First off, can you let me know what you’ve been up to since your playing days?
Well, I joined civilian life after playing. I went into business for myself – I got into mortgage banking, but in the mortgage crisis of 2008 I lost it all. I started over again and now I own Prantl’s Bakery and run that. I accumulated a number of properties that I manage as well – I have a portfolio of those I represent and manage those as well.
How did you get involved in all of that?
My major in college was in Business Administration. When I was handling commercial loans I noticed a lot of the calls I was getting were due to people mismanaging businesses. Over time I became as much of a business consultant as a lender – I helped out people in the position to get the loans by helping them fix their businesses.
I purchased and sold a few companies over the years – the bakery was one I bought and sold though because I enjoy the business.
How difficult was that transition to “civilian life”?
Football helps you in regular life – it shows you regimen and discipline. Getting through the mundane and making it your own. I think that’s par for the course for many guys that played.
I learned that greatness is really the difference of millimeters, not inches. Somebody that’s a step faster is a superstar and the guy that’s a step slower is a commoner! That runs through everything in life. I learned that quick.
Looking back, how did you end up with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent coming from a smaller school like IUP?
Other teams showed interest but my coach in college came from the same area as the Rooneys. They knew each other and I think my coach probably arranged for me to get my workout with the team. They signed me after that.
I was a defensive lineman in college but the Steelers originally looked at me to play offensive line. But when the drills started they saw I wasn’t built for the offensive line so they put me back on defense.
Did anyone help mentor you as an undrafted free agent from a smaller school?
My first year Chuck Noll would stay after practice for an hour or more to show me techniques. Coming from a division II school I didn’t know as much. He showed me techniques – how to pass rush, finishing off double teams, pursuit angles, that sort of thing.
Joe Greene during practice would in essence coach me as well. That made a ton of difference.
Craig Wolfley wrote that you were the camp phenom that season. What did you notice most about the guys around you then and what did they show you that helped you stand out and make the team?
They were intense. I liked to call it a natural intensity. Joe was welcoming and friendly but when it came time for business his eyes just changed.
Jack Lambert was quiet. But when he has something to say people listened. It had meaning. I remember as a rookie I had to take the other defensive linemen out for dinner. Jack was mad he wasn’t invited.
But he was a linebacker?
I know! But they made me tell him he wasn’t invited and he was not happy. It was weird for me. I watched these guys in high school win a Super Bowl and now I’m playing with them. For me to tell Jack Lambert he wasn’t invited was odd.
What else did the coaches show you that helped?
I played in a violent era. Our coaches used to tell us that we had a weapon – your head. Lead with it.
George Perles would also tell us that pressure makes the cream rise to the top. He knew how to apply the pressure. One time he told me that if I didn’t beat this guy I’d have to walk across three practice fields to tell the press why I got cut!
I learned their way of playing football as a rookie. My second year we changed coaches and schemes and I didn’t catch on. My first year it was about intensity and toughness and my second year it was more cerebral – more about new schemes.
You also got injured that first season…
I was out on IR that first season. I wasn’t injured all year but they kept me on IR. When you lose half a season it’s hard to come back and not be rusty. I used it as an opportunity to learn the system. But that second season with the new scheme Bill Nunn met with me and told me it was time to move on.
Was being from a local school like IUP helpful or a distraction during your time there?
I have to say it helped me overall, but I had to tune everything out. There were over 20 people in that room. We had eight people coming back from the year before and we were only keeping six linemen that season since we were moving to to the 3-4 from the 4-3.
I remember that first day guys getting up and introducing themselves – guys would say they were from USC, Notre Dame – all the schools you idolized growing up. And I’m introducing myself as “Joe from IUP”. I had guys telling me they didn’t know the University of Indiana had a campus in Pennsylvania! That’s the kind of stuff I dealt with.
When I realized that I thought it was crazy. I was wondering what I was doing there with guys from those bigger colleges. I just told myself then that I was going to do the best I can and let the chips fly where they may. I didn’t pay attention to those other guys. That’s how you get psyched out. Some of those guys were freaks, but at the end of the day it’s a package thing. It’s not just about doing one thing great. I learned what I needed to do and it clicked for me.
What made it click for you?
Being a fast learner. Learning the techniques real quickly and working with Coach Noll on that. If not for that I wouldn’t have been there long.
What do you think of the way the game has changed today?
It’s a totally different game. The specialization now has changed everything. When I played we had to focus on the run and the pass. We couldn’t be too aggressive on just rushing the passer. It was harder. Now specialization makes it easier for guys – they can focus on rushing the passer or playing the run more.
I’m sure it has its pros and cons today too. I know when I played we got concussions left and right – no one paid any attention to that stuff then. You were taught to lead with your head. I had my C7 in my neck taken out because of too many headbutts.
I used to say “God you’re teasing me. you made me good enough to be here but not good enough to stay.” Years later, I’m saying thank you for not having played 10 years. I would have been all busted up. There are pros and cons to everything I guess. I look at that and I gotta stay with the positives!
I learned a lot about life in that defensive line room. I could have given up when I saw those other guys from those big schools. But I told myself I’d stay and do my best. That gave me confidence later for other things in my life. Maybe that’s why I became an entrepreneur. I learned how to take risks there.
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