Horrible Towel is a rally towel associated with Pittsburgh Steelers, the American soccer team in the National Football League (NFL). The Terrible Towel has spread in popularity; for example, fans take their Towels to famous sites while on vacation. Towels have been brought to the summit of Mount Everest, and even into space on the International Space Station. It is widely recognized as a symbol of Steelers and the city of Pittsburgh.
The proceeds from the Sale of Towels have raised over US $ 3 million for Allegheny Valley School, which cares for people with mental disabilities and physical disabilities. The Terrible Towel is credited with being the first "towel rally" and its success has spawned similar products that promote other teams.
Many versions have been produced; almost all black and gold with the words "Myron Cope's Official The Terrible Towel" printed on the front. In October 2009 a Terrible Terrible Towel was introduced to promote Breast Cancer Awareness.
Video Terrible Towel
Origin
In 1975 the Steelers won the AFC Central title and qualified for the playoffs. WTAE is the team's main radio station. Two weeks before Steelers' first playoff game, WTAE Vice President and General Manager Ted J. Atkins and Sales President Larry Garrett said they needed the help of Myron Cope, a Steelers radio broadcaster, in creating a "gimmick" that would attract sponsorship of comments daily and talk show. Initially, Cope did not want to participate, saying "I'm not a gimmick guy, never having a gimmick guy." However, after Garrett's suggestion that a successful gimmick would be a good influence for a rise in Cope's upcoming contract extension, Cope replied, "I'm a gimmick guy."
The three men, along with other radio station advertising personnel, began brainstorming ideas. One idea, a black mask including trainer motto Chuck Noll, "Whatever is needed", is considered too expensive. Cope said the gimmick must be something "light and portable and already owned by almost all fans." Garrett suggests using a towel. Cope agrees, suggesting the words "The Terrible Towel" printed on the front. It was agreed that the towel would be gold or yellow, with black writing - Steelers colors. Franklin C. Snyder, who heads the WTAE radio and television station, holds the final approval of the idea. He approved the idea of ​​the provision that a black towel would also be permitted, to avoid allegations of racism from the FCC; Cope and Garrett agreed.
In the weeks leading up to the game, Cope advertised the idea of ​​towels to fans on radio and evening television news, using the phrase "The Terrible Towel is ready to attack!" However, Atkins became nervous that fans would think that towels were a curse if the Steelers lost the game. Cope agrees to poll players about their views on towels. Linebacker Jack Ham said to Cope, "I think your idea smells"; Ernie "Fat" Holmes also opposed the idea. Also contrary to Towel's idea is Andy Russell, who reflects Cope's original thinking, "We're not a cheater team We've never been a gimmick team." Cope just replied, "Russell, you're sick." Growing nervously about negative feedback, Cope, who had advertised towels on the news several times, surveyed the other players with a "banana republic voice".
The Towel made its debut on December 27, 1975, in a playoff game against the Baltimore Colts. Before the game, Cope, whose idea was ridiculed by the local Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, watched the fans gather through his binoculars from the broadcast stand. He saw less than a dozen towels while the player was pre-match warming up. Cope recalled, "Ahead of the kickoff, the Steelers gathered in their tunnel for introductions, where the crowd exploded - and suddenly, according to my estimation, 30,000 Terrible Towels spun from boxing fans around the stadium!" The Steelers went on to beat the Colts 28-10. In the weeks that followed, the team defeated the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, to capture the second victory of the Super Bowl franchise. Even when the Steelers fought through the 1980s, Towel remained a big part of the franchise. During Towel's debut match, Andy Russell, who opposed Towel's idea, returned 93 yards for a touchdown. The drama was inspired by local fan Lisa Benz to write about Towel, which he then sent to Cope. In part, the poem reads:
Maps Terrible Towel
Appearance
The Towel has been redesigned several times, and has its own equipment line up. The line, known as the "Terrible Goods", includes T-shirts, number plates, cushions, earrings, and beach towels; all including The Terrible Towel logo. When originally released, the towel was available in gold and black, was a simple design and had the words "terrible towel" printed on the front. The current version of Towel, introduced in 1998, adds the words "Myron Cope's Official" at the top and "A Pittsburgh Original" at the bottom and colored Gold. Towels with a number of variations also in production; Such variations include Towels showing the Steelers logo, embroidered letters, and towels with inverted colors that display yellow text on a black towel. Over the years there are also many special edition towels. After the Steelers won the Super Bowl XL in 2005, a Towel with the words "Super Bowl XL Champions", date, final score, and Super Bowl XL logo released. The victory also spawned a Towel production featuring the logo of six Super Bowls that have been won by the franchise. During the 75 years of the Steelers in 2007, Towel's special edition with the Steelers season logo was added to the Towel ranks. The original 1975-1997 horrible towels were sold as a setback on the Steelers official website. The horrible towel size 54 'x 90' was introduced in the 2014 home opening at Heinz Field and "waved" by the 144 fans holding it.
