First, can you let me know what you’ve been doing since your time in the NFL?
Since I’ve been out of football, I got involved in investment banking, helping small to mid-sized companies go public. I’ve also done some coaching for my son’s little league team. He’s 16 now – so I’m also enjoying being a dad.
We’re all dealing with Corona – my wife is a speech pathologist and she and my son are online a lot right now doing virtual learning. So I’m helping out all I can with that too.
How difficult was the post-NFL adjustment for you – did you have a plan in place before you retired?
I had a decent plan. Anyone that tells you though that it’s not a struggle isn’t being 100% honest. Those who make it to the NFL level are used to the NFL and the way you do things there. You miss the locker room comradery when you get back in the real world.
Even going to a doctor is different – before I retired it was always the team doctors at the facility. Going to a doctor – even that was different. It’s not a major struggle – but it is an adjustment. Fortunately I got my degree so that helped – its still an adjustment though,
Were you surprised to be drafted by Pittsburgh and in the second round?
I wasn’t surprised to get drafted that early, but getting drafted by Pittsburgh was a big surprise. I was from the South – I was a Cowboys fan and remember the Steelers-Cowboys Super Bowls. I hadn’t really even been to the East coast. Pittsburgh was the last team I expected to get drafted by.
Tom Donohoe called me when they drafted me – then I spoke to Joe Greene and Chuck Noll. They asked me if I was ready to be a Steeler and I said “Sure!”
Did anyone take you under their wing and help mentor you as a new player?
It was really all the guys. You heard stories of other teams – how they just sort of dropped rookies in the ocean and let them find their own way. It wasn’t like that in Pittsburgh. The defensive linemen all helped – many of us stayed at the Allegheny Center together. Aaron Jones and Keith Willis were big helps. And David Little – he invited rookies to his house for Thanksgiving since many of us couldn’t go home and didn’t have family nearby.
You played in the 3-4 there – how much of an adjustment was that for you?
The 3-4 was an adjustment. I was an undersized defensive lineman – I relied a lot on my speed as a lineman. And we ran a different kind of 3-4 – we played the two-gap and schemed the nosetackle to line up at a slant – things like that. So I had to learn that.
Any memories stand out most from your time there?
I remember how close-knit the group was. We all stayed in the same place and hung out together. When I played for the Oilers it was such a big city that players just all went their own way after practices. Pittsburgh was a small town – so we’d go to the complex together and out to eat together. We spent time together.
I also remember when we played Atlanta in the Georgia Dome on Monday Night. I was fortunate enough to recover a fumble and run it in for a touchdown. That sticks out for me. Defensive linemen get few opportunities like that – especially on Monday Night Football!
You were there when Coach Noll retired and Coach Cowher took over. How did that impact you and the team, from your perspective?
We had no indication Chuck was retiring. We were all shocked. I was finalizing my degree at school when I heard he was leaving. I’m not sure what the deal was – if it was a mutual decision or not. But it was a shock.
Now, we were all playing for different coaches – coaches who didn’t draft you. You had to prove yourself again. But I did know Cowher a little bit – he coached me in the Senior Bowl when he was with Kansas City, so I was a little familiar with him. That may have helped me a little bit.
It did rejuvenate us. It didn’t matter what we did before – we had to prove ourselves all over again.
Who were the guys on the Steelers you liked going up against most?
Leon Searcy – he was tough. Every time I practiced against him he practiced like he played. It made playing on Sundays easy – every practice was like a game day.
And playing against Dermontti Dawson – he was one of the best centers to ever do it. He was so quick and agile. If you could hold your own against him, you could against anybody.
You ended up playing for three of the four AFC Central teams over your career – how strange was that for you and how different were the teams?
It was strange yeah. It helped because I knew what to expect having played against each of the teams.
Houston was more of a big city team – everyone went their own way. Cincinnati and Pittsburgh – they were small city teams. The stadiums I think were built by the same company. It was like playing for a college team – everyone on both of those teams hung out together.
Why did you leave the Steelers after the ’93 season?
Well, it was free agency. Houston gave me a better offer. Plus, I was from the South, so it was closer to home.
Do you watch the NFL today – do you like the changes the league has made to the game?
It’s still a fun game to watch. I think the changes are for the better – you can’t lay into guys like you could before. I think that’s for the best. I know they have less contact in practice – what – only 15 padded practices now? I tell guys today that if we only had 15 padded practices I could have played 15 years!
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