Can you let us know first off what you did career-wise after football?
That’s a difficult question. When I was released by the Steelers I went to Ottawa in the CFL. I was there a short while but I lost my taste for playing. When I was released I figured I’d give it a shot, but I was raised to move forward and take that next step in life when the time comes.
I came back home to Florida and started a business at first and coached at my high school for a year, trying to figure out what to do in life.
After that I got out of sports completely. I still followed UConn but got into the business life. I worked for Blockbuster – they had a corporate office there and I worked in the marketing office. After that I worked with a guy who tried to bring the CFL to Florida with the Miami Manatees – but that died after one game.
Then I went into healthcare – I worked helping to educate the community on the proper use of healthcare – not using the emergency room as your doctor, things like that. That helped reduce costs for hospitals and patients.
Then I went into sales and started a construction company. I did that until 2011 and worked for 10 years in specialty structural repairs, before taking the job I have now as VP of Sales.
Did your playing career help you in your work careers?
Absolutely. There’s no better training for life than sports. At an early age I knew I wanted to play football and that I would play quarterback, even though a lot of people said I shouldn’t play quarterback.
Sports takes perseverance and teamwork – and teaches you to be positive – to think of things as opportunities. That shaped my life. You don’t realize what sports does for you – it gives you clarity and sets goals. And it teaches you how to work with those you do and don’t like. It keeps you humble. Companies like that. If I didn’t have sports I don’t know if I’d have that same drive in me.
Did you know the Steelers had interest in you before they drafted you?
I had no idea. I didn’t choose UConn for football – I just knew it was a good school. If I wanted to choose a school for football I would have played for Louisville under Bo Schnellenberger, or go to a school that wanted me to play defensive back, even though I had never played that before.
UConn was just about getting a degree. It was crazy in ’91 when teams started showing interest in me. We had a horrible record that year but we had one of the top offenses in Division 1AA.
I didn’t get a combine invite but I got a private workout with the Jets. I never worked out for the Steelers. It was weird. When the draft got into the later rounds I figured it was over for me. I went out to get food and my roommate came looking for me – this was before cellphones. He found me and told me the Steelers were trying to call me. I said “What?”
What did they say to you?
I was shocked. That was Cowher’s first year – the transition was still happening. They asked me if I still wanted to play football and I said “Fuck yeah!”
Why do you think they asked you that?
It was a weird question. I guess when guys get picked in those later rounds they get disgusted sometimes.
Were there guys that helped you most when you got there?
It was funny. In the Summer the free agents and rookies all come in. Everyone was there except Searcy, Kirkland and Steed who hadn’t signed yet. We all worked out together – I dislocated my finger though and couldn’t pick up a ball until the second week of camp.
Neil O’Donnell, Merril Hoge and Bubby Brister – Barry Foster too – they were all nice and helped me keep my head in the game since I couldn’t practice. There was the quarterback controversy at the time between Neil and Bubby – I was helping out with the scout team. They helped keep me positive – even after I was released they stayed in touch.
How do you navigate that situation as a rookie already facing an uphill battle?
For me, it was just about staying in shape – running and working in the weight room. Rick Strom told me this is what life looks like as a backup. That you just always have to be ready and make your reps meaningful. I got few reps except when I was on the scout team. Ron Earhardt told me he had me as the third string guy and he just had to work through the quarterback controversy.
But then a bunch of defensive guys got injured – they had to cut guys from the offense to add more to the defense and that’s when I got cut.
I think I never saw the NFL as a job – I saw it as a game. In hindsight I should have looked at things differently.
Any fun memories stand out most to you?
I had such a good time there. Bubby and Neil took me to lunch and cocktails sometimes. When my girlfriend came up, they got me a limo and set us up to go to Donzi’s. Bruce Willis was filming Striking Distance – they set us up to go to the party for the movie and meet Bruce Willis. My girlfriend was shocked. We had dinner at the top of the hill there and met Jaromir Jagr then.
Bubby was a big name then and was able to get us the invite. He also took me to his beach house – I had no bad experiences there. Tim Worley – he exposed me to Primanti’s too!
How did you observe the Steelers managing the quarterback controversy then?
I knew Neil was going to be the starter – we all kind of knew it but he was holding out. There was no final determination at that point but we all knew it. Neil and Bubby were good friends though – it wasn’t nasty or anything.
What advice would you give guys trying to make a name without a lot of reps?
You gotta stay in shape and stay in the game mentally. You don’t have any time to learn – you have to stay in the books and know the plays. If you don’t get time in practice then you need to find time before or after practice. You can’t take anything for granted. Sometimes guys get the short end of the stick but in the end you all get an opportunity eventually. You just have to shine when you do.