First, let me know what you’ve been doing since your time in the NFL?
I work for a company here in South Carolina – we make automotive seats for BMWs and Volvos. I supervise 15 people and have been doing this for a long time since I retired from football.
I started off working for a model homes company as an inspector before I took this job and moved up the company to where I am now.
Was it a difficult transition to post-NFL life for you?
What gave me joy was my kids – I have three daughters in college. I recently went to the wedding of my older son and my younger son just bought a house. My kids gave me perspective on life outside of football. Football helped me to understand the work needed to achieve goals and to be accountable. Now, I make sure the people that work for me at the plant have ownership of their work and we have the best line in the plant because of that.
Stepping back, as a free agent after playing for Cleveland, how did you end up with the Steelers?
The Steelers were my childhood team. My older brothers loved the Oilers and Cowboys – we used to play football in the backyard together. In college I played both ways – offense and defense. When I got the opportunity to play for the Steelers it was a dream come true for me.
I was released from Cleveland and was going back to Spartanburg to work when the Steelers called me. Dick LeBeau said he liked my athleticism. I started off as a cornerback when I was drafted but he saw me as a safety and wanted to move me there.
What was it like coming over from a division rival like the Browns?
Nick Saban was my secondary coach – he was honest with us and a hard worker. I appreciated him a lot. He told me he wish he had moved me to safety when I was in Cleveland. I was 6’2, 215 pounds and was fast. I came into the NFL as a cornerback but was a big hitter – the biggest defensive back they had in Cleveland. They had Everson Walls who was tall too but not as big as I was.
Did anyone take you under their wing in Pittsburgh and show you how things were done in Pittsburgh?
I learned a lot from Woodson who was the leader of the secondary – and from Carnell Lake.
Rod taught me about how to position myself and keep a low sense of gravity. That gave me more quickness. I came in with Figures and Williams – they drilled us all on what to do. They wanted us to be prepared in case someone went down with an injury.
And LeBeau?
LeBeau was like a father figure to me, I lost my dad and sister around that time due to tragic deaths – he was there personally for me. Every team should have that kind of environment for their players.
When I first got there I was a cornerback. Dick moved me to safety – we didn’t really have strong and free safeties so much as just safeties. Depending on the motion of the receivers the safeties would rotate. And in nickel packages I would also play the nickel cornerback position.
Why did Dick move you to safety and how was that adjustment for you?
Dick LeBeau made the decision – we were stacked at cornerback. I was an All-American sprinter in high school – he liked my speed – I was one of the fastest guys on the team. And he liked my physicality and size – I was able to close the gap and make hits at the line of scrimmage.
He saw that. As a coach, he could really see the strength of a player – not just what they played when they came into the NFL originally.
Any fun memories that stand out of your time in Pittsburgh?
All of us taking Dick LeBeau out for his birthday for dinner. We just had fun – we didn’t talk about football. We just talked about life – about families. That was important – you can lose that perspective sometimes playing football.
I loved the family atmosphere. The secondary would all go out together and do things together – it was like a family.
How did the team prepare for those playoff games when you were there?
For the playoffs we practiced like it was any other regular season game. Like just another game. That last game we lost versus San Diego – if we just made a couple of plays we would have moved on to play San Francisco in the Super Bowl.
But we prepared just like the first game of the season. San Diego just executed better. In the playoffs, it just takes a couple of mistakes to cost you a game. The Super Bowl would have been awesome, but the better team that day won.
Any on-field memories stand out?
I didn’t play as much in the playoffs, but I did play on special teams. Running downfield and making a key tackle on special teams and knowing my family was seeing my name on the screen in such a big game. …to make a play at that level….a lot of guys don’t ever get that. I was blessed to have that opportunity and to play for an organization I adored growing up and respected when I played for them. They were a class organization when I was there.
My first son was born in Pittsburgh. The Rooneys treated my family like it was their family. The secondary gave my wife a baby shower. They were a class act.
Why did you leave after two seasons?
I was drafted by Carolina in the expansion draft. I didn’t want to go. I told my wife we had found a home in Pittsburgh, but Dom Capers took me and wanted me in Carolina.
It was hard leaving. My wife actually wanted to stay while I played for Carolina at first, but we ended up all moving to South Carolina. After I retired I found a job and transitioned from football to life after football. It was tough at first but I wouldn’t trade it for anything now. The parenting part – having five successful kids – that has paid off for my family.
Do you watch the NFL today – any thoughts on how the game has changed?
Well, now they are actually getting paid a lot more than we did! It’s a whole lot more money! But I enjoy the game still – and fans like the changes.
It was more physical when I played but I understand the changes – for safety reasons. It had to get safer. Players need to have the ability to be healthy after football.
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
