All good things start with an idea, one some like, and others scoff at.

That was exactly the case when the Terrible Towel came into being.

It was the late Myron Cope, the legendary Steelers color commentator and beloved WTAE-TV and Radio personality, who created the sensation with a mere plea to Steelers fans after a meeting with Ted Atkins, who was the general manager at WTAE Radio at the time and thought they could use a gimmick to help boost ratings.

"The first thing Myron came up with was any rag, a wash rag, dish towel, a towel, or anything that you could wave," shared Joe Gordon, the former Steelers director of public relations. "When he first started, it was any towel, a rag, a wash rag, dish rag. Whatever you wanted to bring. And he didn't actually say it had to be yellow or black, just anything. But then obviously, once it took hold, the colors moved in."

Before it took hold, Cope took the idea into the Steelers locker room, sharing his thoughts with the players for the new idea.

They didn't exactly embrace it.

"When he took it into the dressing room to talk to players about it, Andy Russell said we're not a gimmick team," said Gordon. "I don't like the idea.

"Nothing could deter Myron once he decided he was going to do something. So, the next game was a playoff game with the Colts. And in that game, Andy Russell returned an interception for a touchdown. Myron jumped on this, saying he was sped away by the Terrible Towel on his rear end. So that was the start of it, and then it just grew from there. From a gimmick, it became something that was international."

It was Dec. 27, 1975, a divisional playoff game against the Baltimore Colts at Three Rivers Stadium when the Terrible Towel made its debut. And at that time, yes, it was dish towels, bathroom towels, whatever people had that were either black or gold they could wave.

And it appeared to work, as the Steelers defeated the Colts, 28-10, to advance to the AFC Championship game and eventually win Super Bowl X.

"I remember Myron Cope polling the locker room and asking all of us what we thought about a towel, and it being called a Terrible Towel," said Hall of Fame cornerback Mel Blount, who played on the Steelers four Super Bowl teams in the 1970s. "I remember Andy Russell telling the story about Myron coming to him, and Andy would say, 'Myron, what are you talking about?' Andy was saying that it didn't make sense.

"And now here we are, as far as an NFL franchise, that's one of the things we're known for, the Terrible Towel. It was a stroke of genius, along with a lot of luck. When people talk about the Steelers and the Steelers fans, they can't talk about them without mentioning the Terrible Towels. So, it's pretty special."

While the Terrible Towel got off and running during the postseason in 1975, it was a divisional playoff game in 1978 when it truly exploded as it was a weapon that was strictly utilized in the postseason in the 1970s.

The Steelers were taking on the Denver Broncos on Dec. 30, 1978, at Three Rivers Stadium. During the pregame, Cope was hyping the resurgence of the towel, something he was convinced would benefit the team in the same manner it did in 1975 when the team won their second Super Bowl.

"So, the Steelers go in with plenty of offense and lots of defense, and it takes us back to those '74 and '75 teams," said Cope during the pregame broadcast. "Plus, the Steelers have the Terrible Towel going for them. Yep, this year we've had a revival of the Terrible Towel. It carried the Steelers all the way in '75. It imputes great strength for the Steelers, and if need be, poses mysterious difficulties for the enemy. You'll see thousands upon thousands of Terrible Towels waving out in those stands today.

"The Terrible Towel is poised to strike, and so are the Steelers."

There was one person in particular with a Terrible Towel who sent the home crowd into a frenzy.

Lynn Swann.

As Swann stood on the field waiting for pregame introductions, he had a towel in his hand. He didn't know yet what he planned to do with it, he simply knew he wanted it nearby.

And then, he knew. He started to wave it. And he wasn't alone.

"I had that towel in my hand, and they were introducing the offense, and I was just flicking the towel on my leg in kind of a nervous habit," said Swann. "They're getting ready to introduce me and I had the towel, and I saw people just kind of standing up and at the whole deal. So, I started waving the towel, just twirling it around over my head. All of a sudden everybody in the stadium was standing up waving that Terrible Towel.

"I ran out on the field, and I remember jumping up in the air and all of a sudden the excitement of playoff football hit. And we were ready to play this football game.

"Myron Cope came to me years later and thanked me. He said that was the beginning of the Terrible Towel. He said the fact that I came out and waved the Terrible Towel and got the fans going, that was the beginning of the Terrible Towel being a symbol for the Pittsburgh Steelers as we traveled around and played in other cities."

While the towel started with fans simply bringing something out of their own closet to wave, it grew into something much larger. An official Terrible Towel was released in the late 1970s, and it instantly became a staple in the home of every Steelers fan.

As sales were increasing, Cope wanted to do something special. He wanted the towel to benefit others.

It was in 1996 that Cope arranged for the royalties from the sale of the Terrible Towel to go to Merakey Allegheny Valley School (AVS), to benefit individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are supported by AVS, including his own son, Danny, who had been enrolled there for years. With items that reach far beyond the towel itself, the school has received over $9.5 million from officially licensed products, used for supplies, services and improvements to the facility.

Among the projects the funds have benefitted is opening a new Merakey AVS school, as well as new roofs at many Merakey AVS homes and campuses, outside renovations on patios and decks, inside renovations in kitchens and bathrooms and much more.

"The Terrible Towel is unique," said Roni Erath, Sr. Regional Executive Director for Merakey AVS. "Not just the size of the donations and what we're able to rely on year after year, but also the tie to the Pittsburgh community and to our mission and the importance of our mission to Myron Cope.

