Bill Hillgrove received a call from his supervisor at WTAE-TV, Tony Quatrini, in the summer of 1994 with both good and bad news.
The positive news was that Hillgrove would be the new play-by-play announcer for the Pittsburgh Steelers, replacing the retiring Jack Fleming. However, the downside was that he would be facing a significant decrease in pay.
During that period, television personalities were earning considerably higher salaries compared to radio announcers.
Hillgrove expressed his enthusiasm, stating that he had always aspired to become a full-time play-by-play announcer in the NFL.
Little did Hillgrove know that he would be fulfilling this dream for three full decades, alongside his longstanding roles calling University of Pittsburgh basketball games for 55 years and football games for 50 years.
In recent developments, Hillgrove announced his retirement as the play-by-play announcer for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Steelers flagship station WDVE-FM, after 30 years in the role. This decision came after being selected for the position by the late owner Dan Rooney.
Despite stepping down from his Steelers commentary duties, Hillgrove, now 83 years old, will continue to provide commentary for Pitt basketball and football games.
As the last play-by-play announcer for both an NFL team and a major college football team within the same city, Hillgrove held a unique position. Additionally, he was the sole announcer to cover basketball games as well. A similar scenario was observed with Joe Starkey, who covered both the San Francisco 49ers and the California Bears before his retirement two years prior.
During his tenure with the Steelers, Hillgrove narrated four Super Bowls, including their victories against the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL and the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. The team only experienced three losing seasons while he was the announcer, making it to the playoffs 21 times and appearing in nine AFC Championship Games.
Despite facing some challenges with travel schedules, Hillgrove attended nearly all Steelers games throughout his career. In 2019, he was forced to miss two games due to back surgery, marking the first time in 26 years that he was absent from a game.
It was not uncommon for Hillgrove to cover a Pitt basketball game, a Pitt football game, and a Steelers game all within the same week. While his schedule has eased up slightly on the Pitt side in recent years, he has maintained a busy routine.
Bill Hillgrove, who grew up in Pittsburgh’s Garfield area, attended Central Catholic and Duquesne University before embarking on his broadcasting career.
He began working as the road commentator for Pitt basketball in 1969 and transitioned to a full-time role the following year. In 1974, he took on the additional responsibility of calling Pitt football games, a role he continues to uphold. Hillgrove also served as the sports director for WTAE 4 for over ten years.
His exceptional contributions to college football broadcasting earned him the Chris Schenkel Award and the Woody Durham Voice of College Sports Award.
As Hillgrove embarks on a new chapter in his life, his legacy in sports broadcasting remains unparalleled.