Pirates mourn the loss of long-time usher Phil Coyne

The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Coyne family confirmed the passing of long-time usher Phil Coyne, who passed away this morning at 102-years-old.

Comment from Pirates Chairman, Bob Nutting:

“Phil was and always will be a true Pirates legend. He was a hard-working, passionate family man who proudly served our country as a member of the United States Army during World War II. He worked his first Pirates game at Forbes Field at the age of 18 in 1936. For the next 82 years and more than 6,000 games until his official retirement ceremony on his 100th birthday, Phil was so much more than an usher to us and our fans. As a testament to his life of service to the game of baseball, his Pirates uniform and identification badge remain on permanent display at the National Baseball Hall-of-Fame.

“As we celebrate his life and the many fond memories we all have of Phil, our thoughts are with the entire Coyne family and his many, many friends. He was and will forever be a member of our Pirates family.”

Comment from Dan Coyne, nephew of Phil Coyne:

“Philly really was truly grateful for every Pirates fan who ever came up to him and shook his hand, gave him a hug or even asked for an autograph. He really loved interacting with the fans and felt the kindness from everyone at the Pirates family over the decades. On behalf of the entire Coyne family, we are thankful for everyone’s support during this time.”