First, can you let me know what you’ve been doing since your time in the NFL?
I’ve been in sales – I sell refractory equipment – high temperature insulation for the steel and cement industries – for furnaces and things like that. I’ve been doing that for over 20 years now.
Was the adjustment to post-NFL life difficult for you?
I didn’t technically have a plan. My career didn’t go as I imagined it would. I was nicked up and it just wasn’t very good. Not what I wanted it to be.
I was talking to a friend who offered me a job, and my wife said I’ll take it! I thought about coaching and worked in Pitt’s athletic department for a bit, but it’s tough on families. A lot of travel and moving around, so I opted not to do that for our family. I do have friends like Jerry Olsavsky and Bill Cherpak who have been successful coaches – Jerry with the Steelers of course and Bill at Thomas Jefferson.
The transition is difficult at times. Every day when you play football you’re used to being judged and on film – being evaluated if you are good or not good. In the corporate world things aren’t the same. Sometimes things don’t get done the way they should – things are late or not done right – and it’s different. In football everyone has to go in the same direction on every play and it’s not the same in the corporate world.
Talking about your football career – you started off in San Francisco – what happened to bring you back home to Pittsburgh?
I was on IR my first year in San Francisco after getting drafted by them. I broke my foot in camp and they had to make a roster move and put me on the practice squad. They were actually very good to me – they still said they’d give me my full salary just in the form of a roster bonus.
But when I was on the waiver wire the Steelers picked me up. I had a choice to stay or go and I chose to go and in hindsight I probably should have stayed. I think the offense was better suited for me and I could have stayed and healed up.
But as a kid growing up in Pittsburgh, who doesn’t want to go play for the Steelers and Chuck Noll? It’s a dream come true.
Did anyone help you out when you got to Pittsburgh – show you the ropes a bit?
Jerry Olsavsky was my college roommate and he’s still a great friend – he was there and helped. The offensive linemen – guys like Dermontti Dawson – he was so tough on the field but such a nice guy off it. One of the best guys I met. He, Duval Love, John Jackson and Justin Strelczyk – they were a good group of guys.
The guys up front – Dawson was like a guide for me. I saw how you could be a nice guy off the field and on the field be a dominant football player.
You were there to see the transition from Chuck Noll to Bill Cowher. What did you notice most about Chuck at the time and about that transition?
For me personally, when I got there we were out of the playoffs. Things weren’t going that great then for Chuck. I don’t think I saw the Chuck Noll I watched growing up. It was still amazing though to play for him, and to watch Joe Greene, who I idolized growing up, coaching the defensive line. I played with Joe Montana in San Francisco – another Pittsburgh guy – and was in awe of him. I felt the same way with Chuck and Joe.
When Bill came in – he was a Crafton kid – I grew up basically in the same town he did. Bill was a ball of fire – he changed the culture there. I was fortunate to see that transition.
How did Bill change things?
He was a backup in his career – he understood players. He had such energy – that energy he brought was amazing. He was a hard-working guy and consistent – he had expectations of players and had a way of working with the team leaders. He treated everyone professionally – made sure everyone knew what his expectations of them were. He didn’t bust their chops just for the sake of doing it because he was the coach. He had a method to his madness and didn’t need to ride people constantly to get them to play hard.
Any fun memories that stand out most to you?
I roomed with Justin Strelczyk in camp. Sharing a room with him – you always get some good laughs.
He was his own guy. It wasn’t any one thing he did – he was just this big guy with a heart of gold who worked hard and did things his own way. He came from a small school and made it – he was a beast physically. I’m not sure he ever realize how good he was.
Any on-field memories stand out to you?
Running out on that field ….growing up we didn’t have a lot of money. Being able to go to a Steelers game was a big treat. I talk to people who say “Wow” when they learn I played for the Steelers. But my career was disappointing. Internally, I struggled with it. My career wasn’t what I wanted it to be. We all want to play in the NFL and be Hall of Fame players. But I remember talking to my dad before he passed away, and telling him that. He told me he couldn’t be prouder of my career at Pitt and the NFL. That meant a lot. Just for them to be able to go to games and watch me play. It was a dream come true to experience that.
How difficult was that following season, to be let go? What did they say to you?
Playing behind Dawson – the guy never got injured. They kept Ariel Solomon around – who is a very good friend of mine. He was more of a guard and tackle. I was undersized – more of a center. But the way the roster was set up, they felt Dawson stayed healthy and they needed depth elsewhere. I guess they figured that if something happened to Dermontti they could always bring me back if I wasn’t picked up by someone else.
I just wasn’t good enough. They know that and you know that. You can’t be upset over it – Bill had to make a decision and you realize that. You just didn’t work out. It’s hard when you know it’s over – but you have to move on. Bill was as gracious as they come when he let me go. I have no resentment. It’s not the happiest day of my life, but I understood.
What do you think of the NFL today?
I look at the style of offenses today and it’s much more of a pass-sets-up-the-run instead of how it used to be. Some do a great job of running the ball still – and some quarterbacks do a great job running now.
It’s an exciting game. I like watching football still. From an offensive lineman standpoint I like watching grinding run offenses. You can be aggressive and come off the ball harder. But the speed of some of these pass rushers today – it’s amazing. I’d hate to have had to face these guys!
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