First, can you talk about what you’ve been doing with yourself since the NFL?
Right now I’m in the military civil service – for the United States Marine Corps I’ve been doing that since I retired in 2015. I became a DOD employee. I had my undergrad in economics and got my Masters in contract management – I liked the financial side of the Marine Corps. The Corps has a transition program that I took and two weeks after I applied for a job I got the call that I got the job. Just as I was getting ready to sunset my career I decided to get back to work. Why not!
Was the post-football transition difficult for you?
When I exited from football, I had played just one year in Pittsburgh and sat out for a year before I played for the Frankfurt Galaxy in Germany. I met some guys there that were friends of my brother and were in the Army. We communicated a lot and became good friends. When I came back to the USA in ’96, I got married, and I drove by a recruiting office. I stopped and went in -I didn’t tell them I had my degrees or that I played football. I asked them what they had for me and they asked me to take the test. I had a lot of high school friends that were in the military – I wanted to try and move on to the USMC.
It’s funny, when I got there guys would wear names on the back of their jerseys of other players. Why would you want to do that! They didn’t know I played football. I wore my Steelers jersey with my name on it and told them who I was then!
As an undrafted free agent, you chose the Steelers to play for. Why Pittsburgh?
There are nine boys in my family – a lot of fans of different teams. One of them was a big Steelers fan. After the draft I talked with my agent and a couple of teams came up. When Pittsburgh’s came up I wasn’t savvy about the depth they had or anything, but I knew I was tired of the heat in Florida! And I never had been North for an extended period of time, So I figured, why not try it.
Why do you think they wanted you?
I asked that too. It’s interesting when you learn about the whole process. When I got there one of the coaches told me he saw me play as a Sophomore. That told me something. You never know when someone is going to see you play and how it can come back to you. I appreciated that he told me that.
How did being a team captain at Florida help you, do you think?
The thing about being a captain at Florida is that the players vote you as the captain. It’s a great honor for me. You don’t have to boast about what you do – I just came in and treated it like a job. I had to work hard to play football and keep my grades up enough to play.
Marvin Lewis in mini-camp was coaching the linebackers, and we were rotating in and out. All of the sudden he called on me to start calling the plays. I felt at ease – it was too easy for me. I felt comfortable as a leader, and that got me more reps with the first and second team guys.
Did any of the other guys help mentor you on and off the field there?
Yancey Thigpen was one of the first guys. He was friends with Ernie Mills and Ernie and I were both Florida guys, We all stayed at the Allegheny Center Apartments and became good friends. They invited me to some functions and told me I should get to know the city. Ernie and I are still good friends. We played against each other in high school, then were on the same teams in college an the NFL.
As far as the blueprint on how to be a man and a professional – Kevin Greene and John L. Williams showed me how to act. We all lived on the same hallway. They didn’t stand over me, but they’d ask me questions – why are you doing this or that? They questioned me and had me think about what I was doing and mentored me. I am very grateful for all they did for me.
What did you do to make the team, do you think?
They were trying times. The rookies got there first and you had to be in great shape. John L. took me to see Saving Private Ryan just to get a mental break and I fell asleep during the movie. It’s hard – but I think my perseverance and will to make it did it. I was willing to sacrifice to make it.
Any good memories that stand out to you?
I just remembering hanging out with Bam Morris – Bam could be Bam! And Fred McAfee. Both were funny guys.
I remember going home and seeing my high school coach during the season. He told me he saw a penalty call on me – I jumped offsides. You never know who’s watching! I told him that game Cowher gave me the game ball – how did that sound!
I liked to laugh with the guys but I took things seriously. I didn’t laugh at the expense of teammates. There was a seriousness about me, but I liked to laugh too.
What happened after that rookie season?
After that season I was released – I went on to the World League and won a championship with Frankfurt. I slimmed down after that and focused on my next career – went from 270 to 220 pounds.
Do you watch the NFL today – thoughts?
I used to argue with my agent and treat him like a lawyer. Had him go line by line through contracts to see how it affected me. I like what these young players are doing now. They are more like entertainers now – they are promoting themselves like entertainers to give themselves a bigger future. You have to entertain yourself and others and make that money!
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