He would mail the cup to the caller. I longed for one of those “Stanley cups” when I was in high school. How could I ever have dreamed I would be a guest on his talk show at WTAE radio a decade later, talking for an hour on high school football recruiting?
That night started an almost 40-year relationship with a guy whom I admired and felt honored to work with, whether as a guest on his talk show or many years doing WPIAL football and basketball championships on TV. I was the color commentator and Stan the play-by-play guy.
That's Stan Savran. We’ve had Pittsburgh sportscasters become icons by way of announcing for teams. Guys like Mike Lange, Myron Cope and Bill Hillgrove. But Stan became an icon by himself — because of his talent, vast array of knowledge of all sports, professionalism and classiness. He never considered it beneath him to even do a high school game on TV. He’d tell me, “You carry the broadcast. I’m the play-by-play. It’s your show.” Wow!
When I used to do a weekly high school segment on Stan's “Sportsbeat” show, it amazed me how much he even knew about high schools.
The consummate pro. That was Stan Savran. A great man. That was Stan Savran, too. I’m glad I got to tell him I love him in a text before he left us. Oh how I wish I could hear him introduce me on his show just one more time.
Pittsburgh will dearly miss you, Stan.
Gerry Dulac, Steelers beat reporter
I’ve known Stan for so long I don’t remember when we met or even the first time I was in his company at a sporting event.
But, having covered the Pirates and Penguins when I first started in the business at the McKeesport Daily News in 1979, and even being at the Steelers’ fourth Super Bowl title at the Rose Bowl, most certainly we crossed paths on many occasions. It wasn’t until I got involved with radio, and later television, that I spent a lot of my professional life around Stan, first with Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh and then Fox Sports Radio (now ESPN Pittsburgh).
And one thing always stood out about Stan: Whenever I was a guest on his show, or, in some instances, a co-host, he treated me with such professional respect you would’ve thought he was working aside Dan Rather. That, though, is how Stan made everyone feel. I used to tease Stan, a passionate tennis player who often attended the U.S. Open, that my greatest accomplishment in life was turning him into a golf fan. Stan attended the Masters one year and I told him he would be blown away by the beauty and magnificence of Augusta National. And he was. After that, he never hesitated to talk golf with me on his show.
I was a weekly guest on Stan’s weekday show for many years, almost always talking about the Steelers. At the end of the segment, I would always tell him I enjoyed our chat. Lately, until his final days on radio, Stan took to promoting my appearance as “our weekly chat.”
I will miss our chats, my friend. That I will always remember.
Brian Batko, Steelers beat reporter
There will be a void in the Acrisure Stadium press box.
Stan Savran was always there on game days, even until the very end, including last season, when he was going through treatments for lung cancer. You wouldn’t have known it, though, because he remained as jovial and professionally driven as he had been before.
To that end, it was always an honor to be on Stan’s radio show. Like many of my colleagues at the Post-Gazette, he would have me as a guest from time to time. And it wasn’t just special because it was Stan Savran, a name that truly resonated with my parents the first time I told them I was going on with him. It also meant you wrote something, or wrote about something, that Stan deemed worthy of discussing at length on the program with his name on it.
Occasionally, he’d call or text me with regard to a piece that I didn’t even anticipate would generate much interest, but he’d found part of it compelling and wanted to ask me about it. That proved to me what the veterans of the local media market had long known. In a clickbait, soundbite world, we still had at least one icon doing it the old-fashioned way.
He read. He researched. He did his homework. It shouldn't come as any surprise that aspect of his legacy never wavered even when he was enduring what would’ve overpowered most others. I’ll always be proud to have crossed paths with him and say that I was able to contribute in some minute way to his distinguished career. And I’ll miss seeing him in the press dining area before kickoff.
Jason Mackey, Pirates beat reporter
When I was about to graduate from Westminster College and trying to get a job in journalism, my dad randomly suggested that I should email Stan Savran. He said he had heard from someone that Stan was reachable and willing to help college kids trying to break into the business.
Not at all shocking after getting to know Stan over the past 10 years or so, he actually responded, giving me a first glimpse of his warm and wonderful personality by offering to help me any way he could and wishing me well in this business.
That was Stan. No matter how big he got — and there are few bigger ones in our city — Stan Savran never big-timed anyone. He cared. He also influenced countless younger writers and broadcasters, especially this one.
When I did finally break into the business and had guest spots on Stan’s radio show, it was surreal every time. Like I didn’t deserve to be there — because, let’s be honest, few are in Stan’s class. At the same time, Stan liked me and respected my work.
We chatted about baseball a lot, hockey when I was over there. I don’t know as much as Stan and would never pretend to. But he was the one who for some reason wanted to hear from me. That was never not humbling and cool.
The world lost a supremely talented, dedicated and passionate broadcaster. The best of this business, really. And he was somehow a better person. The only solace I take in that is that Stan has probably already started positively influencing those around him.
Joe Starkey, sports columnist
Here’s a sampling of the tweets I received upon soliciting questions for this week’s mailbag (where you can find even more heartfelt thoughts) ...
Michael Dillon, @dillonerd: Best Stan Savran story?
Carl, @MunhallCarl: Hi Joe! Hope all is well. Can you please have Ron share his favorite Stan story? Thank you, Tim
Yinzer4life, @Yinzer1983: Your whole show tomorrow should be dedicated to Stan. He was sports talk before sports talk was a thing. Pittsburgh sports media legend.
Philip Clarke, @pfclarke1970: Stan!!!
Like all sports lovers in this town, I was incredibly saddened to hear of Stan’s passing Monday. And as with many of you, Stan’s face and voice became a regular part of my life. It happened for me when I moved here in November 1989 — a few years before the iconic show “SportsBeat” took off. Stan ’n Guy. Love the show! This was Chuck Finder’s piece upon the 2,000th episode.
I watched that show nearly every day. It was my education into Pittsburgh sports. I cannot say I knew Stan well, but our paths crossed often as the 90s stretched into the 2000s, mostly because I was covering the Penguins at the time. It was an unbelievable honor to guest on his radio show. We would talk from time to time in press boxes, and he was always present in conversation, with a quick laugh, and supremely dedicated to his work. Very simply, a good man.
I remember Stan telling me years ago how health issues had cropped up but how he was thrilled to be back on the tennis court. I remember his constant curiosity about Pittsburgh sports topics. There was never a time I saw him where he wasn’t thinking about, and wanting to talk about, some issue in Pittsburgh sports.
Every so often, I would call Stan for insight on a particular topic. Such was the case on a Kent Tekulve story after Teke had a heart transplant.
This was Stan’s take on his good friend and long-time co-worker Teke: “He has a ballplayer’s wicked sense of humor. And you could ask anybody in our news room or production area — they all respected the hell out of him, but they also knew it was OK to jag him just like the guy at the desk next to you.”
Paul Zeise, sports columnist
I was a nobody from nowhere when I arrived at 1250 WTAE way back in the day when it was ESPN radio.
One of the first people I ran into when I walked in the building was Stan Savran. I was blown away that not only did he know who I was, he said he really enjoyed reading my articles in the Post-Gazette. And then he said, "If you need anything, let me know." I came to realize that unlike many who say that, Stan actually meant it.
That was incredible for a wide-eyed optimist like me to realize one of the absolute heavyweights in the business had actually taken an interest in helping others find their way. Nobody who knew Stan would be surprised because that's exactly who he was — a gracious, selfless, humble person who cared about others around him. And it was always genuine.
Stan helped me in many ways at the start and throughout my career, and the best part of it all is I was able to go from calling him a mentor to calling him a friend. Quite frankly, even those who didn't know Stan personally could call him a friend because that's what he was to everyone he met. He was that familiar face that you saw on TV and voice that you heard on the radio every day. If something was happening in Pittsburgh sports, he was the face and voice you turned to first to get his reaction.
Stan always reacted to situations with his wit and sense of humor, but beneath that he was fiercely competitive. He was the best because he worked extremely hard, did his research and was well-read, which is why he was so good at what he did. He will be missed by many, but especially those of us who had the pleasure of getting to work with him and know him.
Noah Hiles, Pitt beat reporter
One of the many cool parts about working in this industry is getting to meet people you grew up admiring. I'm one of many who grew up watching Stan Savran on TV and listening to him on the radio. I can still recall seeing him at a Pirates game as a kid and yelling from afar, "Stan, love the show," to which he replied with a quick smile.
My first professional interaction with Stan occurred during the first quarter of the first game I was covering for the Post-Gazette: last year's Backyard Brawl. I received a text from an unknown number that read, "Hi Noah. This is Stan Savran. I'm very sorry to bother you doing the game, but I'd love to have you on tomorrow at 1220 to talk about the game. Hope you're available." I still laugh at the fact that he assumed there would be a chance I wouldn't have known who he was.
I had the privilege of being the Godfather's on-air guest about a dozen times over the past college athletic season, with the bulk of my appearances taking place during Pitt basketball's March Madness run. Each one of them was enjoyable. I, like countless others, loved the show.
Stan Savran was who I hope to be: a consummate professional who was adored by his audience and greatly admired by his peers. He had a reputation for being someone who always looked out for the "young person" press box. Countless people spoke Monday evening about how he'd taken them "under his wing." Some of those people went on to do the same to me. What a tremendous legacy to leave behind — and a terrific standard to set forward.
FROM SOCIAL MEDIA
Sportscasters have become Pittsburgh icons by way of announcing for teams. But Stan Savran did it himself – because of his talent, knowledge, professionalism & classiness. Will never forget doing many WPIAL championships together on TV.
— Mike White (@mwhiteburgh) June 13, 2023
Pittsburgh will dearly miss you, Stan. pic.twitter.com/PL7KHuzRDZ
Stan Savran kept doing his job humbly, diligently and unflinchingly despite all he was going through in recent years. I’ll always remember that about him. #RIP to a legend.
— Brian Batko (@BrianBatko) June 13, 2023
Sorry to hear we lost @StanLoveTheShow. Legend in Pittsburgh media. Always super nice and one of the best in the business. Was honored to be on the show during March Madness and get to chat with him on air. Always said hi when you saw him around.
— Christopher Carter (@CarterCritiques) June 13, 2023
RIP Stan.
First Published: June 13, 2023, 2:41 p.m.
Updated: June 13, 2023, 2:42 p.m.
