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Jim O’Brien: Rocky Bleier remains a great comeback story

Rocky Bleier remains a great comeback story

By Jim O’Brien From Pittsburgh Business Times

When Rocky Bleier was a standout running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers when they won four Super Bowls in six seasons in the ‘70s, he recalls Coach Chuck Noll advising the players to prepare themselves for their post-football careers or, as Noll called it, “their life’s work.”

Bleier didn’t realize it at the time but his life, or at least his life story, would become his “life’s work.”

He played 12 seasons with the Steelers and got into the investment business with teammate Andy Russell while still employed by the Steelers. He retired after the 1980 season, and became a sports broadcaster with WPXI-TV, but he wasn’t very good at it.

So he started spending more time telling his comeback story from being wounded by bullets and shrapnel from an exploding grenade in a rice paddy in Vietnam, and being told he might not walk again, to becoming a star running back with Franco Harris for one of the greatest football teams in National Football League history.

Bleier’s comeback story is one of the best in sports annals and remains a compelling story of how determination and persistence can win out in the end over overwhelming odds. Bleier wasn’t big or fast, at 5-10, 210 pounds, but he found a way to be part of a winning team. “They don’t measure the size of the heart at these player evaluation camps,” Coach Noll liked to say.

It surprises even Bleier that he is still as successful as a motivational speaker, making about 60 to 70 appearances around the country annually. Gloria Ashcraft is his assistant and runs Rocky Bleier, Inc., and sets his speaking schedule and travel arrangements. “She has been with me for 26 years,” says Bleier, “and she’s the best in the business.”

The challenge of being on the road so much has gotten greater as he approaches his 67^th birthday on March 5. “You can’t get a direct flight to most cities out of Pittsburgh these days,” he says.

His theme is “Be the Best You Can Be,” and it’s a 70-minute program aimed at inspiring his audience to realize their potential. He’s good at it, and he’s even better before and after the way he works the room.

“It’s what you do before and after that really makes the difference,” says Bleier. He confesses that he has always wanted everyone to like him, and he has always worked hard at realizing that goal. “My parents ran a restaurant and bar back home in Appleton, Wisconsin,” he says, “and I learned early how to take care of the customers and keep them happy and coming back for more.”

He has expanded his business activities in recent years. He is a managing member of RBVetCo LLC; a service disabled veteran- owned small business, a general contractor that bids work in both the private sector as well as federal government. Rocky is responsible for overall direction and business development.

His brothers-in-law, Jim and John Gyurina, sit on the board of directors. They are also involved with a sister company, Natural Office Solutions LLC, a company that sells commercial office furniture. There’s also Bleier/Zagula Financial, so Bleier is as busy as he wants to be.

He says that Chuck Noll remains in his mind and is still with him. “I find myself quoting Chuck and his philosophies,” says Bleier, while looking after his two teenage daughters at their home in Mt.Lebanon when his wife, Jan, was away in London with a niece who was doing college study abroad.

“Things Chuck always said come back to you; they help you in other tasks besides football. It’s amazing the impact your coaches and teachers have on you throughout your life. I was fortunate that I had important people in my life who made a difference.”

Bleier offers these suggestions for success:

Set goals and form a game plan that will help accomplish them. Do things with great passion. Overcome adversity. Maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses. Work as a team. Learn from winners and mentors. Do community work; it will not only make you feel good, it will show you to be a person worth hiring. Prepare early for your life’s work.”

And, of course, be the best you can be.

Jim O’Brien’s book “Immaculate Reflections” is available at all area book stores, and on his website www.jimobriensportsauthor.com

Don Alley, Steelers Wide Receiver, 1969

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

After getting injured in Canada in 1971, I came back to Colorado and worked with my fathers construction company for about three years, but my love for golf lured me into the PGA apprentice program in 1974 and I spent about 25 years as a club golf professional. I got out of the business in 2001 and have been kind of semi-retired since.

You started in the NFL in 1967 with the Baltimore Colts. As a 16th round pick from a small school (Adams State) how did you prove yourself to the coaches to make the team?

