Friday, February 21, 2025, 11:46PM |  28°
MENU
Advertisement
Bill Hillgrove, Pitt’s announcer of 50 years, receives a golden microphone during Pitt’s Kick-Off Luncheon at The Westin on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, in Downtown.
2
MORE

'Voice of the Steelers': Players, coaches and fellow broadcasters pay tribute to Bill Hillgrove upon news of his retirement

Benjamin B. Braun/Post-Gazette

'Voice of the Steelers': Players, coaches and fellow broadcasters pay tribute to Bill Hillgrove upon news of his retirement

INDIANAPOLIS — Bill Hillgrove, whose euphonious calls and frolicsome banter delivered Super Bowl victories and countless memorable moments to radio listeners for 30 years, is signing off as the voice of the Steelers.

Hillgrove, 83, announced his retirement Thursday morning on 102.5 WDVE-FM, the flagship home of the Steelers Radio Network — a fitting end for a broadcaster who brought many special moments to the airwaves.

“It was not an easy decision,” Hillgrove said in the moments after his announcement. “The more it was discussed, especially with the family, it became easier. When it’s time, it’s time.”

Advertisement

Tributes and well wishes poured in on social media from Steelers players, coaches and media members following Hillgrove’s announcement.

Pittsburgh defensive back M.J. Devonshire runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine on Friday, March 1, 2024, in Indianapolis.
Ray Fittipaldo
Analysis: Five Steelers takeaways from the 2024 NFL combine

“Congratulations on your retirement, Bill Hillgrove,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin posted on X. “You are a legend in Pittsburgh sports broadcasting, and a legend in life. It’s been a pleasure having you as part of the team all these years.”

“Congratulations to Bill Hillgrove!” former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger posted. “You will certainly be missed. It was an honor to have you call my games. Enjoy your retirement!”

“Quite simply they don’t come any better than Bill Hillgrove!! What a legacy he leaves on radio with the [Steelers],” ESPN and the ACC Network’s Wes Durham posted alongside a photo posing with Hillgrove. “I’ll join others in our industry who’ve benefitted from his wisdom and friendship. Glad he will still be the voice of [Pitt football] & [Pitt men’s basketball].”

Advertisement

No replacement has been named.

“We’ve been so fortunate to have just a few people in that booth for all those years,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said. “Bill was a true professional and brought so much joy to Steelers nation.”

Hillgrove, a Garfield native and Duquesne University graduate, will continue to serve as the radio voice of Pitt football and basketball for at least one more season, his 51st.

“I’m glad he’ll still be with us, but as a Steeler fan, it’s gonna be different not hearing him on the radio because he’s been a staple of that organization for so long,” Pitt men’s basketball coach Jeff Capel said during his Thursday press conference. “I’m grateful that we still have him, that he’ll still be a part of what we’re doing here with our men’s basketball program. When you get a chance to be around someone like that, you cherish every moment that you have.”

Franco Harris and Bill Hillgrove greet each other on the bocce court during the celebrity bocce tournament at Little Italy Days in Bloomfield on Thursday, August 18, 2022.
Paul Zeise
Paul Zeise: Bill Hillgrove is a true legend — and one of the best who has ever sat behind the microphone to call games

Hillgrove replaced the late Jack Fleming as the play-by-play voice of the Steelers in 1994, but only because the late owner, Dan Rooney, approached him about the job. Hillgrove said he didn’t seek the role and never submitted a tape to the Steelers “because Jack Fleming was my friend.”

‘I didn’t submit a tape, and here I am, a candidate for a job I’m not seeking,” Hillgrove said. ‘I had TV. I had Pitt. I was fine.’’

But it only got better from there.

Devoid of ego and as approachable as a Walmart greeter, Hillgrove welcomed his many different radio partners as though they were family. And he had plenty with the Steelers, beginning with the legendary Myron Cope and including Merril Hoge, Tunch Ilkin and Craig Wolfley.

The latest member of the broadcast crew, former tackle Max Starks, remembers his first game as the sideline reporter for the Steelers. Hillgrove gave him a hug and told him to have fun.

“Billy made everybody feel welcome, made you feel comfortable,” Starks said. “And he was always upbeat. He’d come in every game and with that voice of his say, ‘Hello, Max.’ ”

Hillgrove was in rare company. He thought he and the late Jack Buck, who did play-by-play for St. Louis Cardinals baseball and football and also University of Missouri football, were the only announcers to be the voice of three major sports teams.

His call of Willie Parker’s 75-yard touchdown run in Super Bowl XL in Detroit and Santonio Holmes’ toe-tapping touchdown catch in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa remain among the more captivating radio moments in Steelers history.

