Exclusive with Former Steelers Wide Receiver Stahle’ Vincent, 1972-1973

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

After football, I went into business with my brother and another partner – we had two men’s retail clothing stores. But I soon realized that just wasn’t for me.

I wrote to Rawlings Sporting Goods – they had just launched a management training program so my timing was good. They hired me and I became a sales manager in the DC area, working with wholesalers, calling on colleges, pro teams and high schools. I ran into a lot of guys I played with and against in college and the NFL there.

But, the bottom fell out – Rawlings was sold to a fire truck company of all things and they didn’t understand the business. They cut the compensation in half for anyone who was there under five years – they called it “a compensation adjustment.”

So, I moved back to Greensboro and sold insurance then worked for a textile company. I then quit work to go to grad school. I got call from my old company – a friend I worked with asked me to come back and work for HR, of all things. They sent me the job definition  – seven actually – because they cut the HR staff from seven down to two. So I worked there until I retired three years ago.

How hard was that post-football adjustment for you?

The adjustment was rough. It would have been easier if I knew I just wasn’t good enough. But for me, my body just gave out – I wasn’t durable enough. The players and coaches all talked to me and felt like I was capable of playing in the NFL.

It was also hard because the year after I stopped playing they won a Super Bowl, then another. Those were guys I played with and practiced with and hung out with. So, I had to regroup, just missing out on all of that.

In football too, it’s always about that next thing – the next practice, the next game… Without that after football, it took time to refocus. To find something else. I was angry at times and felt bad. I had to remember that the goal was always to play football and I got to do that at least. I just didn’t make it in the end. Most players don’t get to go out on their own terms.

Looking back, how did you find out the team drafted you – and were you surprised?

There was a scout – he worked for a few teams – that came to practice a lot. I forget who he was. But he came over and said “Hi” one day and we talked a while. He told me that if I ended the year well, there were a few teams that were interested in drafting me.

I thought I’d get drafted by the Oilers. Bill Petersen was the coach at Rice and had just resigned and was hired to coach the Oilers. I thought I’d get drafted by him and go across town to work! But they drafted a different running back in the third round. So after that I had no clue what was going to happen.

The draft was two days then. The second day I was in my dorm room when I got a call. It was Coach Noll congratulating me on being drafted by the Steelers in the eighth round.  I was excited and started talking to him all about the Steelers and the players and the history. He chuckled and told me “I think you are a Steeler already!”

Did anyone take you under their wing at all in Pittsburgh?

Ernie Holmes and Bert Askson were from Texas and I knew them. After I was drafted they came over and we all went out to a bar – they told me to bring my friends. When we got there Ernie – you know how he was – he told the bartender to buy a round for everyone in the bar – Stahle’s paying!

He ended up paying – there was no way I could pay for anything!

There was a big contingent of Texas players in Pittsburgh and they adopted me. It was an excellent situation for me –  they helped me navigate things. It looked like everything was lining up right for me.

Anyone help most when you got to camp?

Ron Shanklin was a big help. After practice he’d take me in his Corvette – we’d go for rides around the city and talk about the game. How to keep my body in shape, how to stay focused and what to do – and what not to do.

You were a quarterback for most of college. Any aspirations of playing quarterback on the NFL?

I knew I wasn’t going to play quarterback. I wasn’t anything like the prototype quarterbacks they had then. I was also hurt in college – my elbow.

Franco was down to earth too – my locker was next to his.  I was a running back at first, but then they switched me when I got there to defensive back and wide receiver. Then they had me just play receiver.

All the receivers helped each other. Lionel Taylor – that was his thing. We were all going to be good or none of us were going to be good! And Chuck – when I jogged back to the huddle after running a route he’d sometimes give me tips. Not over-coaching  – just helping me out on the mental aspect.  It was a new position for me and I was learning it at the NFL level which wasn’t an easy thing to do.

Any moments stand out to you?

Frenchy Fuqua – I saw him play in college. After about the second or third week of the season he was telling stories about his college days and I told him “Frenchy, you’re older than most think you are!” I told him I and a friend saw him in college. He knew my friend – said “She was the finest woman on that campus!” After that he told everyone they couldn’t mess with me!

