***ORIGINAL-VINTAGE-HISTORIC***
Pittsburgh Steelers Original Terrible Towel
 
This is an authentic, first print, original Terrible Towel from 1975.
The printing of the phase on the towel and manufacture tag on the towel are the providence of history and I have owned it for decades.
 
The towel is mounted in a black plastic frame with a gold plate under it. The towel is in excellent condition as I've protected it for a long time. Measures 30.75"x21"
 
The Terrible Towel has been anointed as the "first rally towel" for a sports team.
 
In 1975, Pittsburgh sports announcer Myron Cope came up with an idea to amp up the
fan base of the Steelers. He told the fans to bring yellow dish towels to the game to wave. 
That first game, an estimated 30,000 towels were waving in the stand's and local stores were sold out of dish towels.
 
Cope decided to capitalize on his idea and created the first Terrible Towel with all proceeds going to a local charity. Gimbels Department Store was the retailer who sold the first towels. It was made of a soft terry cloth material, goldish in color with black lettering that simply said "the terrible towel" in all lower case letters. The first towels were manufactured by St. Mary's Inc. of New York.
 
Today some 50 years later, thousands of towels are sold and waved during Steeler games. The towels received a proper marking to the man who created it as the wording "Myron Copes Official" has been on the towels for decades.