First, can you let me know what you’ve been doing with yourself after your time in the NFL?
Well, after Chuck Noll told me I should get on with my life’s work, I became a teacher and a coach at East Allegheny High School – where I went to high school. It was called Westinghouse Memorial then. So I went back to my roots and taught for 35 years and coached for 25 of those years, then retired.
Anyone influence you most as a coach?
I took a little bit from everywhere I went. At Coffeyville Junior College in Kansas I had a good wide receivers coach, Nolan Luhn, who had played for Green Bay. I was an All American playing for him – he coached an All American tight end too.
After Coffeyville I went to the University of Miami and learned a lot of stuff there. Then, obviously under Coach Noll. That was a treat in itself. I was lucky to be there under only his second year as a coach there.
How was Noll from your perspective as a pretty new coach for the Steelers?
He really set the tempo for the team. There was no foolishness. No nonsense. I remember at the talent show, a rookie got up and made fun of Chuck Noll, imitating him. Well, the next day, the rookie was gone! He got rid of Roy Jefferson quick too.
Tell me about how you found yourself in Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent?
Well, Art Rooney Jr. came down to Miami and timed me in the 40. I thought I was going to be drafted by Dallas really. I heard from them every day.
My biggest problem was that I should had gotten an agent. I didn’t and that hurt me. I didn’t have anyone to advocate for me and that hurts you. So I wasn’t drafted. I did have quite a few offers, from New Orleans, Cincinnati, and of course Pittsburgh. I went back and forth on which to choose but I wanted to go back to my home team. And I thought I’d have a better shot at making it there. Jefferson was the only big name receiver they had then.
How hard was that adjustment to the NFL -and did anyone help you?
Lionel Taylor was the wide receivers coach – he had a great career there. Back then there wasn’t a lot of publicity of what was really going on. Today you see it a lot on tv, but back then you didn’t have a good idea of what went on. St. Vincents was a 40 minute drive from where I grew up. My parents drove me there and dropped me off and said “Good luck. We hope it works out!” And that was it.
I made it for the first year on the taxi squad. I was actually activated for two games when Jon Staggers got hurt.
Any of that time stand out for you there?
We opened up Three Rivers Stadium on a Saturday Night versus the Giants. I finally got in in the fourth quarter and caught an 18 yard pass from Bradshaw. I broke some tackles and was racing towards the endzone when I tripped on the 15 yard line. It would have easily been a touchdown. Noll played that over and over in the meetings and everyone had a good laugh. I got my foot caught in that poly-turf they had and just got tripped up.
The following year I was encouraged there. They brought Babe Parilli in as the quarterback coach and Terry Bradshaw told me that they’d watch film together, and he’d keep asking Terry who that guy was that kept getting open. Why isn’t he playing more? Terry told him that it was Kalina!
So I as encouraged by that, but I found myself on the taxi squad again anyway.
What was the issue?
I tried to meet up with Noll – I ran up to him at practice and asked him what I needed to do to make the roster. He just told me to keep working hard and not to get discouraged. To see what the year would bring.
My third year it was basically the same thing. I was stuck on the taxi squad. Before the season ended one of the defensive backs got injured and to make room on the roster for a new guy they had to let me go. That was the end of my career.
What do you think of the way the game is played today?
I would love to play today as a wide receiver. The defensive backs can’t touch you. Once you get off the line of scrimmage you’re basically running free. That’s good for the receivers. I’m not sure how the defensive backs feel about it.
The helmet-to-helmet rule I agree with. As a high school coach we taught our kids to tackle with their head up. There’s no reason they can’t learn to tackle with their shoulders and arms. They want to make highlight reel hits and blow people up instead of just tackling people.
Any other fun stories to share?
Our rookie year they’d bus the rookies to a farm in Latrobe and force the guys to play drinking games and get hammered. I skipped out on it and stayed in the dorm with a couple of other guys. It was the night before practice and I didn’t want to get drunk the night before a practice. Well, Roy Jefferson and a couple of other guys caught us and made us go with them. We got hammered. The next day we were all throwing up on the field at practice! That was our initiation as rookies. I think Chuck knew because he didn’t say anything.
And for whatever reason – maybe because I was a local guy too – Dick Hoak took me under his wing. He told me to sit with him at lunch and dinner. When guys were told to get up and sing, I didn’t have to. When they came up to me, Dick told them no. That was pretty cool. It was nice to have a big brother there!
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