He was known for his distinctive, higher-pitched nasally voice with an identifiable Pittsburgh accent, idiosyncratic speech pattern, and a level of excitement rarely exhibited in the broadcast booth.

[4] Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Jewish parents of Lithuanian ancestry, Cope graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School in 1947 and was inducted into their alumni hall of fame in 2009.

[9] Cope then became a freelance journalist, most notably for Sports Illustrated,[1] the Saturday Evening Post,[8] and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

[7] In 1987, he was named by the Hearst Corporation as a noted literary achiever, along with Mark Twain, Jack London, Frederic Remington, Walter Winchell, and Sidney Sheldon.

[10] At its 50th anniversary, Sports Illustrated selected Cope's profile of Howard Cosell as one of the 50 best written works ever published in the magazine.

[13] His son, Daniel, was born with severe autism; he has lived most of his life at the Allegheny Valley School, an institution specializing in intellectual developmental disabilities.

"[17] In his last seven years, Cope would work alongside former Steelers offensive tackle Tunch Ilkin in the booth and help groom him for his own broadcasting career.

"[19] Cope also used the term "Cincinnati Bungles" to describe their division rivals, known during the 1990s for a string of bad seasons and numerous draft busts.

[20][21][22] Myron also used terms such as "Brownies", "Birdies", "Yonkos", "Cryboys", and "Redfaces" for the football teams from Cleveland, Baltimore, Denver, Dallas, Washington, D.C., in respective order.

The Terrible Towel has gained much popularity since its invention and "is arguably the best-known fan symbol of any major pro sports team".

[32] Eight days later, it was announced that Cope was the recipient of the Pete Rozelle Award for "long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football.

Later that season when the team advanced to Super Bowl XL, many Steelers fans wanted Cope to come out of retirement just to call "The one for the thumb."

[13][35] In the days following his death, many ceremonies were held in his honor, including the local sporting events of the Pittsburgh Panthers college basketball team.

[36] Two days after his death, hundreds of people gathered in heavy snow in front of the Pittsburgh City Hall to honor Cope; included in the ceremony was one minute of silent Terrible Towel waving.

[38] Due to Cope's large impact on the Pittsburgh area, Bob Smizik, a local sportswriter wrote, Had the secret of the service and its site not been kept, ... tens of thousands would have descended on the Slater funeral home in Green Tree.