I was a very similar receiver to Raymond Berry who was somewhat successful for a few years, and I think that because of his success, I might have got a little longer look than I would have otherwise. I did have a good work ethic, and wasn’t afraid to spend my time on the “special teams”

Continue reading “Don Alley, Steelers Wide Receiver, 1969”

Alex Hicks, Penguins Left Winger, 1996-1998

Alex Hicks:

First, can you let readers know about your job at the Desert Youth Hockey Association in Phoenix – how you got started and what you like most as a coach?

I am an assistant hockey director at DYHA. My responsibility is to communicate with all of the associations coaches and managers about scheduling, tournaments, concussion awareness and testing, hockey operations and strategies. I began coaching when my three kids took up hockey. I did not want to at first because I wanted them to learn the game on their own. I soon found out that I was needed on the ice and I began helping right away. I have loved every minute of it.

How difficult has it been to drum up interest in hockey in the Phoenix area and how have you done so?

Hockey is very popular in Phoenix. Phoenix has had a professional team in the city at various levels since the early 70’s. There are countless people who have moved here from hockey hotbed cities like Chicago and Detroit. It is not difficult to get people involved.

As a coach, who are some of the players and coaches that most influenced your coaching style today, and how so?

The coach that most influenced me was Kevin Constantine as he was a stickler for details.. He was very demanding to play for but ultimately he was fair. I find myself molding into a version of him. I also try to use my success and struggles as a player to teach the players I coach valuable hockey and life lessons..

You were traded to the Penguins from Anaheim in ’96. How difficult was that for you and how did you adjust?

It was very difficult at first as I was new to the league and just starting to feel comfortable in Anaheim. I loved playing for the Ducks and I felt that I was a great fit for them. That all changed when I got to Pitt and I was welcomed right away by both the team and city.

I loved Pittsburgh and it was a sad day for me when I left.

How would you describe yourself as a player and how did you mesh with that Penguins roster?

I was a hard working tenacious player. I played as hard as possible and was always there to help my teammates. I was a typical blue collar type worker and I really fit in well with the team and city.

Who were some of the biggest characters on that Penguins team and what made them so? Any examples of the hijinks/personalities on that team?

I always admired Jaromir Jagr for how good he was. I don’t think he ever got the credit for how hard he worked off the ice because he lifted weight after every game we played. He always had a smile on his face and he kept the mood light.

At the time he was the best player in the league and I thought that was cool.

That turned out to be the year of Mario Lemieux’s first retirement. How was that received by the players and staff – what was the effect the announcement and his health had on the team?

Mario was always quiet and reserved. When he did speak however, we all listened. His announcement came as a shock to all of us and left a great deal of uncertainty moving forward. Ultimately Ron Francis took control of the team the next year and did a great job leading us to a successful season.

That year, Eddie Johnston was released near the end of the season and General Manager Craig Patrick took over as coach. How did the players react to that move – especially with the GM now being your coach?

It was stressful when all that came down. Eddie was a players coach and let us figure most things out ourselves. The guys on the team loved him. When he was fired there was a great deal of remorse on the players part that we let him down.

Craig was very easy to play for and the transition was fine. We just ran into a horrible matchup for the playoffs..

There’s a great deal of movement between leagues and cities for hockey players. How does that affect you – both on and off the ice – as a player?

You just get used to it… You learn to never get too comfortable…

What is the biggest misperception you think fans have about hockey players and the sport itself?

I don’t think there is too much of a misperception. We are all just regular guys playing a great sport. The fans always seemed to relate with us real well.

What are your favorite memories of your time in Pittsburgh?

My favorite memory in Pittsburgh was my first game with the team after I was traded. I played on a line with Mario and Jagr.. Wow…

Dennis Hughes, Steelers Tight End, 1970-1971

First, can you let readers know what you’ve been doing with yourself since your time in the NFL and how you got started in your post-NFL career?

