How can you even begin to write a remembrance of the great Beano Cook, who died today at the age of 81?
People across the country know him as ESPN's resident expert on college football, and he certainly was that. Pittsburghers knew of Beano long before the rest of the country did when he served as Sports Information Director at Pitt. One of the great stories from his Pitt days was when he wanted to get publicity pictures of polio researcher Dr. Jonas Salk and basketball player Don Hennon together and send them across the country with the heading "Pitt has the two greatest shot-makers in the country."
Beano went on to fame by working at ABC and then ESPN, but he always remained a Pittsburgh guy. I used to love hearing him on Stan Savran's radio show every Thursday afternoon when I was driving home from work. How can you not love a guy who wanted to be introduced by the playing of Yale University's fight song, "Bulldog, Bulldog" because it was the only college fight song written by Cole Porter?
I have to close with the story of what was perhaps Beano's greatest line. Beano was not a baseball fan. He followed the Pirates, but didn't much care for the game itself. When Iran released the American hostages after their 444 days in captivity, Major League Baseball announced that it would provide each hostage with a lifetime pass to any and all MLB games. When Beano heard that, he uttered the now classic line, "Haven't they suffered enough?"
There will for sure never be another one like him.
RIP Beano Cook.
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