99-year-old Pirates usher retires after 81 years on the job

One of the longest-serving members of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization has called it a career.

Phil Coyne, a 99-year-old usher at PNC Park, who has worked Pirates home games since 1936, announced his retirement Friday following 81 years on the job.

Pirates president Frank Coonelly said the team will honor Coyne for his years of service in a special pregame ceremony on April 27, which is also his 100th birthday.

"Having worked his first Pirates game at the age of 18 in 1936, Phil remains number one on our organizational seniority list and will always have a place on our team," Coonelly said, per The Pirates Press. "If Phil has indeed worked his last Pirates game, he has served our fans with incredible grace and distinction and he certainly has earned the right to watch Pirates games with his feet up from the comfort of his easy chair. We very much look forward to April 27, when Phil and nearly 200 of his family and friends will be our guests as we celebrate Phil's 100th birthday during a special pregame ceremony."

Coyne ushered for the Pirates at three different home ballparks - PNC, Three Rivers Stadium, and Forbes Field - and the team estimates he's worked over 6,000 home games. At PNC, which opened in 2001, he could be found patrolling sections 26 and 27 down the left-field line.

Coyne is one of the last links to the Pirates' glorious past. The first Pirates team he worked for featured three Hall of Fame players - outfielders Paul and Lloyd Waner and shortstop Arky Vaughan - plus manager Pie Traynor, who was inducted as a third baseman. Legendary shortstop Honus Wagner, whose first season in Pittsburgh came as a player in 1900, was a coach on that '36 squad.

During his career as an usher, Coyne witnessed 13 of the Pirates' 17 playoff appearances and three of their five World Series championships. The Pittsburgh native only missed working for the Pirates during a few wartime seasons while he served in World War II, according to Adam Berry of MLB.com.

Last April, the Pirates celebrated Coyne's 99th birthday by presenting him with his own jersey.