Stan Savran enjoys 45th anniversary in Pittsburgh sports media, embraces what's to come

Shortly after the calendar flipped to 2021, it struck me that I was beginning my 25th year in the sports media business. Nineteen of them in Pittsburgh.

That felt like a little bit of an accomplishment. Until I turned on the radio and heard my ESPN Pittsburgh and WDVE colleague Stan Savran announce an anniversary of his own.

His 45th year in Pittsburgh sports media.

Suddenly my personal “milestone” seemed like more of a pebble than a “stone” and quite a few feet short of a “mile.”

Stan joined me for Wednesday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast to reflect on some of his memories over the years, changes he’s seen in the business, relationships he has built and his plans for the future.

I’m flattered to call him a co-worker. Honored to have once been his co-host. And humbled to call him a friend. I hope you enjoy the podcast. Here are a few highlights.

When you look back at your career, what leaps to mind first? The moments and events you got to witness? Or the careers you covered and the relationships you had with those sports personalities?

“The games are the most important thing. But I do equally remember the relationships I developed as a media guy. But there is only so close you can get to a player. There is always that line of distinction. No matter what kind of relationship you develop with a player, he’s a player. You’re a media guy. The best relationships are when both parties understand that. I never stepped too far. I respected the boundaries.”

Was there ever an athlete you covered who surprised you when you saw how they changed once their career ended?

“When Mario (Lemieux) first got here he was very unapproachable. He didn’t enjoy the spotlight. He had great concerns about his English. … He was self-conscious about that. He is naturally shy.

“But when he became the owner and returned to playing, he was a different guy. I think he recognized that he had an obligation from a public relations standpoint to the Penguins and the entire league.

“As time went by after he retired, I had a really good relationship with him. … His post-playing career, he was a different guy.”

Savran added a story about Lemieux calling him in the hospital to check on him during his recovery from open-heart surgery. He said for the next year after that, Lemieux would always wave at him from across a room, point to his heart and give a thumbs up to see if Savran was still doing OK.

Savran also brought up Bill Cowher as a guy whose personality evolved greatly during his time as the head coach of the Steelers.

Was there ever a time in your career when you thought it might be over long before it was, and how did you come back from it?

“The lowest point of my career was when I got fired from Channel 4 in 1991. I had the radio show on 1250 following (Myron) Cope. And I was the 11 o’clock anchor. I thought I’d be there the rest of my career. And I contributed mightily to my own demise by calling the head of the corporation a ‘jocksniffer.’ It didn’t go over well. It took them two years to fire me. But that turned out to be the best thing that happened to me.”

Savran said, after his dismissal from WTAE, he had a chance to go to either KDKA-TV or KBL in its infancy.

“I took a chance (on KBL). And it ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me. ‘SportsBeat.’ When I die, I don’t know what my legacy will be. But I know ‘SportsBeat’ will be a big part of it.

“The Channel 4 firing was a low point. It taught me some life lessons, too. Which I needed to learn. But I always wanted to keep going. Still, I thought, maybe foolishly, there would be a place for me somewhere.”

Is there an age [Savran will turn 74 next month] when you want to retire, or a certain number of years you want to work? Or do you want to work as long as health will allow?

Savran recently endured a period of time where he had seven major surgeries — brain, back, feet, heart — over a three-year span.

“I’m not going to do things that potentially put me at risk. If my health is being compromised, then I’m not going to come in and do that extra show. I’ll do what I’m supposed to do. But I’ve put a bit of a border up there.

“But, no, it won’t affect me continuing to do what I’m doing now. Which I can handle. I feel good when I’m not working. I go to the gym two or three times a week. So, no. Until they do, I won’t let whatever health problems I have determine how long I want to keep going.

“The bottom line is I have no plans to retire. I can’t even imagine being retired. For two reasons. I have no idea what I’d do all day. And I like what I do. Not every day. But I still like it.”

Whenever you do retire, do you plan to stay in Pittsburgh? Or will you have to move because it’ll drive you crazy to be here and not working?

“Two of my three sisters live in California. But I have no desire to go there. I really like Pittsburgh. This part of the country, I grew up in it. It is familiar to me. I like winter more than summer. Except for being able to play tennis. But you can’t play tennis 24 hours a day.

“I was born in Cleveland, but I lived my life in Pittsburgh. This is my home.”

Listen to Tim Benz’s entire interview with Stan Savran here.