Rights, marketing and results
Upon the sudden popularity of the Terrible Towels, the Pittsburgh-area department store sold out all the gold and black hand towels. Because hand towels are often sold as a set, with matching bath towels, the shops are left with uneven sets. In the fall of 1978, Bernard Pollock, division marketing manager of Gimbel's Department Store came up with the idea of ​​putting the Terrible Towel logo on a hand towel and selling ideas to Overcome. The first Terrible Towel hit the market on December 20, 1978 for $ 6 each. Gimbel can not keep it fast enough. Since then Gimbel has gone out of business. The original version of The Terrible Towel was made by Fieldcrest and distributed by St. Mary's Inc. from New York and available in two colors: Gold and Black. The current Towel manufacturer is Little Earth Productions, Inc. of Pittsburgh, which took over from McArthur Towel & amp; Sports Co of Baraboo, Wisconsin in 2013. The current towel cost is about $ 12 (in May 2017, at the Steelers' online store).
In 1996, Cope authorized The Terrible Towel to Allegheny Valley School in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. The school provides care for more than 900 people with intellectual and physical disabilities, including Cope's autistic son, Danny. The results of the Terrible Towels have helped raise over $ 2.2 million for schools. During the 2005 season, when the Steelers won their fifth Super Bowl, over 1 million Towels were sold; some fans bought 200 towels at a time.
Extensive identifier
After this discovery, Cope commented on the multi-functional capabilities of The Terrible Towel, "I'll tell them they can use towels to wipe their chairs clean, they can use it as a cold-fighting muffler, they can hang it over their heads if it rains." , these towels are often used by fans who do not attend the game. Fans often hang towels on their radio or television; some even dressed their pets or babies with it.
It's been a tradition for Steelers fans to take the Terrible Towels on vacation, taking pictures beside the famous tourist destinations. Fans have brought Towel to locations such as the Great Wall of China, the South Pole, the Vatican City, and to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. The original Hampton of Kevin Cherilla takes the Terrible Towel while climbing to the summit of Mount Everest.
Military personnel have taken pictures with Towel when stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the War on Terrorism. Fans waving Terrible Towels in gold medal matches for women's beach volleyball at the 2008 Olympics. Before 2008 AFC Championship Game astronaut Colonel Mike Fincke, a Pittsburgh native, waving a Terrible Towel from the International Space Station. The Terrible Towel was spotted on the "My Bright Idea" five-episode season episode, hanging on Carla and Turkey's cork board as he came out of the bathroom after doing what he believed to be someone else who did not succeed. pregnancy test. During his campaign for the 2008 Presidential Election, Hillary Clinton received a Terrible Towel while visiting Pittsburgh. During the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh 2009, the guest of honor received a Terrible Towel in a gift bag from the city. The Terrible Towel is displayed plainly and swung by Rapper Wiz Khalifa in the music video for his song Black and Yellow, which debuted during the 2010 NFL season. The Terrible Towel made an episode in season 12 of Dancing with the Stars on March 21, 2011. After Hines Ward danced, the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame ran back Franco Harris was seen twirling the towel. Native Pittsburgh Meghan Klingenberg waving a Terrible Towel after scoring at Heinz Field during the US National Woman's National Team winning tour after the 2015 World Cup.
Respect Cope
In 2005, Cope retired after 35 years as radio broadcaster Steelers - the longest term of office of any broadcaster with a single team in NFL history. Cope was honored by the Steelers with the release of a special limited edition Towel, which featured his name and captured the phrase. Cope became honorary captain for the Steelers for Monday night's game against the Baltimore Ravens. Cope leads the fans in a wave of towels at half time; The towel worn by Cope is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Responding to how he wanted to be remembered, Cope replied, "When I kick the bucket, there will be a little story that will say, 'Creator Towel Dead'". On February 27, 2008, Cope died of respiratory failure in Pittsburgh. The next day, an article from the Associated Press on Cope's death entitled "Former Announcers of Steelers, Towel Maker Creator Died". After Cope's death, more than 350 fans gathered in downtown Pittsburgh in snowy weather to reward the inventor. The ceremony ended with a minute from Towel waving silently. A few days later, the Saturday Night Live cast of Seth Meyers waving a Terrible Towel on Saturday Night Live , as a tribute to Cope.
