He served as the lead play-by-play broadcaster for the Pittsburgh Steelers football network (102.5 FM WDVE) from 1994 to 2024.

Born William Thomas Hillgrove in Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville neighborhood, he grew up in nearby Garfield.

Hillgrove's first job was as a disk jockey with WKJF (now KDKA-FM, known as "93.7 The Fan"), and in 1968, he joined WTAE-TV as the station's booth announcer.

In the mid-1960s, he served for a short period of time as "proprietor" (the name given to the host) of "The Place", a television show on WQED (Channel 13) that was a coffee-house style format.

The following year, he became the regular color commentator for Pitt football alongside lead play-by-play announcer Ed Conway.

Hillgrove drove a vehicle into the front of a Murrysville grocery store, breaking two windows, and then went inside to fill a prescription.