First, let me know a bit about your post-playing career and what you did yourself after your playing days?
Well, I coached for 11 years! Two in New England, two in Atlanta, six in Tampa Bay and one in Detroit. After I was done coaching I came back to Florida and got remarried and worked in a golf shop for 15 years.
Orlando is a good place for that!
It is yes!
Why coaching – and who helped influence your coaching style?
I always liked the challenge. Playing gave me the knowledge about the game and I learned from my coaches from high school through college. I got my teaching degree in college. I thought I’d be teaching – I didn’t know I’d play for 10 years!
All through high school and college I picked up things from coaches – especially from John McKay at USC. Unfortunately in Pittsburgh the coaches changed so often. It was an interesting thing to see. They never got anything established really until they hired Chuck Noll.
How would you describe your approach to coaching?
Well, when I first started coaching in New England, Jim Plunkett was my quarterback. He asked me if I was going to try and change the way he did things. I told him not physically. That I just wanted to help him mentally to be more comfortable playing. By giving him confidence in what he saw and could expect from the defense. I think that’s how I looked at coaching.
Tell me a bit about getting drafted by Pittsburgh. How did you find out and what were your thoughts about playing in Pittsburgh?
I forget how I found out about it – I think it was through the papers. The draft wasn’t a big deal then, remember. I was drafted as a defensive back and quarterback. But the coaches talked to Jim McKay and he told them I could play quarterback for them, but I wasn’t going to be a good defensive back. When I got to Pittsburgh it was a thrill. I remember driving through the tunnels and seeing the city unfold. It always has a place in my heart.
Any of the guys you play with stand out to you know? Lots of characters on those teams.
“Lefty” Lou Michaels was quite a character. Andy Russell was too. He’d yell “Number one! Number one! Go Ladue!” all of the time his rookie year because his high school team won a championship that year. Andy and I were rookies together. It was interesting as a rookie to watch the guys that had been together all that time.
John Henry Johnson was the greatest lunchtime break blackjack player too. He’d take all of the rookies’ money. His pockets weren’t deep enough to hold all of that money!
Any memories stand out to you?
It was a good rookie class. We had me, Andy Russell, Jim Bradshaw, Frank Atkinson. It was a good time. During training camp we’d use to go to Wheeling, West Virginia to go get beer. We had to drive through all of those mountain roads. My goodness.
I enjoyed playing with Dick Hoak too. He was fun to be around. I remember too when Roy Jefferson was drafted and came in to camp. I told Ed Brown, who was the starting quarterback then, that that kid was a terrific player. Incredibly fast. We had Red Mack and Buddy Dial but nothing like he was. Of course, they later traded him.
Anyone help mentor you as a rookie NFL quarterback?
The vets weren’t mean, but they made you know you were a rookie. Really, everybody though that I played for helped. In Cleveland, Blanton Collier really helped me the most. There really wasn’t any one person who did in Pittsburgh. Remember, the coaches kept changing too. Parker was there when I got there, then Nixon, then Austin. That was over four years – we didn’t have much then to show for ourselves.
I enjoyed playing there. I never thought I was going to be the number one quarterback in the nation or anything. I just wanted to keep learning.
You got beat up a lot and injured during your time as a starter? Was the offensive line that bad?
I did but it wasn’t just the offensive line’s fault. When I hurt my knee, it was because the left guard cut the league’s first 300 pound lineman. I was supposed to throw it to the back but he never turned around to look for the ball. So I was caught just standing there holding on to the ball when the lineman took out my knee. It was never the same again after that.
Any memories of your playing time stand out?
There were so many impressive players. I remember my first game, a Hall of Fame game in Cleveland. I’m on the sidelines looking out and see Jim Brown come out, then Leroy Kelly, then Ernie Green. I was thinking, “Holy shit. So, this is what it looks like!”
You told me earlier you still watch the NFL today. What are your thoughts on how it’s played now?
Well, the size and speed. These guys work out all year long now. When we played, when the season ended you were supposed to stop and let your body rest and heal. You weren’t supposed to work the heck out of your body. Now, they work out all year long. The size, speed, and knowledge of the game have all changed.
I don’t like the helmet rules. I saw someone get called for roughing the passer because he was tripped and hit the quarterback. What is someone supposed to do about that?
Divided loyalties since you played for both Cleveland and Pittsburgh?
I always have to root for my teams. I loved playing in Pittsburgh but my best seasons were when I played in Cleveland. I can go both ways. I’m not sure who I am going to root for when they play this year!