When Mr. Cope died in 2008, his daughter draped his coffin with a blanket made of a Terrible Towel sewn by a fan. She chose a blanket because it represented many different people who touched their lives.
Opposition
Since the start of the Terrible Towels, many of the opposing teams, mascots, and players have shown disrespect or have damaged the Terrible Towels, and each event has resulted in some negative consequences for the team or player or both.
Before the 1994 playoff game against Steelers' longtime rivals Cleveland Browns, the defensive Steelers handled Brentson Buckner accidentally dropped Towel who he waved during the introduction of the player. Brown ran back. Earnest Byner stepped on Towel who shouted, "We do not care about your towels, we'll beat you this time." This action "provoked the Steelers and other Browns to blend in. No affection." The Steelers won the match 29-9.
During December 4, 2005, a match at Heinz Field, T. J. Houshmandzadeh of Cincinnati Bengals wiped his feet at Towel after he scored. Even though the Bengals won a 7-point victory in regular season games, the Steelers returned to beat them 31-17 in the playoffs, on their way to victory at the Super Bowl XL. Bengals did not reach the playoffs again until the 2009-10 season, after Houshmandzadeh left the team.
Prior to September 29, 2008, the Steelers game at Heinz Field, Baltimore Derens recipient of Derrick Mason stepped on the Terrible Towel. The Ravens then went on to lose all three of their 2008 season games against the Steelers, including the 2008 AFC Championship Game.
On October 8, 2008, the Steelers played the Jacksonville Jaguars at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. At that time of their season, the Jaguar were 2-2-0, and were very hopeful for the season following a home defeat of their division rivals Indianapolis Colts. The game is very close to enter the second half, and Steelers still sting from Mathis interception and runback for touchdown. Shortly after the beginning of the third quarter, Jaguars mascot Jaxson de Ville stood with several cheerleaders, and produced a Terrible Towel, which he used to rub his armpits and buttocks. Shortly after, the Steelers ran away with the game and the Jaguar lost 26-21. The Jaguars went on to lose eight of their remaining eleven games this season.
On December 21, 2008, LenDale White and Keith Bulluck of the Tennessee Titans stepped on the Terrible Towels after the 31-14 Titans victory. Larry Foote from Pittsburgh replied, "They deserve to do that, they cheer, they deserve to celebrate and, hopefully, we'll see them again." While Hines Ward said, "[T. J. Houshmandzadeh] does the same and you see where they are going." Former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, at this point is working for CBS as an analyst at The NFL Today, mentioned in the program that such antics can come back to haunt the team. Tennessee was the top seed in the playoffs, but after the incident, Titan continued to lose eight games in a row, including the '08 division playoffs and their '09 Week 1 match against Steelers, 13-10. After 8 Titans' streak of losses - a 59-0 blast for the New England Patriots, the Titans worst loss ever - Titans coach Jeff Fisher expressed regret over his team's behavior against Towel, and a number of Titans players signed as Terrible Towels and sent them to Allegheny Valley School - a Pittsburgh charity that now has a trademark. The Titans won the next 5 games.
On January 27, 2009, on a general delivery in Phoenix to Arizona Cardinals before they faced the Steelers at Super Bowl XLIII, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon produced a towel and called the Cardinals mascot, Big Red to the stage, where he used a towel to wipe his armpits. Gordon then blew his nose on the towel. The Cardinals then start losing the Super Bowl to the Steelers, 27-23.
On October 11, 2009, Pittsburgh Steelers played the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Towards the end of the fourth quarter the Steelers climbed 8 points and the Lions lined up on the pitch. At this moment the Lion Roary Lion mascot, step on, bit and rip off the Terrible Towel. After this, the Lion suffered three straight sacks to place them in a fourth and twenty-eighth situation. The Lions did not convert and the Steelers won the match 28-20.
Some of the Blue and White "Great Towels" were made for the Indianapolis Colts in the 2009 playoff season, one of which received some water time during their AFC championship victory. The Colts later lost the Super Bowl XLIV to the New Orleans Saints.
