The Curse of the Terrible Towel

On any given Sunday, thousands of Terrible Towels proudly wave high over southwestern Pennsylvania and Steeler Nation. The Steeler faithful have been waving these magical black and gold banners with pride since the late team sportscaster Myron Cope introduced them back in 1975. Not only do they pump positive Steeler energy into Heinz Field and enemy stadiums around the country, but some people believe they also carry a Terrible Curse. Terrible Towels are as important to Pittsburgh Steelers fans as the American flag itself, and anybody who publicly disrespects or desecrates the Towel inevitably falls victim to the Terrible Curse.

Don’t believe in the Curse of the Terrible Towel? Either did T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Derrick Mason, LenDale White or Jevon Kearse:

Cincinnati Bengals
In 2005, then Cincinnati Bengals receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh wiped his shoes with the Terrible Towel after catching a touchdown pass from Carson Palmer. The Bengals went on to lose to the Steelers in the playoffs. The Steelers won Superbowl XL that year and the Bengals did not return to the playoffs until T.J. Houshmandzadeh left Cincinnati in the 2009 offseason.

Baltimore Ravens and Arizona Cardinals
During the 2008 season, Derrick Mason of the Baltimore Ravens stepped on the Terrible Towel before a regular season game against Pittsburgh. The Ravens lost. During the playoffs, the Steelers won the AFC championship game against the Ravens by a score of 23-14. Not long after the AFC championship game, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon unwittingly stomped on the Terrible Towel and used it to wipe his nose at an Arizona Cardinals Superbowl rally. The Steelers defeated the Cardinals in Superbowl XLIII. Mayor Gordon apologized for his actions.

Tennessee Titans
While NFL nonbelievers may brush these instances aside as merely coincidental, nowhere else has the Curse of the Terrible Towel been more apparent than with the 2008-2009 Tennessee Titans. After clinching the number one AFC playoff seed in a 2008 regular season game against Pittsburgh, Titan LenDale White stepped on the towel and Jevon Kearse wiped his nose with it. The curse reared its ugly head a few weeks later when the Ravens knocked the Titans out of the playoffs and the Steelers claimed their 6th championship title. The Titans went on to lose their first 6 games of the 2009 season. In an attempt to lift the curse, LenDale White donated an autographed Terrible Towel to the Allegheny Valley School with an attached note from radio host Thom Abraham that read, “Please release the curse!” The Titans won 8 of their remaining 10 regular season games.

Although many people scoff at the idea of a curse, it probably isn’t a good idea to tempt fate, especially at the expense of the Terrible Towel. Do you believe in the Curse of the Terrible Towel?

Resources:
Allegheny Valley School: Myron Cope and the The Terrible Towel®
(http://www.avs.net/terribletowel.cfm)
NFL Fanhouse: Cowher’s Greatest Games
(http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2007/01/10/cowhers-greatest-games-no-7-1994-steelers-browns-playoffs/)
WTAE Pittsburgh: Terrible Trampling: Titans Stomp Steelers, Clinch #1 Seed
(http://www.wtae.com/r/18336246/detail.html)
Bleacher Report: Does T.J. Houshmandzadeh Bring the Curse of the Terrible Towel to Seattle?
(http://bleacherreport.com/articles/184095-does-houshmandzadeh-bring-the-curse-of-the-terrible-towel-to-seattle)
WTAE Pittsburgh: Titans Break Terrible Towel Curse After Charitable Donation
(http://www.wtae.com/r/21479256/detail.html)
Pro-Football Reference: 2009 Tennessee Titans
(http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/oti/2009.htm)
ESPN: ‘Terrible’ Influence Yields Good Results
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs2008/columns/story?columnist=garber_greg&page;=hotread20/garber)