First off, can you let me know what you’re up to now – what you’re doing back with UCLA?
I’ve worked with students for a long time at UCLA – the past one-and-a-half years now I’ve been given the Director of Player Development position at the school. Every NFL team has one but it’s a newer thing for colleges to have. It’s a similar role to what they do in the NFL – we mentor and equip student athletes with the resources we have on campus to adjust to life after college and football.
What are the biggest things you help them with – what are the things they struggle with most?
A lot of athletes’ identities are entrenched in being athletes. Most want to take the sport as far as they can. They all know the statistics on getting into the NFL. We just want to make sure they continue to put that vision together for life beyond sports. It can be tough for them to do so. We connect them with alumni to help them make that transition from sports to real life. They all have to go through that process and move beyond just being athletes. So many of their skills they learned playing football are transferrable to the workforce.
How did you end up as the Steelers’ Chaplain in 2008?
I finished playing at UCLA in the 90s and I came to find my faith during that time and grew a lot. Once my pro career ended I transitioned into the vocational ministry though Athletes in Action. I was familiar with the organization through the time I had played and working with them felt like the best fit for my wife and I – we were both athletes so it fit our lives well.
In Tomlin’s second year he called me and told me he was looking for team Chaplain. He didn’t want to rush a decision on a Chaplain his first year, he said. My wife and I entertained the idea – it was a unique opportunity for our family. We took a leap of faith and went out there. I knew about the organization, having played football – the fact they only had three coaches over 30-plus years. Tomlin was also the same age as me so it was an intriguing opportunity to grow with him and journey back East close to where I grew up.
How did Tomlin find out about you – why you?
Tomlin spoke to the people he knew and respected about the position. I was recommended by someone on our staff at UCLA who was helping him with the search.
We went out to meet with he and his wife on Valentine’s Day weekend and felt like we connected with him. It felt like it was God’s call – it was a great opportunity to grow.
What did Coach Tomlin expect from you in the role?
It was based on his personality and experience. I felt I had good experience having played in the NFL and working with college athletes – my approach was very relational and that met his vision. He wanted the role to be more integrated with the team – that made it easier to connect with the players on a more consistent basis. Some Chaplains on other teams had limited access to their teams. He and I both felt I should have more access to the players – that was important to us both.
How did you get first introduced to the team to make those connections?
I was invited to the practices and meetings and traveled with the team to games. I had my own spot in the locker room.
Coach Tomlin first introduced me to the team at mini-camp – I came down on my own then – my wife and kids came later when training camp started. Coach Tomlin and I never talked about the way it would happen – the way I’d be introduced – that’s just kind of how it happened. He did have me hold the down marker during practiced as part of my role – it was a good idea – a way to ingratiate myself to the team. I also had own room during camp and did some programming with the players.
Any fun or more memorable experiences that stand out during your time there?
The first scrimmage they held that five-play goal line scrimmage and Coach Tomlin had me be the referee! My goodness! The first four plays were obvious but the fifth was close. Everyone looked at me for the decision and I made the call. Coach Tomlin told them all “What KJ says goes!”
As a former NFL player how did that help your approach?
I saw the players as people first, athletes second. Being around the sport did make it easier for me to be there. I recognized that these were the same athletes I saw in college, just in different jerseys and a lot more money in their pockets!
It helped me because I knew the landscape – I was prepared for what they had been going through as players.
Any other memories stand out to you most?
My first year we went to the Super Bowl, then we went back a few years later. That was amazing.
The relationships I formed were special too. I wasn’t employed directly by the Steelers – I worked directly for Athletes in Action. But I was accepted like family by the team and was invited to all of their events – the fashion show and community events. I also got to go to the White House when they won the Super Bowl. That was Obama’s first year – I was excited to go there and be close to the action. I grew up around there but had never had the chance to go to the White House so being around that was cool.
We also hosted a fundraiser for the ministry – players came to that as well. Coach Tomlin agreed to help. It was held around every Thanksgiving by a wealthy couple who wanted to do it on our behalf at their mansion. It was an auction – an opportunity to have Tomlin, Casey Hampton, Hines Ward, James Harrison, Dick LeBeau and others support our work. If they couldn’t come they’d donate items for the auction. We called it “A Night With the Steelers” and it was a nice social gathering along with the action at this beautiful house.
How do you work with teams that are becoming increasingly more diverse religiously?
I don’t think there are many Jewish or Muslim players versus Christian players, for example. But it doesn’t matter to me – I approach everyone and treat everyone the same. I made myself available to anyone regardless of faith. The important thing for me was to meet people where they were at and to find common ground. That’s how you build relationships – around those things. That’s why it was important to be so integrated with the team to help bridge those gaps and stigma of having someone like me around so often.
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