Now, I’m unable to do much of anything. I’m a good bit disabled. My back is not in good shape. My knee was replaced. I had a disk taken out…screws in my back. I take it day-to-day…that’s how I feel.

Are these all football related injuries?

They are all football related, yes. A lot of them have to do with the field in Pittsburgh then. It was the worst field in the game, and then I went to the second worst stadium in the NFL after Pittsburgh in Houston. I played in the two worst fields in my two and a half years. I guess it wore me out….

Continue reading “Dennis Hughes, Steelers Tight End, 1970-1971”

Ray Snell, Steelers Offensive Lineman, 1984-1985

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

I wake up at 4:15 every morning to work out!

I’m the project manager for the Tampa Bay Housing Authority. There are three of us on staff so I’m always very busy. I’ve been there the past three years. This is my second stint – I was there before as the Assistant Director of Operations. When the state of Florida reduced the staff my job ended, but I came back with Tampa Housing authority as a project manager.

My father owned a construction company growing up – so that was always a part of my life as a youngster and that helped get me interested in being prepared for the role as well.

Continue reading “Ray Snell, Steelers Offensive Lineman, 1984-1985”

Jason Gildon, Steelers Linebacker, 1994-2003

First, can you let readers know about how you got started in coaching?

I started off in high school coaching when a friend of mine and me started talking at a parent-teacher conference. He was also the teacher of my son who was in fourth grade. He was looking at a coaching job and told me the high school also had another open spot and that he mentioned I may be interested. That was at Peters Township.

Who and what helped influence your coaching style?

I think a big part of the coach I wanted to be was influenced by having good coaches growing up. I remember all of my coaches – from high school to my position coaches in college and at the professional level. As a young kid, having men like that as positive influences is a great help.

Continue reading “Jason Gildon, Steelers Linebacker, 1994-2003”

Rohn Stark, Steelers Punter, 1995

First, can you let readers know what you are doing with yourself since your time in the NFL including Platinum Properties HAWAII and how you got started in this post-NFL direction?

I went to my first pro bowl after the 1986 season and feel in love with Hawaii, specifically Maui. I played my 16 year career dreaming of retiring here. Upon retiring from the NFL in 1998 my wife Ann and I moved our family to Maui. I quickly began buying property as investments and found I had a knack for the real estate business.

You were Baltimore’s second round draft pick in ’82 as a punter. That’s a very high pick for a punter – why do you think Baltimore selected you so high in the draft and were you surprised?

Not really. I was projected to go very early. Dallas called me prior to draft and said they would use their second round pick on me if I was committed to playing football. I was world-ranked in the decathlon at the time so there was a question if I would continue training for the ’84 Olympics instead of playing in the NFL.

Continue reading “Rohn Stark, Steelers Punter, 1995”

Matt Mitten, Director of the National Sports Law Institute

Matt Mitten, Director of the National Sports Law Institute:

First, can you tell readers how the National Sports Law Institute got started and what its mission is?

Founded in 1989, the National Sports Law Institute (NSLI) of Marquette University Law School is the first Institute of its kind associated with an American law school. The Institute’s Mission is to be the leading national educational and research institute for the study of legal, ethical and business issues affecting amateur and professional sports from an academic and practical perspective.

The Institute sponsors local and national events including conferences and symposia for individuals in the sports industry, and disseminates information on the sports industry and sports law through its many publications, such as the Marquette Sports Law Review. As a part of Marquette University, a Catholic Jesuit University, the Institute is committed to searching for truth, discovering and sharing information, fostering professional excellence, developing leaders, and serving those in the sports industry.

The Institute is also affiliated with the Marquette University Law School Sports Law program, which provides the nation’s most comprehensive offering of sports law courses and student internships with local sports organizations as well as opportunities to become members of the Marquette Sports Law Review and National Sports Law Moot Court team. With the assistance of the Directors of the Institute, the Sports Law Program is designed to provide Marquette University Law School students with both a theoretical and practical education covering the legal regulation of amateur and professional sports industries, thereby enhancing their attractiveness to sports industry employers. Students who meet certain requirements before graduating from Marquette University Law School are also eligible to receive a Sports Law Certificate from the National Sports Law Institute.

