When many of Stan Savran’s friends, family and colleagues gather on Wednesday to pay their final respects to the late legendary commentator, one of those in attendance won’t be sticking around for the entire service.
In his Monday column for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 105.9 The X host Mark Madden wrote that he’s leaving the funeral early so that he can get to the station on time to do his show from 3-6 p.m.
Madden explained that this won’t be a sign of disrespect to Savran, who passed away last week, but rather a way to pay a fitting tribute to the Pittsburgh sports media icon.
“That’s the biggest tribute I can pay Stan. Because it’s absolutely, 100% what he would do if he attended my funeral. Or anybody else’s,” Madden wrote. “With Stan, the job came first.”
Savran’s dedication to his work was something that stood out to many who worked with and observed Stan through the years, Madden included.
“Death was the only thing that could stop Stan from working. He never would have retired,” he wrote. “Severe illness only slowed him a little. He couldn’t wait to get back to work. When he couldn’t host his show, he kept calling mine. He kept calling The DVE Morning Show.”
Madden said Savran’s greatness didn’t extend to just sports. His loss is being felt across Pittsburgh.
“Stan wasn’t just a Pittsburgh sports icon. He was a Pittsburgh icon, period,” he wrote. “Identifiable with the city.”
