First, can you let readers know what you’ve been doing with yourself since your time in the NFL?

I received my MBA and have been building my career as a health care executive.  I have moved around the country to work for various organizations and gained a plethora of experiences.  Currently, I work for a large medical center in Buffalo, NY as a Senior Vice President, where I reside.  In addition, I currently officiate college football at the FCS Division I level.  I work in the CAA, Patriot League and the Ivy League as Line Judge.

How hard was the post-NFL adjustment for you? What made it easier?

It was extremely hard.  When you can no longer do what you love and worked hard for, normally there is a definite sense of loss.  I really loved playing the game of football and all the work that came with it.  However, I knew that I always had to have another plan because of the nature of the game.  My transition was easier knowing that I had a degree and plan to get another degree. I learned I could stay close to the game by staying connected with it.  I coached middle school football and officiated football games.

You were always a Steelers fan, even as a kid in New Jersey. Why the Steelers, and how much did it mean for you to later play for your favorite team?

I loved the Steelers growing up.  Watching those teams in the 70’s and 80’s was very special.  When I had a chance to sign with the team, it was a no brainer.  Coach Noll always had late round draft picks and free agents on his roster.  Because of this, I thought I had a great chance to make the roster and contribute, so I chose to sign with the Steelers.  It meant so much to be able to play for the Steelers, a team I still follow and love today.

Despite wanting to play linebacker in high school, the coaches had you play center, even though you were undersized for the position. How did you grow into the position, physically and mentally?

I didn’t play organized football until high school and growing up I played football and basketball in the neighborhood with the older kids.  I thought I was a good enough athlete to play linebacker.  The coaches, my freshman year, thought I could better help the team as a center.  I was 143 lbs at the time.  Since I was going to play center, I wanted to be the best.  As a result, I started to prepare my body for that. I gained about 100 pounds over the four years of high school.  I was fortunate enough to play for a legendary coach in NJ, Tony Verducci, who was also my gym teacher.  All I did was long snap footballs every gym period for three years.  This made me a great long snapper, and I also became a first team All-State player as a senior.  Mentally, I prepared myself because I was always self -motivated to work harder than the next person.  I got that from competing in Karate tournaments from 10-15 years old.  I trained so hard to win state championships three years in a row as well as two national championships.  This helped me in my football career.

You went undrafted out of Lehigh in the ’91 draft. Was that a disappointment or was that expected – and what did you agent tell you to expect about the process?

I pretty much knew that I was going to be an undrafted free agent.  I had eighteen teams work me out at my school.  Jim McNally, who coached for the Bengals at the time, worked me out and told me that I could be a good player in the NFL.  My agent told me that I would be a free agent.  Two guys that graduated before me from Lehigh, Jim Harris and Rob Varano were free agents, so it was what I expected.

You ended up signing with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent. Why Pittsburgh – what about the opportunity and people there made you ultimately choose to sign with them?

I was very excited the Steelers offered me a free agent contract.  I also had an offer from Seattle.  I chose Pittsburgh because there were many late round draft picks and free agents on the roster.  In addition, it was my favorite team growing up while spending my summers in Johnstown, PA.  My agent and I thought it was the best opportunity for me to be able to make a roster.

As a rookie, who helped you to adjust to life in the NFL, both on and off the field. Any examples on how they did so?

Being a rookie is tough, especially a free agent from a small Division I-AA school.  Dermontti Dawson, Terry Long and Carlton Haselrig were teammates that helped me adjust to the life in the league.  On the field, Carlton always encouraged me to work hard.  He used to tell me to keep working and kept me mentally strong.  Terry Long used to work with me to make me technically sound.  He always would take me aside to work on technique and footwork.  Dermontti was like a big brother and always helped me see the importance of football, but to also see the aspects of life off the field and how to conduct yourself.

Who were the toughest guys you faced in camp – and what made them so?

All the guys were tough because we were all competing for jobs.  Gerald Williams was an excellent nose tackle.  I learned a great deal from competing against him in practice.  He was strong, quick and smart and truly made me a better player.  The speed at the NFL level is what you have to adjust to in order to compete.

What were some of the funniest occurrences you remember as a Steeler – on or off the field. Can you share a few memories?

There were many funny memories.  Listening to Tim Worley tell his stories in the locker room kept me in laughing.  You couldn’t always tell if he was telling the truth in some of the stories.  Keith Willis calling everyone “Good Buddy” was memorable.  However, the funniest memory was watching Terry Long and Brian Blankenship trading funny jabs at each other all the time.  It was very comical.

That was the last season for legendary Coach Chuck Noll. What do you remember most about him as a coach and could you tell his time was winding down there?

Coach Noll was a great man.  He told me one day that football was only a short part of my life and that I will take so many of the lessons I learn there into the future.  He was that type of teacher and it was a true honor to play for him.  I was a wide-eyed rookie, so I couldn’t tell that he was about to retire.  I just tried to work as hard as I could.  However, in this business when you don’t win enough to make the playoffs, I learned there is a great deal of scrutiny.  He coached the team well like he always had done in prior years.

You ended up going to the World League of American Football, winning the World Bowl with the Sacramento Surge. How was the World League different from the NFL and how did you find yourself there?

After my rookie season, I signed with San Diego.  As a condition of my contract, I was allocated to the World League by the Chargers, where I played for Sacramento.  The World League was a lot of fun.  It was made up of young players, like me, that needed grass time on the field, as well as players that had been playing for a few years trying to get back into the NFL.  You had some very good players that eventually went on to have great NFL careers.  I enjoyed it because it was another chance to play football as well as build great friendships I maintain to this day.  Also, it was nice to win a championship ring.  That is always a bonus.

After the World League you suffered a knee injury while in the Chargers training camp. How serious was that injury and did that in effect end your playing career?

Unfortunately, that knee injury was the beginning of the end of my football career.  I had a very bad knee injury that really took me two years to recover from it.  After rehab, I spent the next two years on CFL rosters for parts of seasons, but really couldn’t perform the way I was accustomed to, so I had to retire from the game.  The mind was willing but the body was not able.  It took a while to get over this.

What advice would you give to players entering the league today?

I tell players to work very hard to achieve your dreams and become the best player that you can.  However, keep perspective and have another plan for success as well.  If you can obtain a college degree, you should.  Most importantly, having strong faith, surround yourself with good people and stay focused on your goals.  There can be so many distractions, but you have to stay away from the distractions and temptations.  When all else fails, remember what got you to the NFL: hard work and dedication.

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