Steelers, Pitt Broadcaster Bill Hillgrove Suspended

PITTSBURGH, PA — Longtime Steelers and Pitt Panthers radio announcer Bill Hillgrove has been suspended for the first two games of the season by both teams. The move comes as Hillgrove is facing DUI charges.

Police said Bill Hillgrove, 79, drove his car into two glass panes at Ferri's Shur Save supermarket in Murrysville in June. KDKA-TV reported that Hillgrove acknowledged to police that he had "a couple of beers" before the incident.

Hillgrove was hired in 1969 as a broadcaster for the Pitt Panthers basketball team, and later became a color and lead announcer for Pitt basketball and football games. The former WTAE-TV sports director has been the radio play-by-play announcer for Steelers games since 1994.

Hillgrove's likely replacement for the Steelers' Sept. 14 season opener against the New York Giants and the Sept. 20 home opener against the Denver Broncos is Rob King of AT&T SportsNet. He called the Steelers final two games in 2019, which Hillgrove missed after undergoing back surgery.

It's unclear who will replace him on the Pitt broadcasts.