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First off, what are you up to now?
I call my retirement a graduation. I still work for the Senior Bowl All Star Game helping to select players for it. I scout half of the Big 10, MAC, Missouri Valley Conference and go to major college games and scout them still – like Texas – Ohio State. I scouted Manning and many of those great OSU players.
It’s fun to re-connect with the NFL and college coaches there – I know a lot of those guys.
First, can you tell me about your scooting work and how you got started with PrimeTime Scouting?
I was technically a teacher for 25 years – I taught PE but I helped kids understand how to go to college when I did that. I wanted them to have the same opportunity I did – I was the first in my family to graduate from college.
I was a six-time All American hurdler at Pitt and was at the national championship in my hometown of Durham – my college roommate then was Lee McCrae. Our godmothers were sisters and he told me Mark Everett happened to be at his godmother’s house and I should go over there to meet him. Everett was on the Olympic track team.
Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Wide Receiver Elbert Ellis, 1994”
First off, what projects do you have going on now that you’d like to discuss?
Currently I’m in post-production for a TV series I produced. It’s a hybrid competition show and horror movie for Shutter called Guts and Glory.
I’m also the Executive Producer for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – the next season premiered September 7th on AMC.
First off, can you go over what your role was back when the new stadiums were being built?
I started in the Mayor’s office working on inter-governmental relations and became the Chairman for the Stadium Authority and was Executive Director of the Urban Development Authority in Pittsburgh.
What were you trying to accomplish early on?
In the early days we tried to develop the Three Rivers area. The city was successful in building a new stadium but as part of the deal, the Pirates were given control of the development of the area and that was a struggle until the newer stadiums were built.
First off, what are you up to now since your playing days?
I’m working in the sheriff’s office now in Alachua County as the deputy there- I’m also on the bomb squad there. Besides that I’m enjoying life and watching my son grow up.
What made you decide to go into law enforcement and how did playing ball help you as a deputy?
I got my college degree in Sociology – I always wanted to go into law enforcement. It’s a challenging career and everlasting learning. I wanted to get my Masters in Criminology in college but I wanted to pursue ball first.
Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Running Back Tony Brooks-James, 2019, 2021”
First off congrats on retirement – what’s next for you?
I covered some high school games for the local paper after I retired in 2021, then last year I had enough. Now I walk five miles a day, I ski and fish and help my mom out. That’s why I came back. I keep busy.
I covered so much good stuff over the 40-plus years now- now it’s sad to see how the newspaper industry has gone down. It’s heartbreaking to see what’s going on – we’re like malls – on the same path. It’s just not looking promising for newspapers now.
First off, how did you get involved in film production – and now with Lions Tale Media?
I grew up in Pittsburgh and went to school at Penn State. I always had a passion for sports and a like and knack for writing. When I graduated, I had no idea what to do. I wrote a letter to Steve Sabol at NFL Films and he called me in for an interview. They hired me as a production assistant then – in 2006.
Halfway through that year they hired me as a full-time producer. I was with NFL Films for five years and learned all I know over that incubation period.
Continue reading “Exclusive with Leo McCafferty on “The Football Town” Documentary”
First off – what are you up to now?
I went into real estate after I was done skating. I worked in Small Town USA and soon realized though that it’s not about what you know about construction – it’s about the PTA moms you raise your kids with. People chose their agents because they all raised their kids together. That was interesting but frustrating – that left me out.
Now, I’m a decorator – I’ve been doing that for the past year-and-half. I’ll be putting out a new line soon of furniture made out of pottery – stools, lamps, tables….hopefully it’ll work. I haven’t seen anything like it in the marketplace.
Continue reading “Exclusive: Pittsburgh Olympic Skater Michael Seibert”
First off, can you let us know what you got into after your football career ended?
After football I spent a lot of time in Manhattan work in the financial industry. I worked for Reuters, Dow Jones, Thomson Financial then Broadridge Financial. It was a good run until I decided to hang it up and retire a short while ago.
Was the post-football transition difficult?
It worked out ok. I lived in New York for a while – uptown – then moved to New Jersey and took the boat into the city. A lot of my clients were on the boat. I worked with the bankers and brokers in the city.
After a while I just decided that it was time to start working and enjoyed it. It was a good transition.
Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Quarterback Leo Gasienica, 1974”
Second half of interview continuing from Exclusive with Art Rooney Jr. Part I – Welcome to Steelers Takeaways!
I know so much is written about Bill Nunn’s impact and the delving into HBCUs when discussing those late 60’s and 70’s drafts. But outside of that, what was really working for you in terms of how you approached the scouting process and what you looked for that was different from others teams? Not every stellar player was an HBCU guy?
We were a losing team – we had early picks and didn’t fuck them up!
But we focused a lot on athleticism – size, speed, quickness, control – and vision too.
Continue reading “Exclusive with Art Rooney Jr. Part 2”