Pittsburgh Steelers Longtime Broadcaster Announces Retirement

PITTSBURGH, PA — After 30 seasons as the radio play-by-play announcer for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bill Hillgrove announced his retirement Thursday.

Hillgrove said in a statement, however, that he will continue to announce University of Pittsburgh football "because my brother is the engineer, and we room together on the road.

"Like we did as kids growing up in Garfield, we're sharing the same bedroom, only this one's bigger. I have all of July almost all of August to myself now. Every once in a while if the Steelers aren't playing on Sunday, I can get on a boat and enjoy the fall foliage at Conneaut Lake, which I was never able to do before.

"So it's all very positive in that way. And frankly, my wife, Rosette, is battling depression, and she probably needs me at home more now than she ever did. So there are a lot of various forces at play here."

Steelers President Art Rooney II issued the following statement:

"Bill Hillgrove's contributions to both the Steelers Radio Network and the Steelers organization have spanned nearly three decades that included him serving as our play-by-play announcer for four Super Bowl appearances and countless other memorable games during his tenure.

"He has played a major role in broadcasting to our amazing fans on our radio network, but he also found time to be part of so many special events since he began working alongside the great Myron Cope on the airwaves in 1994. Bill will truly be missed by Steelers Nation, but we are excited for him and his family to enjoy his retirement."

The Steelers have not yet indicated who will replace Hillgrove.