First, let me know what you’re doing with yourself now.
I’m working with athletes – helping them with their conditioning and fitness – training them and helping them prepare.
Before the pandemic I had a fitness company – we did a circuit training camp for large organizations like Yahoo and YouTube – we did group health and wellness programs for their employees.
Was that post-football transition difficult?
In terms of not playing the sport you played your whole life, I don’t think people fully understand how hard that is. The adjustment was big. When you’re young you don’t lay out plans for the rest of your life – that next phase of your journey.
So it was difficult. I ended up coaching high school football and track & field. I have four kids – 37, 34, 32 and a 15-year old. They all played sports and I trained them. My daughter did track & field at Alabama, my other played volleyball at Arizona State.
I also worked as a juvenile probation officer for a while and coached at the college level at West LA College.
As a coach, were there other coaches you played under that influenced how you approached coaching?
My first high school coach at Dorsey High School was John Turner. He was the main one.
I played Pop Warner football and that was a bad experience for me. That was my first year playing organized football – before that it was just street ball. I didn’t learn much from those coaches – they just more yelled and screamed. These were coaches that didn’t make it to that next level and just kind of took it out on you.
After that experience I decided I wasn’t going to play high school football, but a friend convinced me to play, That was such a different experience – I was the team MVP my Freshman season.
What was so different about that experience?
Coach Turner was just patient. He taught me about football. When we made a mistake he put his arm around you and explained to you what you did wrong.
I grew up in South Central LA. I played Pop Warner football in Baldwin Hills though. I decided to go to high school there – it was further away from South Central.
The South Central neighborhoods were infested then with gangs, But it was interesting. They knew I was an athlete and gave me a pass. I’d come home late and it was scary at times – if I was someone else I may have been jumped. But they gave me a pass as an athlete. That’s a dynamic not a lot of people know. When you play ball they let you go out and represent the community.
Was that experience part of why you became a probation officer?
Some of it. I met my father for the first time when I was 18 and never had a real relationship with him. I actually realized that as a probation officer I could recruit kids to play football and improve their lives. I ended up getting some of those kids into big name schools like UCLA.
Stepping back some – I’m curious how you landed on that Steelers strike team. What was that process?
Actually, the year before, Pittsburgh reached out to me and brought me in as a free agent. Honestly, I just didn’t have the discipline I needed then. I think if I had a better foundation things may have been different.
At UNLV, I had no help prepping for the combine. We were left on our own to train, really. My agent was Bob Cohen who worked with some players but was pretty inexperienced. He had me hold out of mini-camp for more money. It was a horrible decision – unless you’re a high draft pick or something you never do that. I had bad advice and by the time I went to camp I was unprepared. I found out later too that I had a learning disability – dyslexia – that made it harder to learn the playbook. When you get there and see the intricacies of the playbook – it’s a big shock. And if you can’t work your way through the playbook it’s not going to work for you.
Did anyone talk to you and try and help that first time in camp?
Jed Hughes was the coach and he liked me. It was just a struggle for me. After that year I went home, but the next season I got a call from the Steelers when the strike started. Jed invited me back. I told him when he called that I had just got my wisdom teeth pulled the day before, but he told me I needed to get there the next day and just deal with it if I wanted to play. So I went – I was in a lot of pain but I told myself it was my chance.
Did anyone help you and take you under their wing at all once you got to camp?
Shell, Webster and Stallworth were there, but the one guy that really helped me the most was Mike Meriweather. He and Donnie held morning Bible studies. Mike was amazing – he didn’t care if you were a rookie – he just wanted to help you. He was kind and supportive to me.
He helped me with the playbook and just being supportive. I didn’t respond as well as I should have to extend my career. I was too interested in hanging out with the guys instead of working harder to make the team.
Any fun memories stand out most to you?
Going out with Bubby Brister – I remember he bought a brand new Mercedes and the first night out with it he decided he didn’t want to drive it back and had a friend do it for him. Well the next morning I saw him on the phone and he was pretty animated. His buddy totaled his car!
I also remember my room at Latrobe overlooked the graveyard there! I’m not sure if they did that on purpose to the rookies!
Any on-field memories that stand out?
My game versus Atlanta – I had a real good game – that was my best game for sure. I should have applied myself more. I can’t blame anyone though. Jed wanted me on the team. I just wasn’t focused enough.
I wanted to hear more about how they took these guys that came in from the strike and got them all to play together so quickly. How did they accomplish that?
They just went about business as usual. Those who caught on caught on and played and got opportunities.
Noll was hands-on. He dabbled in every aspect of the game. He didn’t micro-manage his coaches but he came to every drill and was very hands-on.
Another memory by the way that stands out about that strike season. Joe Greene came in to coach during the strike. At the stadium I remember we were all in the elevator and a woman came on and asked who we were all with. We told her the Steelers and she told us her favorite player was Joe Greene. Well Joe was right there, cigar in mouth. I told her she was standing right next to him and she lost it. Joe was just standing there, giggling.
What do you think of the way the game has changed today?
Oh God, yeah. I’m sure I’d make the adjustment but the strike zone now where you can hit a player has gotten much tougher. We were headbangers when I was playing. We used our helmets in college to hit people. Chuck Noll was the first coach who ever told me to use the top of your shoulder pads instead of your helmet to hit a player. He was the first coach to emphasize that. Old habits die hard though….
It’s a big change to player safety. Back when I played no one asked if you had a concussion!
Also – before UNLV I played at Santa Monica Junior College and was a two-time All-American. There was no focus before then on academics. I got offers to a lot of big schools like USC but no one worked with me on grades for anything so I ended up starting off at junior college and going to UNLV. I was not happy to go there. I didn’t know they even had a football team before then.
I’m still the all-time sack leader at UNLV. I had seven sacks in one game – versus New Mexico State! I had 28 sacks over those two years at UNLV and 60 sacks over my four years playing college football.
So, when I became a coach I started meeting with the parents to talk to them about their kids’ grades. My ex-wife was a college counselor – we worked with the parents and students to give them the help they needed academically. I wish I focused more on grades when I was younger. That’s something I still regret.
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
