Stan Savran, Broadcaster Known As ‘Godfather’ Of Pittsburgh Sports Last Interviews Before Death
Channel: Biographies And History
Date: 2023-06-16

Stan Savran, who spent nearly five decades in sports broadcasting chronicling Pittsburgh’s rise to the “City of Champions,” has died. He was 76.

WTAE-TV, where Savran worked as a sports anchor in the 1980s, announced Savran’s death on Monday. No official cause of death was given but Savran, who was living in Upper St. Clair in the city’s southern suburbs, had been very public about his battle with lung cancer in recent years.

Affectionately known as the “Godfather” of Pittsburgh sports, the Cleveland native arrived in his adopted city in 1976 and never left. He began his career in Pittsburgh in radio before moving into TV while even occasionally moonlighting as a newspaper columnist.

Savran was best known for the nightly “SportsBeat” show he co-hosted on regional cable alongside Guy Junker. The show, which ran from 1991-2009, was required viewing for fans in a city avid about its professional sports teams. Callers would often start their conversation with “Stan, Guy, love the show,” a phrase Savran affectionately carried with him after the show’s long run ended.