Stan Savran dead: Legendary Pittsburgh broadcaster passes away aged 76, cause of death revealed

Stan Savran, one of Pittsburgh's most notable commentators who was most famous for his coverage of the Steelers, has passed away. He was 76 and residing in Upper St. Clair at the time.

Nicknamed "The Godfather", Savran worked for a litany of networks, both TV and radio, within the city. In 2022, he revealed that he was battling lung cancer, and this April, he had to undergo amputation of his right foot, but continued to work anyway.

Steelers owner Art Rooney II released a statement on Savran's passing:

"Today is a sad day in the City of Pittsburgh as we lost a legendary person, media icon, and close friend with the passing of Stan Savran. He was a gentleman in every way possible, and he did so much for our city and Western Pa. with his honest candor and knowledge of all sports, both locally and nationally.

"Stan was involved for many years working on our Steelers Radio Network as well as doing several Steelers' interviews and shows, while also being a valuable contributor to our Hall of Honor committee."

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An overview of Stan Savran's career

Stanley George Savransky was born in Cleveland, Ohio on February 25, 1947. He played football in high school and served as a bat boy for the then-Indians before attending Miami University (the Ohio one)

Upon graduating, he held radio jobs in Columbus, Ohio; Lawton, Oklahoma; and Orlando, Florida. He moved to Pittsburgh in 1976 in response to a job advertisement and was hired by WWSW-AM, shortening his surname in the process.

Savran lasted approximately three years before the station switched format, after which he moved to KQV. He then joined WTAE-TV, and spent a decade there as a sports reporter.

A dispute with management brought him to Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh (the current AT&T Sports Net Pittsburgh), where he hosted "Sportsbeat" for 18 years and also presented Mike Tomlin-related programming as well. During that tenure, he was inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Hall of Fame in 2003.

In 2008, Savran reunited with former co-host Guy Junker on ESPN Radio. Their show lasted two years, after which Savran reunited with WBGG, where he had been hosting a radio show to go with his FSN Pittsburgh duties.

In a 2020 interview for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, he reflected on his career:

“I don’t think I could retire without knowing what I would do. Until I can answer that question, I can’t retire.

“I’d get up the same time, drink a pot of coffee. Read the paper or online. But then it would be 8:15. Now what am I going to do? I can’t play tennis eight hours a day.”