"Being tied to the Terrible Towel in such a way that not only benefits us financially, but it really ties us to the overall Pittsburgh community. This entire region is tied to the Terrible Towel. The legacy of Myron Cope and the Steelers is unmatched anywhere and truly throughout the world. You hear about Steelers fans, and we see Terrible Towels waving all over the world, so it really is an honor for us to be the beneficiary of such an important item.

"I don't even know how to begin to frame how thankful and grateful we are that we can continue our mission because of donations like we get from the Terrible Towel. Being able to enhance our programs and enhance the lives of the individuals that we take care for is truly a privilege and there is no place on earth like the Pittsburgh region, the Steelers and the legacy that's included in all of that really benefits us every day."

While the Terrible Towel will forever be at its best in the postseason, there is never a bad time to put its magic to work. Whether it's the preseason, regular season or postseason, seeing the Terrible Towel waving in the stands brings energy and excitement to the crowd, and equally to players throughout the years.

"It gave you a sense of confidence that the fans are here, our family is here," said former running back Willie Parker. "Even though your immediate family might not have been at the game, as long as you saw those Terrible Towels twirling, it was like our family was there. It's time to go perform. It's time to put out for our city.

"When we played at home the towels were there. When we played on the road, the towels were there. We would go out on the field and see the towels, and we would think it's like a home game. Opposing teams tried to keep the Terrible Towel away from their stadium, they tried to not sell tickets to people with '412' area code. But they couldn't keep them away. Home or away, you would see that Terrible Towel twirling. It's something you always cherished playing for the Steelers."

James Farrior spent five seasons with the New York Jets before signing with the Steelers as an unrestricted free agent in 2002. He knew what it was like to play against the Steelers at home with the towel twirling and was thrilled when he found himself on the other side of it.

"I love seeing the towel go still when I come back for games," said Farrior. "We knew every time we saw the towels waving we had the support of Steelers Nation. We knew we had fans behind us, wanting us to win, wanting us to make big plays.

"The Terrible Towel is part of the culture of the Steelers organization. We tried to live up to that and do the best we could to make all those fans waving the towel happy and make them proud."

There are teams who have tried to duplicate the magic of the Terrible Towel, handing out their version to fans when the Steelers have played at their venues.

But no matter what, a sea of gold always prevails because while some teams have to hand out towels as a giveaway to their fans, Steelers fans own Terrible Towels, most fans owning multiple ones, and they never leave home without them.

"It's really unique and special," sad former tight end Heath Miller. "When the Steelers host home playoff games and you see the excitement of the city and then walk out of that tunnel and just see the sea of gold towels twirling around, it gives me chills to this day to think about it. It's an amazing feeling to know the whole city is behind you. As Steelers players, we took a lot of pride in trying to make the city proud.

"And the fact that it goes to a great cause, which is back into the community, that speaks to the Steelers in general and the Pittsburgh culture."

Throughout the years in the NFL there aren't many 'gimmicks' that have lasted 50 years.

And the reason the Terrible Towel lasted, despite the early doubts of Andy Russell, is because it wasn't a gimmick.

It was a passion.

"People always ask me what my favorite moment was playing for the Steelers," said Hall of Fame guard Alan Faneca. "One of my favorite moments was my first playoff game at Heinz Field and they were announcing the offense. Normally, when you call my name, I'm ready to go play football, I'm running out normally.

"This was my first playoff game. The place was going nuts. Literally nuts. I just stood there. I could see inside the stadium every single Terrible Towel was in the air spinning. And you could just feel the place in your chest. The place was going so crazy.

"I stood there for a second, and I never do that. I was thinking, this is what I'm here for. This is what I'm here to do. And that's really one of my favorite moments. Besides winning the Super Bowl, it was just a surreal moment, and the Terrible Towel was a huge part of it."

'O mama I'm in fear for my life from the long arm of the law.'

The second those words start to blare through the speakers at Acrisure Stadium, and even seconds before when the videoboard goes dark, something mystical happens.

Terrible Towels start waving without prompting, without any action even happening on the field. They continue to whip around in unison, every fan standing and silently waving their towel.

Until the beat of 'Renegade' changes and they explode.

"Before that scream in Renegade, it's like seeing the smoke before the fire and it just kind of prepares you for the moment," said defensive tackle Cameron Heyward.

As players stand on the sidelines, on the field, watching and doing their part to add to the hype, they too are amazed.

"The towels really juice me up, especially in the fourth quarter when Renegade is playing," said linebacker Alex Highsmith. "All the towels are flying around the stadium. It's just truly a feeling like no other. Waving those towels every single game, coming out in the stadium especially in the fourth quarter, it just brings a lot of energy for us."

For Joey Porter Jr., he not only gets to see towels when he is playing, but he grew up seeing the towel while watching his father, Joey Porter Sr., when he played for the Steelers.

"It brings a lot of memories back from my dad playing and just the history around it," said Porter. "It's really a crowd booster. It's an energy booster for everybody.

"I love seeing the Terrible Towels waving. That's Steelers Nation. I'm never surprised when I see the Terrible Towels when we're at the away games. Our fans always make our away games turn into home games, so I just love when they bring that support."

Like many players before him, Heyward has seen other teams try to duplicate the Terrible Towel to take away its magic on the road.

But he knows it will never work because Steelers Nation is too strong and the towel is too powerful.

"It's really unbelievable because it can't be duplicated," said Heyward. "Everybody tries to, but nobody does it right. To be inspired by Myron Cope and for it to take off the way it did, where everybody's twirling it and everybody's locked in and knows there's an energy that comes along with it, it just makes for something special.

"The Terrible Towel is something special."