First, can you let me know what you’ve been up to since your playing days?
My wife and I started a business while I was playing in the NFL – it’s a furniture business that we’ve kept going over the years.
I also started coaching high school football when my son was in eighth grade. That was three years ago. The head coach is a guy I played with at Youngstown State and he asked me to help out as a coach. I moved up as my son did, from eighth grade, now to tenth. I coach the defensive line and do strength training as well.
Who were some of the guys you model your coaching approach after?
My defensive line coach at Youngstown State was the uncle of Bob Stoops. He and I still talk – he’s still on my answering machine every week and we text every week. He just had his 84th birthday a short while ago. He meant a lot to me – his style. I laid it all on the field for that guy.
Jim Tressel was the head coach at Youngstown State. He cared about the kids. He was all about family – he saw things that were bigger than football. I see how kids work out in the wright room now and the effort they give on the field – sometimes I just want to grab them and give them a big hug. Football is great but it’s about more than that. You see some of the players who don’t have the natural talent and don’t see much time on the field but keep fighting and give it their all every day. I know for those kids that will pay off in the future in ways they can’t understand now.
I know a kid who never saw the field but turned out to be one of the most successful guys I know. He never took a day off in practice. That is the big thing. I want to keep kids positive and engaged. There’s more to the game – there’s more to life.
Anyone at the professional level inspire you?
In Carolina – George Seifert was the same kind of way as those others I mentioned. It’s funny – I never thought about it before. I was fighting for a roster spot and probably at the end of my career though I didn’t think about it. He told me to stay who I was and keep working hard. He gave me encouragement.
How did you end up in Pittsburgh in 1998?
I had bounced around a number of teams’ practice squads that year. Jacksonville drafted me then Pittsburgh claimed me off of waivers. I finished my season with Pittsburgh and later went to Carolina and Cincinnati and a few other places before going back to Carolina again.
My wife Casey is a huge Steelers fan – she was beyond excited when I was signed by the Steelers. She can’t wear a heart rate monitor during games – it beeps too much! Her dad was a big Steelers fan – he sas the Steelers logo on his headstone. So when I signed there it seemed like it was meant to be.
Dermontti Dawson was an amazing guy – I used to practice against him. He actually signed a football for my wife. Bill Cowher also signed footballs for my entire family too.
Any memories stand out from your time in the NFL?
I played with Brett Favre in Green Bay and Barry Sanders in Detroit. Barry may have been the nicest guy I met on any team I played for in the NFL. I’d love to meet his kids and tell them that his dad was so much more than football. I remember sitting by myself in practice, down on myself when he came over and put his arm around me and asked if I was ok and asked if I needed anything. Things like that stick out more than football. I never defined myself as a football player. A guy like Barry Sanders – those little gestures mean so much more.
Any Steelers players take you under their wing?
A guy who later became a Steeler – Kimo Von Oelhoffen. When I was in Cincinnati he would give me rides everywhere. He would stay late and do his hand drills and practice with the other guys. He would try to make everyone around him better. He helped me with hand drills. He knew I was a bubble player and helped me work on my hand quickness and extensions.
I also remember Kevin Colbert. It wasn’t a great year for the team – there was a bit of a feeling like guys just wanted to get it over with. But Colbert was always really nice. Certain guys you just remember – he was just very genuine.
Oh – I have one funny story about Mike Sullivan – before he was the Steelers quarterbacks coach he was the defensive backs coach for Youngstown State when I was there. He used to tell us that he’d buy a Cinnabon any time someone got a sack. Well I got 17 sacks that season! Every week he’d have to buy two-to-three Cinnabons. We’d laugh every week about it.
Lastly, any advice you’d give to small-school guys trying to make it in the NFL?
You have to make an impact quick. When I talk to the Youngstown State guys I tell them there’s no time to waste. It turns to all-business fast and every little thing matters. It haunts me today – those little things I did wrong. Especially from a small school. Just working hard in the weight room isn’t enough. You can’t take any plays off. Not that I did – but I wish I played with more of a sense of urgency.
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