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First, can you let me know what you’ve been doing since your last coaching job?

Well, I recently worked with a German national football team – it was an amateur team full of kids they imported from other countries. I got a call from a friend who asked for some help. The kids weren’t as talented as other kids but they loved to play and we had a lot of fun. Most spoke English pretty well. So I was doing that before I officially retired last February.

Now, I’m remodeling my house. Not doing that much in the way of football-related stuff. I’m spending time with my family and enjoying it. I have seven grandkids and three children. The three kids are working which is great – and we just moved out here to be closer to them all. It’s been great to be able to spend time with my family.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Linebacker Coach Bob Valesente, 1990-1991”

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

I’m now in Atlanta – working for Georgia State University as an associate registrar. I never thought I’d be back in higher education  – I thought I’d become a coach or do something in sports. I look back at the support I had as an athlete in school – it was all laid out for us. That has helped me focus everyday on helping students now who need that support.

It’s rewarding helping kids graduate – many came here from different situations. I’ve been able to do this now for 17 years.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Wide Receiver Darrick Owens, 1992”

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

I’ve done a couple of nine-to-five jobs – now I’m focused on investments and am looking to open an e-commerce store. I also do some speaking here and there for local schools – nothing official.

Was the post-NFL transition tough for you?

It was for me. I left with a sour taste in my mouth since my career didn’t go like I wanted it to. I would have liked one more shot to set the record straight.

It is challenging – definitely. From the standpoint of having had no solid plan B after the game. Overall, I missed the competition for a while.  But the sour taste was the biggest issue, to be honest with you.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Offensive Lineman Jamain Stephens, 1996-1998”

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! Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Linebacker Ed Robinson, 1994”

First, what career did you get involved with after your time in the NFL and why did you get  involved in that line of work?

I started off in the auto sales industry, due to the knowledge I gathered from having an auto dealer license in Louisiana. After achieving both finance and sales management positions, my health continued declining because of my past college football and NFL careers. I then made a transition to disaster residential and commercial inspections. This knowledge was passed on to me from my father who was a master carpenter who developed subdivisions in the surrounding Baton Rouge metroplex for 35 years. My last job was with the federal government (SBA) in Fort Worth Texas. I worked directly with home owners and contractors preventing projects from over running the initial project cost.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Steelers Running Back Victor Jones, 1993-1994”

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

Currently, I’m in education. I was briefly doing some coaching, but life happens. I got married and took some time away from coaching to establish a family life. Then I had a daughter in 2015 so I took more time to be a dad, then never looked back after that.

I do miss it, but I wanted to prioritize my life, and the time you have to invest in coaching, even at the high school level – it just took too much time away from my family. That was my stance anyway.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Offensive Lineman Jimond Pugh, 2003”

First, what have you been up to since your time in the NFL?

I have some tough bosses – my kids sometimes let me golf!

I thought taking over my father’s funeral home was the last thing I’d do. My father tried to get me involved since I was six years old – he’d have me go down with him to Lima, Ohio to pick up hearses – that’s where they were at. But as soon as I discovered sports I did that year-round – football, basketball and track in high school and in the Summer I was in a basketball league. I did everything I could to get involved in sports and not get in the family business!

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Linebacker Tom Graves, 1979”

First off, how are you preparing for the the upcoming camp?

I have a defensive backs dude I’ve been working with for some time now. I am also working with another coach – Travelle Gaines. He’s helping to keep me right with my mobility and agility and quick burst. I wanted to come into camp in tip-top shape.

One thing I realized right away is that the weather in Latrobe is very different than it is here in Southern California! I just want to prepare my body to be in the best shape I can be!

Continue reading “Exclusive with Steelers Cornerback Chris Steele”