First, can you let readers know a bit about what you’ve been doing with yourself lately and what’s next?

Well, I’m retired now. I spent my first two years in the NFL with the Steelers, and the last thirty-nine coaching. My last coaching job was at Grambling. My previous seven years were at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, and that’s where I live now.

How hard was it for you to adjust to life after the NFL, and how did you get your start in coaching?

When I look back on it now, I never realized, but my high school yearbook said that “Bob wanted to be a coach.” My dad was my little league coach and I think that was where it got planted in my head. I wanted to be a coach like my dad was mine.

Getting started is an interesting story. Bradshaw and I were rookies and roommates together in 1970. in 1971. Terry and I both got married and his wife and my wife got close. We were both newlyweds and we’d all spend time together. When I was cut in August of 1971, I tried out with the Bears but was cut by them too. I moved back to Emporia with my wife and we both finished getting our Masters at Emporia State. That December – I’m from Long Island – we went back there but stayed first in Pittsburgh with Terry and Melissa at their house. Johnny Majors was coaching a bowl game on tv – and after they won it was announced that he’d be the next coach at Pitt. Well Terry said, “There you go! That’s your opportunity!” The next day Terry made a call to Pitt’s football office and Johnny Majors ended up taking his call. The next thing I know – and remember there were no limits on the coaching staff sizes then – I was interviewing with Johnny Majors. It wasn’t really an interview actually – I got the job right there. And the rest is history!

How hard was that transition – from player to coach?

It was a very easy transition for me. Looking back on it, I couldn’t compare physically to a guy like Bradshaw. No Way. Bradshaw was the first player taken in the draft  and was just a tremendous physical specimen. He could throw a football like no one else. I was just one of the guys hanging on….

I was captivated by Chuck Noll.  All he said and did, I was inspired with. He made such an impression on me. It made me relish coaching. Bradshaw and I used to joke about how we were both from small colleges. I made an All American team and the guy I threw to broke all of the college receiving records until Jerry Rice came along. But when I showed up at the Steelers camp, I didn’t know man versus zone. I knew nothing about the strategy of football. I was exposed to that first in camp. The five quarterbacks and the coaches would all meet, and the first two days all we talked about was how defenses played. Nothing about offense at all. I learned that getting to know what the defense is doing is necessary if you are going to be successful on offense.

You joined the Steelers in 1970 – what were your thoughts on being drafted by them, especially coming from such a small school like Emporia State?

I signed on as a free agent. I graduated in 1969 and joined a management training program with Bell Telephone in Wichita, Kansas. The draft came by and I didn’t even think about it. Then, three different teams called me after the draft – the Jets, New England, and the Steelers. They all wanted to sign me as a free agent. I said “Whoa – where did this all come from?”. It came down to the fact the Steelers offered me a $500 signing bonus to sign with them. That made the decision for me!

In 1970, the strike was about to happen. That’s what was happening. Teams needed to fill their rosters with as many players as they could for training camp. If there wasn’t a strike, I probably would have never had the opportunity to play professional football.

Back then they had the college-NFL All-Star Game. I was the only quarterback in Latrobe and that helped me. Hanratty, Nix, Shiner were all out for the strike and Bradshaw was at the All-Star game. I was the only quarterback for both of the offensive teams in practice. It indoctrinated me right away. I loved it.

Noll and I formed a good, solid relationship. Noll was brilliant. He won four Super Bowls and to my knowledge never won the NFL Coach of the Year. That blows my mind. He wanted it all for the players – he never took endorsements. He didn’t want the limelight. When I look back on my appreciation for coaching, I look back to Chuck Noll.

Hanratty and Bradshaw were both there as well. How did the three of you help one another and what was the competition like between all of you?

The relationships were always positive. Bradshaw and I were in awe of Hanratty. He was from Notre Dame. Rooney Sr. loved Notre Dame. He was still paying Rocky Bleier during his few years of rehabbing from his experience in Vietnam.

Hanratty was a prankster. Everyone loved him, but it was just a matter of time before Bradshaw took over. Bradshaw struggled early, which was understandable. I’ll never forget during our first regular season game, he came walking back to the sidelines, his face dripping in blood. He used to call me Bullet Bob. Well, he said ” Bullet, this is no preseason game!” That’s when you found out the exhibition games mean nothing. All those defenses and changes you don’t see on tape. That made an impression on me. Our second year, Babe Parilli came in to coach the quarterbacks even though Chuck worked with us still and controlled things. He was the face of the Steelers.

That year he also turned the defense over to Bud Carson. I was close to Carson. I ran the practices often versus his defense and he would often ask me what I thought of the defenses he ran. Were they disguising them well… .Carson also didn’t get enough credit. He was the guy behind the Steel Curtain. He was stronger as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator than he was as a head coach.

How much did humor play a part on those teams – any funny incidents you can remember?

I was the new kid just showing up in the locker room. It was a fun, fun place to be. I became good friends with Joe Greene – he was a great guy. Jovial.

There was nothing specific though. Always pranks like shaving cream in people’s shoes – that kind of stuff…

Chuck was still new to the team then – how did the team respond to him, from your perspective?

It gave you a new appreciation for the equipment guys, trainers, assistants….all those people were an integral part of the team. Chuck was the first coach to hire a strength-training coach. And a stretching coach. No one was doing that at the time. I was fortunate to be around that. Those were the beginning phases of the Steelers network. I never realized how much – until I read Tony Dungy’s book – how important Bill Nunn was to all of that. As the story goes, he was a reporter and wrote a scathing article about the team. Instead of Mr. Rooney getting hostile, he called Bill Nunn in. Bill talked to him about the small Southern Black schools and brought him on the staff. That’s where the Steelers were way ahead of everyone else. Look at the roster then and you can see ….

As a coach, it’s always about the players, not the plays. You can have fantastic plays but you need the players to execute them.

What do you think about the NFL today?

Free agency makes it so different. Noll always wanted guys to come in with no questions. He didn’t like to trade for other players – he didn’t want to muddy the waters. Noll wanted to put the pieces together the right way, and he accomplished that. I always tell people who find out I was with the Steelers then and roomed with Bradshaw – I can’t believe how much the Steelers captivated the football world in the 70’s.

Now, the money is staggering. Bradshaw was the number one pick in the draft and he signed for $100,000. That was a lot of money. Compared to the standards today that’s nothing.

I had a sports talk show in Louisiana that I hosted after I was done coaching.  Even though it was in Louisiana people would call in asking about the Steelers….

So, what’s next for you?

I contracted auto-immune pancreatitis and was in the hospital a lot of last year. After I was away from the show for that long I decided that life is too short, and I retired. Now, I’m involved in prison ministries and working with under-privileged children. Whatever the Lord opens up for me….

Steelers Takeaways fundraising drive!

Help keep these free interviews coming! If you can, please donate as little (or as much!) as you like by contributing to Steelers Takeaways here:

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/pittsburghsports

Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades.  To order, just click on the book: