First, can you let me know what you got into after football?
Well, I went into real estate and did that for 25 years in Northwest Arkansas. I did some coaching as well at Arkansas and Louisiana Tech. That’s pretty much what I’ve done. I’m retired now and live in Texas.
Why Texas?
There was a lake I always wanted to live near. It has the best bass fishing in the state. I decided that’s where I wanted to live. Of course it’s been the worst bass fishing year here!
Was the post-NFL transition tough or did you have a good plan?
I had a good plan in place. I always wanted to get into coaching and after I did nothing for a year I got a coaching job that second year at Louisiana Tech. We wanted to raise our kids in Arkansas so we moved there and went into real estate with Jim Lindsey, who used to play for the Vikings. I then went to coach at Arkansas for four years before going back into real estate.
Were there any big coaching influences for you?
I was heavily influenced by my high school coach. He and my dad were the two most influential people in my life. He and Kay Stephenson who was my offensive coordinator in Buffalo and ended up coaching with me in Arkansas.
They showed me how to treat players – to be yourself with players and show that you care about them. When you do that they play hard for you.
Kay was also so knowledgeable in the passing game. Oh and Dan Breaux at Arkansas was too.
Speaking of Louisiana high schools – you followed one Terry Bradshaw at Woodlawn yes?
Terry graduated the year before I came in so we weren’t there together, but I did follow him there. He was one of the best quarterbacks in the state for years. He’s the one that started it off as far as those big name quarterbacks like Bert Jones, me and others coming out of Louisiana at that time.
Why did all of you guys have such success then?
Our high school coach was a smart guy. He had us guys who had good arms and decided he wanted to pass the ball. No one else was really passing the ball then. Defenses only knew how to stop the run – they couldn’t stop us.
Me and Bert Jones used to play against each other in high school then in the NFL – two times a year. We’ve been good friends for some time. We all just had coaches who were smart enough to go to the passing game when no one else was and that benefited all of the quarterbacks in the area.
You played in some big games against the Steelers over your career. Anything you remember most?
I remember beating them in Buffalo. It was cold but it wasn’t freezing – Terry didn’t have a big game. I remember Bradshaw after the game telling the press that it was too cold. I was laughing. It wasn’t that cold – this was a guy who played football in Pittsburgh!
I still think the Steelers and the Steel Curtain was one of the best defenses and teams of all time. All those guys – they were good at every position and so well-coached.
Any players or moments stand out from those games?
We had them beat a couple of times late on games in Pittsburgh too but just couldn’t hold on and lost late in the game. My second or third season I remember making an audible at the line of scrimmage. Those days I was young and still scared to death playing them. But I audibled on a third and six and handed it to OJ who ran 85 yards or so for a touchdown. I was as surprised as anybody.
Joe Greene was outstanding. Lambert too. The smartest guy on the team was Andy Russell – he was a great player. They just had great players and were well-coached. They were never out of position.
We were good too. We had a lot of good players and could challenge anyone. We just knew we had to play hard. Against the Steelers you circle that on your calendar – you knew they didn’t take plays off. If you fooled around you would lose. You had to play hard against them every play.
Do you follow the current Bills team? Any thoughts on them this year and that first game against the Steelers?
I’m really proud of the Bills – they have a really good team and quarterback. I’m impressed with the offensive coordinator – they spread the ball around. I thought they’d beat Kansas City last year. I was wrong on that one.
I think it will be a good ball game. Roethlisberger plays well every game – he will be a challenge. I think Buffalo has the better team though and it’s tough to beat Buffalo in Buffalo. Buffalo has just about everyone coming back this year so I’d pick Buffalo to win that one.
Do you stay in touch with the organization at all now?
Most of the people I knew in the organization are gone now. I do go to the alumni game every year – it’s mostly the same guys that go. We have a good time.
How important was the Wall of Fame for you?
Making the Wall of Fame meant a lot to me. The fans in Buffalo are outstanding. It means a lot to be on that wall – there are a lot of great guys up there!
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