The National Sports Law Institute is aided by its Board of Advisors. The Board of Advisors is a group of sports lawyers, sports industry executives and professionals, sports law professors and teachers, and others with a demonstrated interest in the field of sports law. The primary duties of the members of the Board of Advisors are: 1) to contribute to the advancement of knowledge regarding legal, ethical, and business issues affecting the sports industries; 2) to provide advice and guidance on matters affecting Marquette University Law School’s Sports Law Program; 3) to attend NSLI events and to participate in the governance of the NSLI; and 4) to assume other duties and responsibilities (including service on committees) that further the NSLI’s best interests.

For a listing of our Board members, see https://law.marquette.edu/national-sports-law-institute/board-advisors

How did you personally get involved with the institute and what are some of your goals for the NSLI in the upcoming years?

I’ve been the NSLI’s Director since August of 1999.

You may be surprised to know that I never took a sports law course in law school! There was a class when I was in law school but even though I was a big sports fan I didn’t take it – I thought it wasn’t something I would use in my professional career.

I became an antitrust, trademark, and commercial lawyer at a major firm in Atlanta and my first project was sports related. I had a client who was putting on an old-timers baseball game for former major league players. I helped the company federally register its trademark. I also did some work for a company that was considering licensing its trademark to shoulder pad manufacturer that had some products liability concerns if it did so as well as represented a Howard Johnsons franchisee that showed a Detroit Lions home game that was supposed to be blacked out. So, I dabbled in sports law before entering the academic world.

When I began teaching at South Texas College of Law in 1990, the Dean asked me to develop a sports law course in response to students’ interest. While at South Texas, I was one of the lawyers that represented Harris County, which owns the Astrodome, in litigation arising out of the Houston Oilers efforts to relocate to Nashville before the club’s lease expired. My initial sports law scholarship focused on sports medicine legal issues, including the role of the team physician and doping issues. I was there for ten years, then got a call from Marquette Law School inviting me to interview for my current position. I had never been to Milwaukee, but was fortunate enough to be offered the job.

Marquette Law School offers fourteen sports law courses – more than any other school in the world. It’s one of only two U.S. law schools to offer a sports law certificate. Several of our Sports Law program alumni, including the general counsel of the Atlanta Braves, the athletic director of the University of Miami and a number of university athletic department compliance directors, are employed in the sports industry. .

However, there are relatively few entry level sports industry jobs for young lawyers, and only a small number of graduates are employed full-time in sports law immediately after graduation. Most of them are lawyers who represent clients in other industries, but the knowledge of numerous law (e.g., contract, antitrust, labor, and intellectual property) and skills (e.g. , contract negotiation and drafting) they learned from Marquette’s Sports Law program are readily transferable.

The NSLI holds a sports law conference every year – the upcoming one on October 19^th is on international and professional sports legal and business issues – covering issues like doping and corruption. The NSLI provides a forum for discussion of current legal, business, and ethical issues impacting the industry. It also periodically gives its Master of the Game Award to individuals who make a significant contribution to the sports industry while doing so in an ethical manner. This year’s recipient will be David Howman, the Director General of the World Anti-doping Agency.

The NSLI has a fifty-person Board of Advisors – including Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig who helped fund the institute and now teaches at Marquette. I’ve had the pleasure of co-teaching Professional Sports Law with Bud Selig for the past four years. He gives a series of lectures to our students and is always well-prepared and loves teaching. He’s been in the industry forty-plus years – to hear his perspective is phenomenal.

What would you like to achieve in the next few years?

I’d like our Sports Law program to continue providing the best possible education to those aspiring to be future sports lawyers and for the NSLI, which is Marquette’s bridge to the sports industry, to continue providing a forum for a balanced discussion of the most important legal issues affecting the sports industry. We’re not an advocacy group – that would not be consistent with the fact we’re part of a law school – but we are looking to make a positive difference.

