Filling the shoes of a legend like Bill Hillgrove is a tall task for anyone. That’s the situation that new Pittsburgh Steelers radio play-by-play man Rob King finds himself in ahead of the 2024 NFL season. King has notably been involved more heavily in the offseason content for the Steelers this year. He’s conducted interviews for the team’s website as well as talked with former players for the team’s Time Machine videos.
King was a logical choice with his heavy involvement in the Pittsburgh sports scene for a long time. There was talk of going with someone from the outside for a new take on the Steelers. However, the team ultimately went with the candidate with the most knowledge of Pittsburgh.
“As much as there would be great applicants from the outside and people who could bring a fresh perspective from different cities, I think people would be a little bit resistant to you if you haven’t been around these parts for quite awhile as he has,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko said on Friday’s episode of the North Shore Drive podcast. “There’s just so much in the culture and the tradition, that institutional knowledge, that you need to know to do this job and make people happy with it.”
King has experience with all of the pro sports teams in Pittsburgh, so he understands the sports culture. That’s incredibly important when a legend like Hillgrove steps away. Batko’s co-host on the podcast, PPG columnist Jason Mackey, thinks that there isn’t anyone better or more deserving than King for this opportunity.
“Kinger deserves it,” Mackey said. “He really does… I don’t think we appreciate Rob King enough for what he means to this city.”
King has been a part of the Steelers broadcast team since 2014, helping with both pre-game and post-game content. He has spent 25 years involved in the Pittsburgh sports scene, including studio duties for SportsNet Pittsburgh surrounding both Pirates and Penguins games. No outsider is going to have the familiarity with Pittsburgh sports fans that King has. It’s an incredibly tall task for anyone, but King has the love for Pittsburgh sports to do the job justice.
For those Steelers fans who love tuning into WDVE for the radio call of Steelers games, 2024 will be strange. But for those connected to the Pittsburgh sports scene, there couldn’t have been a better choice than Rob King to step into that role.
