Steelers broadcaster Tunch Ilkin announces he has ALS

Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers broadcaster and former player Tunch Ilkin has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Ilkin announced in a video released via his church.

Known often as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS is a degenerative disorder that gradually takes away the brain’s power to control the muscles. According to webmd.com, the condition eventually causes difficulty breathing, which is what often leads to the death of those who have it.

Although average life expectancy is less than five years, some people have been known to live with ALS for a decade or longer. Former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason was diagnosed with the disease more than nine years ago.

“I want to fight this thing with the help of … God,” Ilkin said in the video posted to the Twitter account of The Bible Chapel, a nondenominational church with several locations in the Pittsburgh area. “I’m not going to lie down and take this lightly.”

Bible Chapel, Family. We have a special update from Senior Pastor, Ron Moore and Pastor of Men’s Ministry, Tunch Ilkin.https://t.co/PXugCTSbzm

— The Bible Chapel (@thebiblechapel) October 8, 2020

In 95% of cases, the cause of ALS is unknown.

Ilkin, 63, played 13 seasons with the Steelers and, in 1993, a final season with the Green Bay Packers. An offensive tackle, he was twice named to the Pro Bowl. Only 10 players in Steelers history have played more seasons for the franchise; Ilkin also is in the top 20 in career Steelers games played (176).

The first native of Turkey to play in the NFL, Ilkin went into broadcasting after retirement and joined the Steelers radio network team in 1998. He has been alone in the booth with Bill Hillgrove since the late Myron Cope’s retirement in 2005, although longtime Ilkin friend Craig Wolfley is a prominent voice during the broadcasts, too.

Ilkin said his symptoms are not yet significant enough that he has abandoned his longtime routines of lifting weights four days per week or taking an hourlong “prayer walk” through Mt. Washington every morning. He also jumps on a trampoline for 30 minutes per day.

“One of the medications I’m taking makes me tired mid-morning,” Ilkin said during the video discussion with Ron Moore, senior pastor of Bible Chapel. “But after lunch, I am picking up steam. There are times that I get fatigued, and there are times I get energetic.”

‘Burgh’s Best to Wear it, No. 62: Tunch Ilkin was one of the Steelers’ best in the 1980s https://t.co/Gy1RyA58ZE

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) June 30, 2020

Ilkin has been on Steelers broadcasts this season, and there is no indication that will change.

In 2012, Ilkin lost his wife, Sharon, to breast cancer.

Ilkin said he initially was diagnosed with ALS at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh. He had the diagnosis confirmed at the Cleveland Clinic.

A devout Christian, Ilkin is an active part of his church’s Men’s Ministry.

“I have been locking arms with these guys, teaching a class on Wednesday night, and we’ve grown close,” Ilkin said. “That is what we do, life together, and we do challenges together.”

In the video, Ilkin relayed that a friend from his church called him after hearing of the diagnosis.

“He said, ‘What can I do for you?’ ” Ilkin said. “I said, ‘Pray. I need prayer.’ ”