Welcome to the terrible take and many podcasts telling Steelers Nation what's on our mind.

I'm Josh Carney. The old saying goes, don't meet your heroes.

That couldn't have been further from the truth for Stan Savarin, the

godfather of Pittsburgh sports. Savarin sadly died Monday at 76. He was the voice of Pittsburgh Sports for more than 50 years and was someone that I tried to watch nightly for roughly a decade in the late 90s and early 2000s on his ever popular show in Pittsburgh, Sportsbeat,

which was the longest running sports show in Pittsburgh television history when it was

canceled after a 17 year run in July of 2009.

Even after the popular TV show was cancelled, Savarin remained the voice of Pittsburgh sports

for the next decade and a half, holding down spots on

ESPN radio and rolls within the Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates on the media side of things.

Savarin bought a level-headedness and a sense of calm to his viewers, informing and educating

as opposed to yelling into a microphone like the new age media does today.

He quickly became one of the most respected and knowledgeable voices in Pittsburgh.

He was someone people gravitated towards due to his passion, knowledge, and respect

for those trying to get into the industry after him. I was one of those people. I first met Stan when I was a sophomore in college, an intern at 93-7, the fan.

I met him at Steeler's training camp and he was so kind and compassionate towards me, giving me advice.

He didn't know me, but he took the time to speak with me.

Years later, he somehow remembered me and gave me an opportunity to talk Steelers football with him on some radio hits on 970 ESPN.

Stan was a champion for Steelers Depot, one that always believed in us, valued our work,

and gave us numerous opportunities within the Pittsburgh market.

More people should strive to be like Stan.

He was true to himself to the end.

We are all better for having known him.

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