PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – I never got to work with Stan Savran. You didn’t have to quickly understand the man he was.
I only got to know him while covering games-be it Pirates, Steelers or Penguins. He was sports royalty. For someone moving back home working my way into the business this hugely popular man was not only approachable, but humble. He was first to poke fun at himself, adding a joke if he thought you believed he was really important.
He was to me and to thousands in Pittsburgh.
We trusted what Stan had to say because he was authentic. That’s probably the best word to describe him. There was no act, what he said about a player, a team, coach or a situation was how he felt. Whether he had a mic in front of him or not.
If he had an issue with any player or coach and their performance, it wasn’t personal. It was strictly what he saw on the field/rink/court. And you knew what he was thinking whether you liked what he said or not. He also would be in the locker room after, so if an athlete had an issue with him, he was there to face his critics.
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Savran worked for years for the stations, TV or radio, that were broadcast homes for all of the teams. That didn’t mean he would sugarcoat his opinions. If he didn’t like something, he would say it whether the team liked it or not. He wouldn’t get blow back because he was sincere with his opinion and all the teams knew it.
So many fans got to know players and coaches through interviews on Sportsbeat that he co-hosted with Guy Junker.
They did love the show and how they got to see these athletes in a different light and asked the questions they wanted answered.
As I got to know him, to have Stan address you by name was one of the coolest things as a fellow media member. Oh, and did he still have a passion for the game. Even though it’s hard to remember when he didn’t cover Pittsburgh sports, he wasn’t burned out by his job. I remember a Pens playoff game a few years back sitting next to him, it was all he could do to hide his emotions and reactions. He was that invested into it.
Stan Savran was a role model, not because he tried to be. He was just being himself.
Thank you, Stan.