Welcome to Steelers Takeaways! – More than 1,000 interviews of Steelers players, coaches, front office staff, media and more with those that played in the 50’s through today’s current roster.

Exclusive with Darryl McDaniels (D.M.C.)

First, what are you up to now – what projects should we be made aware of?

The two most immediate ones are- first, I have a new cookie company called Darryl Makes Cookies – DMC Cookies. These are the coolest cookies in the universe! I wanted to do cookies because I don’t like doing what everyone else is doing – and I just want to make people smile.

I’ve been sober now 24 years so I can’t do champagne and alcohol. I like cookies – they make people happy and help make the world a better place by making people happy! We have chocolate chip cookies now and in November we’ll have Christmas Holly cookies. We’re finally going to put fruitcakes out of existence! These are the real deal and relevant to everyone. After that we’ll have oatmeal, vegan and gluten-free ones too.

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Exclusive with Former Steelers Running Back Antwon McCray, 2002

First off, what have you been up to since your time playing football?

Now, I do work with Homeland Security and the TSA, helping them with budgets. I’ve been doing that for a while now. After I finished playing I taught for a year with my wife in Springfield, Virginia. I played in NFL Europe then after teaching I got into government contract work.

Now, I own my own staffing company, placing nurses here in Pittsburgh.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Running Back Antwon McCray, 2002”

Exclusive with Former Steelers Wide Receiver Moses Ford, 1987

First, can you let me know what you’ve been up to since your NFL days?

I got a job doing maintenance work. After football I’ve had issues with bipolar depression – that all really began after football.

Have you gotten support?

People have helped me, yeah. Playing football kept me busy – kept me focused so it didn’t really affect me as much until after I stopped playing. School was the same way – it kept me focused I guess so it didn’t really affect me until after I was done playing.

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Exclusive with Former Steelers Fullback Brendan Joe, 2006

First off, can you let me know you’ve been up to since your playing days?

I’m a private wealth advisor now with AllianceBernstein. We have $650 billion under management but we act more like a boutique firm. The firm is based in Nashville but I work out of Columbus, Ohio. I don’t target athletes, funny enough, but I do get calls from them as I work through my coaching networks.

We’re the first financial management firm to be recommended by the NFLPA on their website. When agents talk to players about their financial needs they are supposed to refer to the site first – though I don’t think they all do that!

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Exclusive with Former Steelers Safety Erik Totten, 2002

First, can you let me know what you’ve been up to since you stopped playing?

Since my playing days I went to work in finance. I spent one-and-a-half years in corporate finance then took an opportunity to work as an asset manager and have been doing that for the past 16 years. I’m in Austin and lead a big part of our business where we create investment solutions for financial advisors.

Was the post-NFL transition difficult?

That goes back a ways, but I’d say it was fairly smooth. I was able to find a job quickly. I was from Seattle and had a lot of interest from companies when I was done, but I wanted to stay close to Seattle at first. I just needed a job to help me get started in the corporate world. I had a lot of friends from college who already had three or four years of experience, and I was starting fresh. So getting my foot in the door at first was unnerving and challenging. But it all worked out for the best.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Safety Erik Totten, 2002”

Exclusive with Pittsburgh Boxing Trainer Thomas Yankello

First off, can you let us know how you got involved in boxing/training?

I’ve been around boxing my whole life. My grandfather was a boxer – a military champion. My dad’s brother – the same thing. Both were military boxing champs. My dad always loved the sport too. Since I was five they’d show me the old boxers on tv – we’d all watch fights together and go to fights. It was infectious for me – I fell in love with it.

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Exclusive with Former Steelers Tight End Tracy Greene, 1995

First, can you let me know what you’ve been up to since your playing days?

Actually after my time in Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay I moved back to Kansas City and started up a handyman service here. I’ve been doing that for the better part of 15 years. I took two years off after my time in Pittsburgh before moving back here.

I grew up in Louisiana and this was the type of work I always did with my father, so that’s what drove me to get into this line of work.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Tight End Tracy Greene, 1995”

Exclusive with Former Steelerette Dianne Rossini

First off, can you let me know a bit about how the Steelerettes got started?

Bill Day was the VP of what then was Robert Morris Junior College – and he was also the Entertainment Director for the Steelers. He was good friends with the Rooney family. Back then the Steelers didn’t win a lot of games as you know – those teams from the ’40s through the ’60s we called the SOS – “Same Old Steelers”. Not a lot of people went to those games.

So, Bill Day had this idea to generate excitement for fans. He wanted us to be the first-ever NFL cheerleaders – he thought that would be a great idea to get fans excited at the games. He held tryouts at RMU. Cheerleaders were required to be full-time RMU students and to maintain at least a 2.0 GPA. That’s how we became the Steelerettes – we started in 1961.

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Exclusive with Former Steelers Cornerback Curtis Brown, 2011-2103

First off, what have you been up to since your playing days?

I went through a real rough patch – it was a tough transition. Really rough. But I’m a single dad now with two daughters. I love being a father. I also started a BBQ business – Kickback Kitchen and Grill here in Houston. I started that with a cousin from the University of Texas. We’re trying to get that up and running now.

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Exclusive with Bubby Brister, Steelers Quarterback, 1986-1992

First, I know you have your hands in so many things since you retired. Tell me a bit about from the three-hundred foot level on what you’ve been working on that you want readers to know about?

When I was out of football I moved from Denver to Southern Louisiana and have been there since 2002. I’ve been in the oil and gas business – I started by working for a man named Bill Jenkins.

I’m now at Troy Construction in Houston in the pipeline industry. It was hard to leave Bill but it was a career move to work at one of the best pipeline construction companies. I’ve been blessed to work for some great people and organizations – the Steelers, Broncos and Bill Jenkins. In Pittsburgh I met a lot of great people and a lot of them helped me to make this transition.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Bubby Brister, Steelers Quarterback, 1986-1992”