After the Ravens 13-10 victory in Pittsburgh on November 18, 2012, Ray Rice left the field while swinging Terrible Towel over his head and singing the Steelers rally "Renegade" with his teammate. Rice publicly states after the game that no dishonorable taste is intended. Two weeks later on December 2, the Ravens lost to the Steelers 23-20 despite being at home and facing Pittsburgh's third quarterback, Charlie Batch. Losing 4 of their last 5 games though, Baltimore will go on to win the AFC North and follow it up with a playoff run to become the Super Bowl XLVII Champions, giving them the distinction of becoming the first and only team in NFL history that has shown disrespect. headed for the Terrible Towels and won the Super Bowl. However, before the 2014 season, Ray Rice was suspended for domestic violent incidents in the offseason and subsequently released and has not been signed by any other team since then. Furthermore, until their Super Bowl victory, the Ravens have made a playoff in each of the first five seasons under John Harbaugh and Joe Flacco but have only one playoff performance (and only one winning season) over the next four years, despite their one playoff victory over that range against the Steelers.
On October 5, 2014 the match between the Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field, where the Steelers won 17-9, Jaguars de Jaxes de Ville Jaguars was seen holding a Horrible Towel in one hand and a handwritten sign that read "Towels Carry Ebola" on the other, mentioning the deadly plague that began in West Africa. The next day, Jaguar issued an apology for the incident, but will continue to lose 13 of the next 17 games.
On February 7, 2016, Florida Panthers' mascot, Stanley C Panther, blew his nose into a Terrible Towel, with Pittsburgh Penguins down 0-2 with about 6 minutes left in the 3rd period. After this, Penguin then tied the game in the rules, and won it in extra time. According to Elias Sports Bureau, this is the first time in Pittsburgh Penguins franchise history that they have overcome a 2-0 deficit to win with 6 minutes left in the game. Kris Letang scored the OT winner, and Sidney Crosby tied the game with an interesting goaltender at the end of the rule. The Panthers continued to lose in the first round of the playoffs while the Penguins went on to win the Stanley Cup.
On September 12, 2016, before the 2016 Steelers' 2016 opener against the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football, the Redskins punter Tress Way posted a video on Twitter from a video of the spirit sent by his mother, culminating in him burning the Terrible Towels. The Steelers won the match 38-16.
On December 18, 2016, Bengali ran back Jeremy Hill trying to tear off the Terrible Towels after scoring a goal to give Bengals a 17-3 lead against the Steelers. Hill had six cars for -1 meters later, while also leaving the field several times with a knee injury. The Bengals also blew their lead and lost 24-20 when closed in the second half, and were eliminated from the playoff battle of the day. After trying to tear off the Terrible Towel, Hill completed the 2016 season with 15 bring for 30 yards when lost 17 weeks with injury.
Similar Gimmicks
During his coaching career from 1922 to 1964, E. A. Diddle of Western Kentucky University began carrying red towels with him during the basketball games he trained. Diddle will wave and throw a towel during the game, and the concept is adopted by campus fans. It became an official part of the school's logo in 1971. The unbeaten Miami Dolphins fans unleashed the team by waving "Horrible Hanky" - a white handkerchief. However, the handkerchief was considered "too tiny" for football, and the tradition faded. "Hate the Yankees Hankies", referring to the franchise competition with the New York Yankees, is a handkerchief that was distributed to Cleveland Indians fans in September 1977 in a promotion.
The Terrible Towel is traditionally known as the first "towel rally"; its popularity has spawned similar traditions for other teams. Fans from the Minnesota Twins entertained the team with "Homer Hanky" during the playoffs. Phillies Phillies distributed white towels to fans during the home game. During the 2006 playoffs against Steelers, the Indianapolis Colts handed out blue towels to rally fans, however, Pittsburgh went on to win the match. In the pre-season game of 2000, playing in Mexico City, many fans filled 100,000 Aztec Stadium seats waving towels. Cope, delighted that Allegheny Valley School would receive a substantial contribution from the proceeds, then was disappointed to learn that the towels waved by the fans were "copies" made by local artists, and therefore no results would go to school. In 2008, the NFL approved a white towel titled Trophy Towel, which will be sold to fans and awarded to the Super Bowl XLIII winning team. Members of the Steelers criticized the idea, broadcaster Bill Hillgrove - who worked with Cope - called the idea "cheap imitation." Steelers' player Aaron Smith stated, "It starts here, so why do other people want to have towels? Why not kazoo?" During the Memorial Cup in 2010, the host committee made 8,000 yellow towels to represent the home team, Brandon Wheat Kings, who played Moncton Wildcats. Many fans bring back towels for the game afterwards.
See also
- Towel Strength
- Green Weenie
- Towel rally
References
- Cope, Myron (2002). Double Yoi! (1st ed.). Sports Publishing, L.L.C. ISBNÃ, 1-58261-548-9.
Note
See also
- Towel Strength
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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