First, tell me what you’re doing with yourself now? I know you’re involved in a number of things.

As far as professionally, I’m predominantly working with two organizations. I volunteer at CASA – a child advocacy organization here in San Antonio. We help children who have been displaced or abused and advocate for their needs. There are chapters throughout the United States – I work with the one here in San Antonio. We’re state sanctioned court appointed volunteers. We try to speak to the needs of these children. Whether they should be placed back home, in adoption, whatever the need is.

So often, kids need help that get forgotten – things like eye exams when they struggle n school. The focus is often so much on the adults. But there are 8,000 displaced kids in my county in San Antonio alone.

I also work with AQUAS. We help underprivileged young kids – who are student athletes – pursue their athletic objectives. Those that are good students often have a need and desire to find a place to go to school but they need help. Not just financial. We give them assistance – help them find scholarships and the right schools to go to.

And you also coached for a while?

I’m out of coaching now. I made a conscious decision to be home more. I wanted to slow down that hamster wheel. My daughter is a senior in college and my son is a senior in high school – he’ll play at SMU next year. I wanted to be home for those formulative years with my family.

How hard was that post-NFL transition for you. Were you prepared?

I took a year-and-a-half off after the NFL. After that. my wife and I looked at each other – and ha – we realized I needed to do something!

But what do I do when all I’ve known and done was football. Football was my entire life. I think the mistake people make is thinking the transition is just about money. In my case, I was a 37 year-old guy when I retired. I played the last two decades in professional sports. When a guy like me looks for jobs, he’s competing with 22 year-olds with the same degree. Probably with more experience because they interned somewhere.

It’s like living in a bubble. I joked with a friend – it’s actually like being in prison for a while. You come out and think, wow, things weren’t like that two decades ago! It’s a tough balance, trying to figure out now where you fit.  You’re too young to start a second career but too old to start a first.

Now, some guys plan better than others. But for a guy like me, I moved around a lot. I never got to really establish myself in a city. A lot of comes down t how you’re put together personally. Some guys fly by the seat of their pants, and others plan more.

So, let’s talk a bit about your playing career and how you got started. You opted to play in the USFL despite being drafted in the NFL. Why? Was it about money?

Let me underscore – I honestly had no idea which paid more.  I didn’t care, honestly. Over my first two years they’d have to remind me to cash my checks. The biggest reason I chose the USFL was the time of year. We played from February to July, with basically no preseason. We played in warm weather most of the time. I liked the idea of being part an starting something new, To do something that had never been done. That was very appealing to me. And if it didn’t work out, I figure I could always go back to where I would have gone anyway, Which, it turns out, is what happened.

Any thoughts about the new AFL league and what it has to do to succeed next year? Any thoughts on being a part of that?

I did speak to someone about the new league here in San Antonio. When it gets closer to the season I told them to call me. I’m not saying no out of hand. You never say no to anything.

Years ago the USFL made a tragic mistake. You have to pick your lane and stay in it. They had a great plan. Start with small number of teams and grow slowly. They weren’t vying for the same NFL fans. They created their own fan base. There was some crossover with the NFL but not mostly. It was a good plan – target cities with no professional football teams and keep team numbers low and control the budget.

They had a couple of years with mixed success. Then after they made the decision to challenge a Goliath. It made no sense. No one wanted to challenge the NFL except one guy. That was never the plan. Above and below board, the Goliath controls fall football. They were never in a position to fight that battle.

The new league has to define what it wants to be and stick to it. It’s not a good idea to position yourself to battle the NFL.

You started coaching in the NFL in 1999. How did that get started?

I got my first shot in Green Bay. I started with Ray Rhodes and the NFL internship program. After training camp, the internship program ended. I stayed for the year but not on a contract – more on a pay as you go way. But after that season, the staff go fired despite being told two weeks earlier they weren’t going anywhere. I was shocked – it was an eye opener.

Despite that, after that I wanted to continue coaching. I went to Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl. That’s where everyone goes to look for jobs! Not that anyone talk to you. Well, I walked around with my resume, not really sure what i was doing. Finally, someone told me that the Steelers were looking for an offensive line assistant, I tracked down Bill Cowher and told him I was interested. He told me to call him, and i did. It took several weeks and discussions, but he told me to come in and later offered me the job. It wasn’t on a contract – it was week-to-week. But it was a lot more money than what I got in Green Bay.

How did you like your time in Pittsburgh?

I was treated fairly. It was a great organization. it helped me to transition to a job In Kansas City, where I coached for five years. You have to be willing to put in your time and work week-to-week with no contract when you’re starting off. I was living in apartment in Kansas City while my family was living at home in Atlanta.

What did you learn as as assistant coach in Pittsburgh – did anyone help mentor you there as a young coach? 

When you look at the staff there – they had unbelievable talent and experience. They were free with their knowledge and information. Most coaches aren’t like that. Often times when you ask coaches for information it’s like asking for the Da Vinci Code! They don’t like to share information. But Kent Stephenson, Kevin Gilbride and the rest of the staff all had a ton of information – decades of football knowledge. And they were more than willing to share it with me.

Any fun stories of your time in Pittsburgh?

The guys used to love giving it to the coaches who were former players. They wanted to see if you had anything left in the tank. Well, one time they were running the hill in Latrobe – the big hill.  They started yelling at me – “Come on Irv!”  I thought to myself, “I can run still!”  So I ran with them and did well. Until the next day! I could barely walk. I was like, wow, the tank is now empty!

Did any of the guys give you grief?

Alan Faneca did, for sure.

Any last thought for readers?

The transition thing. I talk to many people and understand why they struggle. It’s a weird place to be in. When you’re thirty-one years old in any other profession you’re young. Just getting started.But you’re old in the NFL – and you haven’t likely done anything else. You have likely zero experience. It’s just weird. The NFL is doing a good job now with programs to help people with the transition. But it’s not a normal situation for people to be in.

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