First off, can you let us know what you got into after your football career ended?
After football I spent a lot of time in Manhattan work in the financial industry. I worked for Reuters, Dow Jones, Thomson Financial then Broadridge Financial. It was a good run until I decided to hang it up and retire a short while ago.
Was the post-football transition difficult?
It worked out ok. I lived in New York for a while – uptown – then moved to New Jersey and took the boat into the city. A lot of my clients were on the boat. I worked with the bankers and brokers in the city.
After a while I just decided that it was time to start working and enjoyed it. It was a good transition.
Was it frustrating playing for a hometown team in New York only to get traded so early in your career to Pittsburgh?
It was good starting so close to home, playing for the Giants. But they traded me to Pittsburgh for Doug Kotar.
Pittsburgh treated me well – I enjoyed my time there. The team and players were incredible. I got close with Randy Grossman – we had a good relationship. The rookies they brought in like Lambert and the veteran players they had – it wasn’t a bad situation at all.
I still go to the Super Bowl too – in fact I ran into Rocky Bleier in San Francisco. We looked at each other and he just stopped and said “Leo! I haven’t seen you in a long time!”
You got to go to the Super Bowl with the Steelers in ’74 – what was that like?
I was on the field for the Super Bowl in Miami yes. I wasn’t active but I was with the team.
It was a pretty cool experience – I did a lot of smiling with the guys and winning was a great experience.
Any memories of your time there stand out?
I look back on that time fondly – it’s all positive. We had some funny times in the locker room but none I would care to share.
How did Chuck Noll prepare the team for the Super Bowl?
They had so much talent at every position- it just had to be tough for other teams to deal with. Chuck Noll prepared the team well. He was just a regular guy – he was steady – he didn’t fluctuate day-to-day. He was a steady presence.
With the talent we had, I just think we overwhelmed the competition. They were all good guys that blended together and traveled well.
What happened after that ’74 season for you?
I went to the Cowboys after the Steelers – it was an entirely different organization. Then I played in the CFL and WFL. I wanted to keep playing for a while, while I could. I got to meet a lot of different people and play and travel to a lot of great places- Birmingham, Hawaii, Canada….
I knew after the ’74 season that the opportunity there for me wasn’t good. I wasn’t going to move in front of Bradshaw! I just wanted an opportunity. I wanted to stick around a bit – I loved the city – but there just wasn’t an opportunity to play there.
How would you describe yourself as a quarterback?
I liked to run to the corner and try and make things happen. And if we needed a yard or two I would put my head down and get them. But I was a dropback quarterback and liked to throw curl patterns mostly.
Do you still follow the NFL a lot today? Are you a New York Giants or Steelers fan?
I’m actually a long-time Jets fan coming from that area. I got to know the former owner – he was a Rutgers guy too. I still go to Super Bowls and really enjoy watching the Chiefs play – I really like Patrick Mahomes.
What do you think of the way the sport has changed over the years?
I still follow the game closely. I don’t like the tush-push – that doesn’t seem like a football play to me. But I do like the way offenses have changed. Some teams have had success with the way the offenses have changed and some haven’t. But I do still follow it all closely.