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Steelers president Art Rooney II reveals Pittsburgh will commemorate the 50th year of the Terrible Towel this season.
The 2025 season will be a special one for the Pittsburgh Steelers as the Terrible Towel will celebrate its 50th birthday. President Art Rooney II says fans should be prepared to commemorate it.
“We’ll have a little celebration during the season for the 50th year of the Terrible Towel,” Rooney said.
#Steelers President Art Rooney II talks with @missi_matthews about our 2025 schedule & more. @laurelhighlands
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The Terrible Towel was created by legendary sports broadcaster Myron Cope on Dec. 27, 1975. He was attempting to excite the fan base ahead of a playoff game when he came up with the idea, imploring fans to bring their yellow dish towels to the game and wave them with pride.
It has since become an icon and the perfect backdrop to some of the biggest moments in Pittsburgh Steelers history.
Since its inception, the Terrible Towel has seen five Super Bowls, seven AFC Championships and 20 division titles.
The Terrible Towel has also gained a lot of lure over the past 50 years with many believing there is a curse put on teams that disrespect it.
Most recently in 2024, a video surfaced of a Bills fan celebrating by using a Terrible Towel as a tissue in the waning moments of Buffalo’s 31-17 Wild Card round win over the Steelers. One week later, the Bills were eliminated with a home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
There have been many other instances similar to that, too, only growing the legend of Cope and the Terrible Towel.
“I did not see the Terrible Towel as witchcraft to hex the enemy,” Cope wrote in his autobiography. “It would be a positive force, driving the Steelers to superhuman performance, but if it experienced a yen for mischief and created fatal mistakes by opponents, I would tolerate that.”
So just as the Terrible Towel has treated the Steelers well over the years, the team will now give it its due respect this season.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers to Commemorate 50th Year of Terrible Towel in 2025
