First, can you let us know what you’ve been doing with yourself since your time in the NFL, and how hard that post-NFL adjustment was for you?
Well I’m not doing too much. Just working. That’s it. I sell cases – the kind you see on the sidelines at football games. I’m close to 60 now, so I’m just working that job and holding down the fort!
I went straight to my hometown in Texas after the NFL. So the change wasn’t that big for me. I have lots of alumni at Texas A&M where I went to school that pulled strings for me. I got offered the job through them and that was it. I worked there for 19 years.
Rewinding some, you found yourself in Pittsburgh in 1986 after three years in San Diego and Philadelphia. What brought you to Pittsburgh?
Well, they told me I’d have an opportunity to play in Pittsburgh, I needed someone to take me in. I had a disagreement with Buddy Ryan in Philadelphia. About not practicing. I got an ok from the doctor to not practice but he didn’t appreciate that. He didn’t want to be overruled. So he got rid of me and that’s when I went to Pittsburgh.
Who helped you to adjust to the team when you got there? How?
Well, I was already four years in the league and I knew Chuck Noll. I played in the Pro Bowl with him. He took me in and it turned out well. I can’t complain.
How did he help?
Well, he was just nice to me. And the Rooneys took care of me too. They really took me in. The old man was great. He was super. You’d walk by his office and it was an open door. He’d invite you in and ask if you wanted a cigar. He was that type of guy. He took me in and helped me get a job. It wasn’t like talking to an owner. He was just a regular guy. What can I say? I have nothing but love for him.
How hard was it on the team, and you specifically, when he passed away in 1988?
Well, his sons and grandkids were the same kinds of guys. They stepped in and knew what to do. They knew how to take care of the players too.
Everyone had their own feelings and ways to grieve. He was good to me.
Any memories stand out to you of your time in Pittsburgh?
Well, I was in and out. I didn’t hang around and joke around and BS. That’s for the rookies. When you’ve been in the league five-to-seven years, you’re ready to get out.
I had some ups and downs with Chuck Noll. I remember that. He gave my my shot and went to bat for me when I needed a job. But he wanted perfection. Perfect, perfect, perfect. It was usually about being on time. Doing things the right way. And that’s part of the business. He could be hard on you if you didn’t do things right. But that’s life. He was never rude or anything.
Who were some of the tougher guys you lined up against then?
Oh, Lawrence Taylor (LT), Lyle Alzado – those guys were some of the toughest. They’d go for your head. You can’t do that now. You can’t hit people in certain spots now like you could then.
Lastly, what’s your favorite memory of your time in the NFL?
I think the game versus Dallas when I was a Steeler. I ran the ball 60 yards for a touchdown and gave the ball to some guys in the corner of the endzone. That was my best memory.
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
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