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First, can you let me know how you got into coaching at Northwest Mississippi Community College?

For the most part I’ve been here since 201o teaching the offensive line, with a one-year stint at Pearl River Community College before I went back to Northwest.

I grew up in Chicago and played at Notre Dame – I was never in Mississippi before and never expected to be. But nobody wanted to re-sign me anymore in the NFL. I was never a starter in the NFL – I was always battling to make a roster. For me, it took all I had to make it in the NFL as long as I did. By 2008, no one was going to pay me what it would take to pay a veteran player to be a backup. You can say I was drafted out of football.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Offensive Lineman Jim Jones, 2004-2005”

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

Well, I am a developer – I’ve been in real estate – have been a  general contractor and loved that work since I was in college. Even in high school really. It stayed with me. It was my first love. My second love was sports. Both required strong work ethics.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Running Back Anthony Anderson, 1979”

First off, what have you been up to in the offseason?

I’m just training – working on cardio and strength training. Nothing too crazy. Doing isometrics for and getting my body right for Spring.

I’m also spending time with the family – we just had a son a couple of months ago so spending a lot of time with him. And I like to bowl and fish when I get the chance.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Steelers Running Back Jonathan Ward”

First off, what have you been up to since your time working for the Steelers?

When I left the Steelers I was hired by the FBI. I went through the academy then worked there for seven-and-a-half years. It was a great career – I worked undercover – but that took its toll at home. After that I went into corporate security and am working now as a VP of Global Security. It’s been an interesting journey – it’s been an incredible amount of global travel over the last 16 years.

I worked for Bayer than Mylan – in one year I did six trips to India. Those frequent flyer miles paid for a lot of vacations!

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Scout Bill Scheider, 1998-1999”

First, can you let me know what you’ve been up to since your time in Pittsburgh – and was it hard to adjust to life after football?

When I was done playing I landed in the scrap metal business with my father. I’m still in that business today – with Omnisource – it’s a large company owned by Steel Dynamics.

It wasn’t bad, the adjustment. I stayed in shape through 2009 to stay football ready. I had some interest from some smaller leagues. The main arena league went out of business – a number of smaller leagues were competing but the money wasn’t there. I realized I could make more money doing a regular job than banging on my body. I realized that the NFL wasn’t in my future.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Defensive Lineman Jeff Bradley, 2009”

First off, what have you been up to since playing?

I’ve been raising my kids, playing golf and working on my business. I’ve been busy. When I was playing I didn’t think at all about a plan B. I figured I’d figure it out after playing for eight or nine years. That’s how I looked at it.

Was the post-NFL transition tough – how did you navigate it?

It was weird. You have all of that freedom – that time and energy. It wasn’t easy – I needed to find ways to decompress and transition to civilian life. I struggled for the first six months or so – I was rehabbing after surgery then too. Your ego is so big as a player you think you’ll play forever and it’s a shock to your system when you stop.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Offensive Lineman David DeCastro, 2012-2020”

First off, can you let me know what you’ve been up to since you stopped playing football?

I work in the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s office – I’m a Lieutenant and work on the emergency response team in the training division. I have a wife and two kids – a 10-year old and a daughter at the University of Pittsburgh. That’s the summation of my life – family and work!

What made you decide to pursue law enforcement?

I was actually at Virginia Tech on campus during the shooting. I was in the middle of a class at Squires Hall right across from where the shooting occurred. I saw the students running out and law enforcement running in. It was a pivotal moment for me. I think about it often – I’m not sure I ever digested that day – it was surreal.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Fullback Demetrius Taylor, 2010”