“When I started here in 2001, I quickly got to understand and know the impact he had on the community and the team,” Steelers’ general manager Omar Khan said. “It’s been awesome to get to know him over the years.”

But despite all the thrills he brought to hundreds of thousands of listeners, Hillgrove has had to endure the heartbreaking deaths of several of his broadcast partners over the years — Cope and Ilkin with the Steelers and Dick Groat, Bill Fralic and Johnny Sauer at Pitt. Last year, he lost his former co-worker at WTAE-TV, Stan Savran.

“That was a part of (the decision),” Hillgrove said. “You want to be able to smell the roses while you still can.”

When he was asked years ago how long he wanted to keep working, Hillgrove said, “As long as the health holds up. I'm like a golf pro. What do I retire to?”

Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and @gerrydulac on X

First Published: February 29, 2024, 1:18 p.m.
Updated: March 1, 2024, 2:06 p.m.

RELATED
Oregon quarterback Bo Nix (10) and offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson (58) go to cover the ball after Nix lost it during the second half of the Pac-12 championship NCAA college football game against Washington, Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, in Las Vegas. The play was ruled a dead ball after review.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers mock draft tracker: Scouts flocking to Oregon's Jackson Powers-Johnson
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) talks with Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields (1) after an NFL football game on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, in Minneapolis. The Vikings won 29-22.
Joe Starkey
Joe Starkey: Rating the Steelers’ quarterback options, from Mason Rudolph to Justin Fields and Russell Wilson
Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II watches the NFL football team's training camp workout in Latrobe, Pa., Thursday, July 27, 2023.
Brian Batko
For second year in a row, Steelers score poorly on anonymous NFLPA survey
Los Angeles Rams center Brian Allen gets set to snap to Matthew Stafford in a playoff game Jan. 17, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif.
Brian Batko
Brian Batko's Steelers mailbag: Are there any good center options in free agency?
Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II visits the field during warm-ups before an NFL football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns in Pittsburgh on Monday, Sept. 18, 2023.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
WATCH: Should Steelers' Art Rooney II face more heat after scathing NFLPA survey?
Abilene Christian running back Jay'Veon Sunday (0) is tackled by Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (45) after a short gain during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, in College Station, Texas.
Ray Fittipaldo
2024 NFL combine: Inside linebacker a major need (again) for Steelers as free agency and draft approach
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, center right, and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, center left, meet on the field after playing to a tie in overtime of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021, in Pittsburgh.
Gerry Dulac
NFL trending toward hiring former players as head coaches, but that hasn't mattered to the Steelers — yet
Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins (2) defends against Georgia Tech wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. (13) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, in Clemson, S.C.
Ray Fittipaldo
2024 NFL combine: Steelers looking at cornerbacks of all shapes and sizes this week in Indianapolis
Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023.
Gerry Dulac
Steelers GM Omar Khan gives vote of confidence to Kenny Pickett, cites potential for growth under Arthur Smith
SHOW COMMENTS (51)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Two slices of New York-style pizza and one cut of Sicilian at Etna Slice House in Etna.
1
life
Etna Slice House is 'closed until further notice' following pizzaiolo's departure
Mayor Ed Gainey during  a press conference at the Downtown Public Safety Center on Thursday. He angrily criticized what he believes negative media coverage of his work as mayor.
2
opinion
Brandon McGinley: ‘The wheels are coming off’ the Gainey administration
Longtime KDKA-TV host Jon Burnett on May 22, 2019.
3
a&e
Jon Burnett, long a KDKA-TV staple, leaves legacy of ‘putting good out into the world’
The Breezewood Interchange is dotted with gas stations, chain restaurants and souvenir shops. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has selected Chicago-based Alfred Benesch and Company to spearhead a major redesign of the notorious roadway.
4
business
So long, Breezewood: Chicago firm selected to redesign infamous Pa. Turnpike interchange
Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, center, speaks Friday outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
5
news
Ex-Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio arrested near Capitol on assault charge after news conference
Bill Hillgrove, Pitt’s announcer of 50 years, receives a golden microphone during Pitt’s Kick-Off Luncheon at The Westin on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, in Downtown.  (Benjamin B. Braun/Post-Gazette)
Annual Art Rooney Courage House Luncheon. From left, Dr. Stanley Marks and Bill Hillgrove at the Annual Art Rooney Courage House Luncheon Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019, at Heinz Field on the North Shore.  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Benjamin B. Braun/Post-Gazette
Advertisement
LATEST sports
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story