You’ve been involved on a number of sports law panels and cases. What have been some of your most memorable experiences to date and what’s made them so?

The work I’ve done on sports medicine legal issues – working with the NCAA’s Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports Committee. We monitored injury protection rates and made recommendations to make intercollegiate athletics safer as well as formulated the NCAA’s drug testing policy and adjudicated student-athlete appeals of positive tests. I’m privileged to be a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which resolves a wide variety of sports-related disputes, including doping and athlete eligibility issues.

One of my more interesting cases was one that happened 15 years ago in Chicago. A basketball player at Northwestern had a full scholarship ride suffered cardiac arrest while playing in a pickup game before enrolling and had to be defibrillated by paramedics. allowed him to keep his athletic scholarship, but wouldn’t let him play on its basketball team for health and safety reasons. He claimed his exclusion violated his rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and I filed an amicus brief on behalf of two groups of sports medicine physicians advocating in favor of the school’s position. The United States Court of Appeals accepted our argument.

How does the rapid internationalization of the sports world affect your role and the role of sports lawyers in general? How does that complicate your roles and work?

At the college level, a lot of foreign-born athletes participate in the NCAA. We’re really the only country trying to retain the idea of “amateur” athletic competition. Most of the rest of the world has the club sport model, where young, elite athletes are are selected for club teams and given economic support, which may adversely affect their eligibility to receive an athletic scholarship from a U.S. university.

With the Olympics, there are more countries in the Olympics than there are in the U.N. I believe sports are a microcosm of society. Sports are perhaps the only thing that keeps us from killing each other – and the lessons we learn in sports can be applied to other world issues.

Professionally, sports like basketball, hockey, soccer and baseball all have an international labor market. The United States has a significant number of players overseas, and many foreign athletes play here. And we’ll keep seeing much more of that. We discuss this in our classes. The global market for professional players’ services in several sports raises many interesting legal issues in areas such as labor, immigration, and taxation law.

What do you see as being some of the bigger issues facing sports leagues, legally, in the next few years, and how do you address them?

Labor relations issues have been front and center recently; for example, last year’s NHL and NBA player lockouts, and this year NHL lockout and NFL referees’ strike. There will continuing issues of how the economic pie is divided between league clubs and the players (as well as referees).

Player health and safety issues, including sports doping, are becoming increasingly important, along with the issue of compensating retired players who are facing serious health issues arising out of their playing careers.

Intellectual property issues – with new technologies and games broadcast to different countries and all over the web: what’s in the public domain and what belongs to the league and its clubs is an important issue with different answers in different countries

What are your thoughts on the way the major sports leagues are handling concussion and related issues from a legal standpoint? Are they doing enough – why/why not?

I think they are going in the right direction. Players who have suffered a concussion must be medically cleared by a physician before resuming play. The NCAA has a new rule that if a football player’s helmet comes off, he has to sit out a play, which enables a player to be evaluated for a head injury. Although athletes assume the inherent risks of injury from playing a sport, including a concussion, they don’t assume enhanced risks created by a sports league’s negligence or fraudulent concealment. The litigation brought by retired NFL players and former NCAA football players raises some interesting legal issues that will need to be resolved by courts. It’s all about what can be proven.

We’ve seen another round of frustrating CBA negotiations in the NFL and NHL over the past couple of years. From a fan’s perspective, how do leagues allow things to get to this point and how could/should these negotiations be better addressed?

The fans’ interests are not taken into account adequately—if at all. The players unions focus on their players’ economic interests, and the league and clubs their economic interests. That’s the process the labor market provides. Both sides have a legal duty to bargain in good faith, but neither side is obligated to agree to anything or to make a “fair” offer. With the exception of Major League Baseball, professional sports labor negotiations are essentially becoming a no-holds-barred war of economic attrition.

As important as sports are to us, they are not an essential product or service like the police or fire protection, soe there’s very little direct government regulation of the sports industry. However, sports leagues, clubs, unions, and players have to take into account how much labor strife that results in lost games that the fans will put up with. Both sides have to realize that acrimonious, protracted labor disputes may kill the goose that laid the golden egg.

