First off, what have you been doing with yourself since you stopped playing?
Right now I’m just enjoying my downtime. I’m a high school coach and a teacher here in Sweeney, Texas. I’m just gearing up for another football season!
As a coach, were there coaches and coaching lessons that impacted you most? And how?
You can always learn from somebody. I’ve taken a piece of something from everyone and incorporate that into what I do now. Even going back to my playing days. One of my first coaches was Bill Cowher when I was in Kansas CIty – there are certain aspects I take from him – his high energy and enthusiasm.
What brought you to Pittsburgh as an undrafted feee agent – why choose the Steelers?
Two teams called me after the draft – the Houston Oilers and Pittsburgh. There were two deciding factors on why I chose Pittsburgh. The first was that the Oilers wanted me to play as an outside linebacker. My college coach told me he thought I’d be better suited on the inside. That was back in the Lawrence Taylor days.
Also, when I spoke with my agent, he told me that Chuck Noll was an underdog type of guy. He was an underdog player and appreciated those kinds of players. So I might not go in with all that glory but I’d get a chance.
Did anyone take you under their wing and help you out most when you got there?
David Little – I looked up to him as a mentor. Hardy Nickerson and Greg Lloyd too. I wanted to hang around the older guys – I didn’t hang around the rookies as much. I figured I could learn something from them!
One of the reasons I wasn’t drafted was because I was a down-lineman my entire career up to the NFL. I played with my hand in the dirt. I was undersized though. So I had to transition to linebacker – I was a blank slate as far as technique and coverage skills were. So they helped me with those.
You stuck – you made the team. What do you think worked for you?
I was a good special teams player. If you don’t start you have to play special teams. I didn’t know yet what I was doing as a linebacker. But I developed a good relationship with the special teams coach then, George Stewart.
And Joe Greene helped me – he was great in showing me how to study my stuff!
How did he help you?
I remember once he came up to me with both hands held up in a square – he told me “One day Tracy you’ll see the whole picture!” At the time for me the game was just a bunch of people running around! Well, midseason I remember things clicking. I could see it. I remember getting excited and running up to Joe Greene and telling him “I can see the whole picture!” It took all of training camp and half a season to get there.
Any fun moments that stand out most to you of your time there?
I didn’t do a lot of going out. I do remember one linebacker party where we all went out to different bars with David Little. I don’t remember much at the end! David was such a good player, but he was a real good person too. Not many people knew that about him.
What happened after that season to have you end up in Kansas City for so many years?
It’s weird. I left Pittsburgh and signed with the Saints. But I pulled my hamstring and was one of their last cuts. The Chiefs brought me in right after Thanksgiving. I was just thankful to be signed. I had resigned myself to thinking I wasn’t going to play that season.
They had one of the finest coaches in the country there in Marty Schottenheimer. He took a liking to me. That was one hell of a time there- Chiefs Nation was fantastic.
Coming up North as a Texas guy, was the adjustment tough for you?
The Winters were the tough thing. It snowed maybe every five or 10 years in Texas! Adjusting to that was something. And there were no indoor practices! Everything was outdoors. You get used to it after a while. Just like in the South after a while you get used to the heat.
What was Chuck Noll like to play for, for you?
Chuck Noll was an awesome coach. He was very business-like. He would tell us that we were all professionals – that this was our job and we should act like it. I remember once we were all catching rides home after practice and he pulled up in his car an offered us rides home!
He was so knowledgeable. His career speaks for itself, really.
And Joe Greene?
Joe was a legend – a Hall of Fame player. He was instrumental in helping me stick around. He was so good with the players – especially the linemen. When Joe talked it wasn’t from a book- he did it, and for a long time. So we all respected the hell out of him. He knew all of the details on what it took to succeed.
Lastly, was the post-NFL adjustment difficult for you? How did yo navigate that?
It wasn’t that difficult for me, and I’ll tell you why. I had to scratch and claw to make teams as an undrafted free agent throughout my career. I had to work harder than anyone else. I had to prove I belonged.
You go through that for years – I got tired. I had enough of it. My last year I got married and I wanted to share that part of my life with my wife before I stopped playing. So I figured I would do one more year than I was done with that shit! I could have played longer but I was done.
You miss the money and the locker room for sure, but I was ready. You can always find different ways to help fill that need to compete.
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