Sam Davis too. I remember how impressive he was. They had a lot of stars on that team, but in team meetings he was the one they all listened to. He was the one who spoke up and they all listened to him.

Any less than positive moments?

My rookie year a few players asked me to go talk to them. We piled in one of their cars and they asked me what I was doing with my money. I asked them what they meant. I told them I was on a budget with a rookie salary – I was conservative with my money and was smart in how I invested it. I asked them why – they said they knew I had a business degree and that they had an agent who ran all aspects of their money. They sent him their checks and he paid their bills and invested their money and gave them an allowance. I asked them how they knew what he was doing – if he sent them any statements and they said no – he just told them what he was doing.

Well, there was a pregnant pause. I told them they should ask for a statement of their expenses from him. They should see how their money was doing and if it worked out well to pay a guy to invest and pay their bills for them, then great.

Three weeks later they called me back over to the car and we talked again. They told me that they asked for statements and he said he was going to send it to them. Two weeks after that he filed for bankruptcy. I asked them if they knew what that meant for them – they thought they were going to get their money back. I told them no – that absolved him of his responsibility to do that. I asked them what they were going to tell their families?

It turns out he represented some players from other teams too. I know there was a lawsuit later than came from it.

I know you were injured after that first season -what happened?

It was a freak non-contact injury. Three Rivers was a multi-purpose stadium and the field was one of the worst in the NFL. It had concrete under the surface – guys got knocked out hitting that turf. When they converted the baseball field into a football field they placed sheet metal down where the bases were. Well, I was running a route and Terry Hanratty was throwing the ball to me. Terry – he wasn’t the most accurate passer. I turned to catch the pass and stepped on that sheet and it was like being stuck in glue. I turned but my foot didn’t move. I twisted my knee and it swelled up and I had throbbing pain.

You get a worker’s comp waiver – I got paid for the year but had to sit out the rest of the season. After that they told me they regretted it didn’t work out but Chuck told me if I ever needed a reference letter to let him know. I actually did ask him later on for one and he wrote a very nice one for me.

How did the season fare before that?

Well, I was doing well but like I said my body didn’t hold out. I twisted my ankle before that and had to go to the hospital and get an x-ray taken. They told me I needed to take a week off – which for a rookie was not good news.

Well, about the fifth day in I was in my dorm room studying the playbook when Bill Nunn came by and told me he was glad he caught me – that Chuck wanted to see me – and to bring my playbook.  I was thinking of course that this wasn’t good. It was a Thursday – it wasn’t even the cut day.

Well, I went to Noll’s office and he looked at me and told me to have a seat. Then he asked me why I was there. I figured this must be really bad since he didn’t even think he was going to talk to me. Then behind us we saw Bill Nunn, doubled-over in laughter.

Chuck laughed. Then he asked Bill if I was the one the coaches were talking about. He told me that they wanted to move me from a project player to someone they wanted to keep around. That I shouldn’t worry about being hurt – to rest and get well. He told me they had a place for me on the team.

When I walked out Bill told me he was glad I had a sense of humor. I told him he should just be glad I had a strong heart!

Any other memories stand out?

One I do remember that was sad was about Joe Gilliam. He and I played in an All-Star game together and I talked with him then and in Pittsburgh. He said that we never knew how to pronounce your name. I asked him who “we” were – and he said he and his dad. He told me that if he didn’t play for his dad who coached at Tennessee State, that his dad would have tried to have me go play for him. Of course Joe ended up playing for his dad.

When I got hurt in Pittsburgh, Joe at the same time started getting some playing time in Pittsburgh. That’s when he lost his perspective on things. He got caught up in drugs. He had a great wife and kids – it was so disappointing. The drugs really caught up to Joe.

He later on went around the country speaking to people about the issues around drugs – went to drug recovery centers. He was coming to Greensboro – I hadn’t seen him in years so I thought I’d drop in and see him. But he was a no-show. Not too long after I saw on TV that he died of an overdose.

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