What do you say to fans that wonder how it gets to this point so often?

The current legal system breeds lockouts and strikes, because federal labor law doesn’t require either side to be objectively reasonable in labor negotiations and permits the parties to exert economic pressure through a lockout or strike as a means of achieving their respective economic demands. But ultimately, the fans collectively possess the greatest economic power by choosing how to respond labor disputes between players and league clubs.

Scott Young, Pittsburgh Penguins Right Winger, 1991-1992

Scott Young:

First, can you let readers know about your post-NHL coaching career – how you got started and what you enjoy most about coaching?

When I retired I started coaching youth hockey, coaching my kids. I had two sons that were playing, and I was going to the rink anyways for six days a week, since my ids were at different levels.

The St. Marks job came when I got an email asking if I knew of anyone that would be interested in the opening. I learned later that the captains on the team had asked the athletic director to me to take the job. I guess this was their way of doing so (laughing).

How exciting is it for you to coach the team you once starred on as a player?

For me, just to be back on the campus of the school…driving on the same roads I did when I played is exciting. It’s an old school – a small private school that started in 1865. It still has the same feel.

It’s good to be back. Hockey-wise, it’s the same rink just about that I played on. The team struggled the three years before. I knew it would be a challenge to get the program back on track. It was going to take good recruiting, and its happened quicker than I thought it would.

The past three years were really tough. They won ten games over three years, including one season where they won no games. My first year we went 14-3. That made them believe ion themselves – that they were good players. Last year we made the playoffs and went 16-9-3. We lost in the playoffs, but there are a lot of teams trying to make the playoffs.

There’s a ton of interest in the program now. Kids want to play here – it’s a program on the rise. It’s special for me to be a part of this.

Who were some of the biggest influences on you and your coaching style?

All the coaches I had in my playing days, I took something for all of them. The coaches I liked I took things from and the ones I didn’t like I just learned not to coach that way.

I’m a coach that will push players hard. I expect a lot. But I want them to enjoy coming to the rink every day. The season can get tough if its just pressure very day. You can’t get the most out of your players without them enjoying it too. I know that by going through it myself. You don’t get the most from players if they dread coming to the rink. You want them to be dying t get on the ice.

The kids are excited here. I remember once pushing them very hard then telling them that due to a school function there would be no practice the next day. They all groaned. They wanted to go to practice.

Joel Quenneville was a coach I remember well. He gave players respect. It was the little things. No crushing us with meetings. Up-temp practices and quick meetings. He was a player’s coach. I really enjoyed playing for him – he gets the most from his players. Especially in the NHL where it’s a long season. It’s a grind and he kept things short. He was my tops.

How difficult has it for you to transition from the NHL to a second career – and how were you able to do so?

It kind of just happened.

I enjoy coaching and like the age of the kids I’m coaching. Young kids are fun, but when they get older and hang on to your every word, its a lot of fun. These kids all want to play in college. I enjoy having that influence on that and talking to the college coaches about the kids. Its fun to get involved – helping young hockey players on their path to playing in college.

You read today about the struggles many NFL players face in transitioning from football to a post-sports career. How does the NHL help players do so – if at all?

I don’t know. It all depends. There is help from the NHLPA for players who fall on tough times. I;m not sure what’s offered for everyone else. I never felt I needed help that way. I stayed busy.

With my two kids in hockey and one that plays basketball, even though I didn’t work for a couple of years after the NHL, it was like a full-time job. I missed hockey when I went to see a live game – I got that feeling back then. Especially during the playoffs. But I wasn’t going to a lot of games…

You played a number of years in the Hartford organization and overseas in Italy before ending up in Pittsburgh in ’90. How was the experience of playing overseas and how did it help your game?

I played in Italy, in some Olympic stuff and in the World Championships. I liked the big rinks – it was a good change of pace. The European League gave me a lot of confidence. To be on the ice a lot of the time – to have the puck on your stick a lot and score a lot of goals. I wasn’t over there at the end of my career. I was over there working hard to get back to the NHL.

