First, can you let me know what you’ve been doing since your time in the NFL?
I finished up school in Florida and graduated after I was done with football. I taught PE for 11 years here in Lake City. My son played baseball on the travel team and I got to know Dave Chapel at Horizon Promotions through that. In the offseason when I wasn’t teaching he got me interested and involved in doing sales for him in the Summer. I established a friendship with him and have been doing that now for the last 10 years.
Was the post-NFL transition difficult?
It wasn’t too bad. Once I left the Steelers I tried to make it on a couple of other teams – New Orleans, Kansas City, then San Francisco in ’99. When I was in San Francisco my son was born. Once I didn’t make the roster there I decided it was time to get a real job and support my family. It wasn’t a huge transition from there.
How did you end up in Pittsburgh in ’96?
I came out as a free agent from college in ’95. I learned real quick not to trust all that you hear and are told. Sam Wyche signed me when he was at Tampa Bay. They had Reggie Roby then – he was a good punter but he was a bit long in the tooth. They gave me the biggest bonus of any team and Sam told me he would put me on the practice squad once the season started to backup Reggie. Well, they cut me as expected and when I asked Sam if I was going to be on the practice squad, he told me he was sorry but the numbers just didn’t work out. I believed him. When you come out of college and someone says they’ll give you $85,000, you say “Heck yeah!”
What happened after that?
After that was the World League draft and I was selected by the Barcelona Dragons. Ron Zook got hired by Pittsburgh as their special teams coach and he was my coach at Florida, so he had them bring me in. I thought I did well but then they traded for Josh Miller two weeks before the season began. He was a great, left-handed punter. So they cut me, but he got hurt two weeks into the season, and they brought me in.
Anyone take you under their wing at all when you got to Pittsburgh?
Norm Johnson was great. When I moved up to Pittsburgh after I signed I didn’t have a car with me. Norm helped us out – we lived in the same apartment complex – in Allegheny Center – he told me where to go and what to do there. Took me to restaurants and places outside of the city to get away.
How did the Steelers handle special teams – did they do anything different or unique then that you can recall?
There isn’t a lot different or unique really with special teams. There is focus on directional punting – kicking to the right or left and the blocking schemes – but that stuff hasn’t changed much even today. We’d kick to the right or left inside the hash marks, making sure to punt to our strength – to the short side of the field. We avoided punting to the wide side to prevent bigger returns.
What memories stand out most to you of your time there – including that well-known Houston game?
Houston was my first game as a Steeler. We were up, I think, by 17 points and were backed up in our own end near the end of the game. Cowher decided to take a safety rather than risk a blocked punt.
Well at the snap I ran into the endzone and slipped a bit. I thought to myself, “You idiot. If you fumble the ball they won’t even let you back into the locker room!” I ran back and Chris Dishman pushed me out of bounds – no big deal, he did what you should have done. But then Darryl Lewis came and nudged me when I was 10 yards behind the endzone. I looked to see who it was and when I saw it wasn’t one of my guys I hit him with my open hand – I wasn’t going to punch anyone with my fist and hit their helmet and hurt my hand!
He then grabbed my facemask and stretched my neck back like three feet! My neck hurt all week after that. That’s when everyone rushed in. I hit him a couple of more times in his stomach – got in a couple of more shots. I’ve been known to get into a few scuffles in my day!
So after that what happened?
I went to the sidelines and Andre Hastings joked with me that it was just like a Florida Gator to start shit! Of course he was a Georgia guy! Then it was announced I had been kicked out of the game. Cowher was upset – he couldn’t believe I was kicked out of the game.
What did he say to you afterwards?
The next day we met in his office. It was a long conversation! He asked me what I was thinking and I told him what had happened – that Lewis hit me well outside of the endzone. He told me I couldn’t do that…I just said that I know. I got fined $5,000 – that game had the most fines issued out at the time. That’s when Tomczak had his facemask twisted and, remember, every guy that comes off the sidelines is automatically fined when they rush in like they did.
I do remember when I came off the field after the fight, the fans gave me a standing ovation! Chris Berman gave me a nickname on ESPN too – Shayne “Don’t push me over the Edge!”
The next game was in Pittsburgh and I got another standing ovation! The fans loved me then. The radio stations even had a fundraiser to pay my fine. I’m not sure what happened to that money though – I never saw it!
Anything more come of it after that?
Lloyd used to call me Shayne Tyson after that. I think the fans really appreciated it. Those are hard-working, blue-collar fans and I think I was their kind of guy.
Two or three weeks later we played Houston in Houston. Mel Gray was their return guy – one of the best ever. Well, when the ball was snapped and Darryl Lewis – he just fell to the ground. He laid there – he didn’t want to get blocked by anyone at first. Well, I’m focusing on Mel Gray, flowing with him to prevent a return when Lewis sprints from 20 yards away and just earholes me. It didn’t hurt but he got me good.
When I came off the field Bruener and Hayes were laughing. Hayes said “Stop counting quarters out there Shayne!” I have no idea what that even means!
Any other memories stand out to you of your time there?
Jerome Bettis and Levon Kirkland – just how nice they were. Jerome played at Notre Dame of course and he’d joke with me every day about that game in ’91 when he ran for like 175 yards in the second half alone against us. “Hey Shayne – remember that game?” Every day he did that….
What happened after Josh got healthy?
Well, they weren’t going to keep two punters so that was that. It’s funny, I still have a photograph of a fan holding up an NBC sign, but with the letters spelling out “NFL Boxing Champ!” I had the Steelers photographer take a picture of it for me when I saw it in the stands!
Lastly, what do you think of the way the NFL is handling special teams today?
I’m amazed at the strength of punters and kickers today. How strong their legs are – how far and high they can kick today. I wonder – was I ever that good? To me how far they’ve come now is amazing.
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