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.”
Tributes and well wishes poured in on social media from Steelers players, coaches and media members following Hillgrove’s announcement.
“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 on your retirement, Bill Hillgrove. 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.
— Mike Tomlin (@CoachTomlin) February 29, 2024
“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!”
Congratulations to Bill Hillgrove! You will certainly be missed. It was an honor to have you call my games. Enjoy your retirement! -- Ben.#Steelershttps://t.co/LP6oKJehZd
— BigBen7.com (@_BigBen7) February 29, 2024
“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].”
Quite simply they don’t come any better than Bill Hillgrove!! What a legacy he leaves on radio with the @steelers. I’ll join others in our industry who’ve benefitted from his wisdom and friendship. Glad he will still be the voice of @Pitt_FB & @Pitt_MBB pic.twitter.com/DOA0ItR603
— ???????????? ???????????????????????? (@WesDurham) February 29, 2024
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.”
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.