It was a risky move, but the confidence it gave me was not something I was going to get being on the fourth line in Pittsburgh in ’92. I missed being on the ’92 Cup team – but I knew where I stood on that team with guys like Mullen and Jagr ahead of me. I wanted to play. Winning the Cup when I was in Hartford seemed impossible to me. But seeing the dedication in ’92 to win the Cup in Pittsburgh – I learned a lot that year.

How did you end up in Pittsburgh in ’90 and who on the team helped you to adjust to life in Pittsburgh – both on and off the ice?

How would you describe yourself as a player and how did you mesh with that Penguins roster?

With injuries, I could step in to a higher line. I played the point on the power play at times. When Paul Coffey was hurt I played on the power play in the playoffs. When he came back I didn’t play because they decided to keep seven defensemen since Coffey was only playing on the point sue to his jaw injury.

I could play defense if needed too. I had the versatility. I contributed some goals and could move up and down the line.

Who were some of the biggest characters on that Penguins team and what made them so? Any examples of the hijinks/personalities on that team?

To me, Kevin Stevens was the best locker room guy I’ve been around. His game stepped up in the playoffs. And the laughter he brought to the locker room…he made it fun. He was the main guy as far as smiles on faces was concerned and making long road trips more fun. We had a bunch of good guys on that team but he was the catalyst.

There’s a great deal of movement between leagues and cities for hockey players – you were no exception. How does that affect you – both on and off the ice – as a player?

I think they capture it well with the HBO show. I like the way they do that. Fans just see the games and think about how great it is to play in the NHL. It is, but they don’t see us heading to the airport right after a tough game, getting in at three a.m., then getting up for the morning skate and playing again that night. Sometimes we’d get in at five a.m. after games. Fans don’t see that part of it.

I think they are starting to realize the pressure players go through, to come back after injury, or the worry about getting traded. You put your kids in school all the while not being sure if you’ll get traded or be sent down…

There’s a lot of pressure for players. We put it on ourselves, but then there’s that pressure of worrying about being sent down, or being traded. It all adds to the pressure. It’s not all fun and games. It wears you down, mentally and physically.

What are your favorite memories of your time in Pittsburgh?

Early on when I was traded there, I jumped into games in disbelief on how good the team was. We had some good players in Hartford, but I couldn’t believe the amount of goals we scored in Pittsburgh. The system and the way we moved the puck with those guys – it was a shock to my system.

The playoffs and Cup run – and the massive celebration … the Cup in Mario’s pool nd that legendary celebration when the Cup got stuck at the bottom of the pool. To have been there and know the real story…

Which was…?

Well, we were throwing the Cup around in the pool. Not disrespecting it – just celebrating. Then someone – I think maybe it was Phil Bourque – decided to put it in the deep end. By the time they tried to take it out it was stuck – we couldn’t get it loose. A number of guys tried to get it loose and they finally got it out, but the top of the Cup was severed, like it was going to rip right off the top.

At the big rally the next day, we all had to hold it in the middle or else the top would have fallen off (laughing)!

We had a lot of fun – it was a great party. And one of the many reasons I’m sure there is a Cup Keeper now assigned by the NHL.

Did you get to celebrate with the Cup personally?

We didn’t have a schedule then to take it home for every player like they do today. If you were in Pittsburgh you got to take it, but I went back to Boston. There was no schedule like they do today, where there is a set schedule for every player.

Kendall Gammon, Steelers Long Snapper, 1992-1995

First, you’ve been a busy man since your NFL playing days. Can you let readers know what you’ve been up to?

First, I’m the sideline voice for the Chiefs radio network. I started in 2001 on my off days as an intern on a local sports talk radio show, learning the ropes. The next season they gave me my own who, and that’s how I got started with that.

When I retired I took a year off to decompress after a fifteen-year career. Then I was contacted by the Chiefs radio network again to work with them.

Continue reading “Kendall Gammon, Steelers Long Snapper, 1992-1995”