Let’s get this over with right now. This guy is a Pitt fan.
Yes, he’s quite aware with what Pitt rhymes with. Yes, he’s reminded all the time which team won this season’s “Backyard Brawl.”
And no, he’s not a fan of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline”. He was, but that was a while ago, back when he was just a kid, but then he made friends with a few Mountaineer fans, and, well, that was that.
Jack Hillgrove, though, has a really, really, really good reason for his unfortunate fandom of the Pitt Panthers, and it just might be the only excuse a West Virginia fan could ever accept.
Ever heard of Bill Hillgrove? THE Bill Hillgrove? The “Voice” of the Panthers and the Steelers? That’s right, him … THE Bill Hillgrove.
Well, Jack Hillgrove followed his Pap’s footsteps, that’s for sure, when he landed his first big gig with 93.7 FM The Fan in Pittsburgh, and these days the 25-year-old sports journalist serves as a sports anchor and reporter for WTOV-9 in Steubenville. He covers high school and college sports on a daily basis, and Hillgrove goes pro when he can make his way to Heinz Field, PNC Park, and PPG Arena.
It was a dream come true he viewed with a real-world lens when a teen-aged Jack accompanied his grandfather to those professional press boxes, and now the young man is learning how to live up to that legendary last name.
Which team – the Pirates, Steelers, or the Penguins – will be first to win its league championship, and why?
Man, I would love to say the Penguins, especially this year, but I think fans need to put a lot of stock into them being the oldest team by average age in the NHL. I do not think that will translate to a long Stanley Cup run this summer.
To really answer the question, I think it’s the Steelers. I cannot in good faith pick the Pirates out of the three, because I am not particularly sold on the prospects they currently have in the system. On the flip side, I still believe in Mike Tomlin, and I believe in Kenny Pickett. They just have to get a competent offensive coordinator in there!
When it comes to your sports apparel, which of those teams does it appear you support the most?
Please don’t click away WVU fans, but it’s the Pitt Panthers! The answer to my next question will provide much more clarity as to why, but I still have my fair share of Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins gear hanging in my closet.
A Pitt game inspired you to follow your grandfather into the media business? Please tell your West Virginia fans that’s false information!
It is not false information WVU fans, I am sorry. When your grandfather has been the voice of Pitt hoops for 55 years, and the voice of Pitt football for 50 years, you don’t have much of a choice!
My dad is also a Pitt grad and was a student manager on the basketball teams that had Charles Smith, Jerome Lane, and Sean Miller back in the ’80s. But when I was eight years old, I had the chance to enter the Pitt radio booth for the first time, and I was immediately hooked. I then went on to work as a spotter and statistician for my Pap during all the Pitt radio broadcasts (hence all the Pitt gear!) from 2007 to 2021.
It truly sparked my love and passion for this business, and you wouldn’t see me on your TVs doing the sports at night without that experience.
What is the most difficult part of doing what you do for a living?
The schedule can become very gruesome, especially around playoff time for HS football, boys’ and girls’ hoops, and baseball and softball. It’s a lot of seven-day weeks, 12+ hour days, and working ten, 11, sometimes 12 days in a row.
Powering through that can be tough, but I still very much love this business, what I do, and who I do it for! The relationships I have developed with Upper Ohio Valley residents and its schools and athletic teams have been tremendous.
It makes me enjoy my job 100 times more than I already do.
What is the best sports movie ever made, and why do you feel that way?
Part of me really wants to say Caddyshack, because of how quotable the movie is, but to answer your question seriously, I think it’s the Sandlot. There’s just something to me about the true innocence behind all of the kids and just wanting to play baseball that makes it a beautiful story, especially to all those people, me included, who dreamed about playing in the big leagues one day.
