First, tell me a bit about what you’ve done since your time in the NFL.
Well, during my time playing football, I worked at Hyatt Hotels. I worked for them in the offseason learning the tricks of the trade. When I retired they made me a GM, since I had experience already. I helped open up other hotels and traveled around the country.
Was the post-NFL adjustment difficult for you?
Well, my work in the offseason helped with that. It was a smooth transition for me after nine years in the NFL. I was able to prepare myself for that next level. A lot of NFL players don’t want to prepare for life after football. But it’s important that they do. You still have to live life after football, and some careers don’t last as long as others.
Stepping back, how did you find yourself in Pittsburgh in 1965?
I made it as a free agent in Pittsburgh. I played for a former NFL player in Cy” McClairen at Bethune Cookman. I was lucky – I was a basketball and track star and just played football because I was bored.
I think they chose me because Cy recommended me to the team and because of my speed. I had a tryout and then competed with other drafted guys, It wasn’t easy – I went against guys like former first round pick Paul Martha.
Did anyone help you adjust to the NFL – on and off the field?
Yeah. I was first welcomed by the Rooneys. Then Brady Keys. He was my mentor. He taught me how the game was played. How to act and stay away from trouble and to keep my nose clean. I was about that anyway, having played for McClairin. But some liked to live high off the hog. Not me though. Brady told me it was about what I can do for the Steelers.
Any of those guys stand out to you?
Oh yeah. Myron Pottios. What a linebacker! He wasn’t the biggest guy but he was so intelligent. He could dissect a play. And Ben McGee – he was the biggest guy I’ve ever seen. We just had so many unique guys. I don’t know where they got them all. It was an experience I had never been in before, They signed free agents from other teams and it took a while for us all to gel.
Roy Jefferson was a California kid. I never met anyone from the West coast before and we came in the same year. Paul Martha was moved to defensive back from wide receiver. That was a tough move – especially for a former first round pick. Some guys would be upset, but not him. He helped me with the position and the ropes of the NFL. He was a class young man.
John Henry Johnson used to play in Detroit before Pittsburgh but he became a fixture in Pittsburgh. I remember he used to hate running laps, After practice they’d make us to do that and he’d yell “Track! Track! This is football, not track!” He was the best athlete – such a strong and physical fullback. Everyone was afraid of him and his power.
How did you fit in with the passing game?
Nixon was our quarterback coach. Jefferson and I were speed guys and the team was not used to that. It was hard for them to get the ball to us. I liked working with Bill Nelsen – he was the quarterback then. He was cerebral. He was a mental not physical player. He took a beating. The offensive linemen couldn’t protect him. We had to run slants all day long because of that and the other teams knew it. Linebackers would just sit back and try to decapitate us!
Any others stand out?
Ben McGee was a monster. Everyone was frightened of him too. He was a man among boys. He was strong and ferocious. Every team had to double team him. Marv Woodson always used to run his mouth too. He was fast, but he couldn’t cover. One move and you could beat him.
Dick Hoak was a class guy too, He called me his little kid. He always made me feel welcome. He was very intelligent. He would tell me that I needed to get involved in the community. He was the epitome of class. We had just really started having Black and White players together. We were all evolving together. We didn’t know much about each other but guys like Dick Hoak helped with that.
You were there for two seasons but then ended up in New Orleans. What happened?
I got hurt in Pittsburgh and was traded to New Orleans. I’m not sure for who.
Roy and I were two equally gifted, fast receivers, but we didn’t have the offensive line to give the quarterback time to get the ball to us. So they traded me. I was shocked. I didn’t know things like that could happen. The Rooneys came by and talked to me – they were concerned with how I took it. I called Cy McClairin and he told me that if they traded me it’s because they didn’t want me. So I should pack my bags and make the best of it. it turned out to be the best thing that happened to me.
Did you still have fond thoughts of Pittsburgh after that?
Pittsburgh was the beginning for me. I started my career with Hyatt there to and even went back there as a GM for Hyatt.
Pittsburgh was the foundation for my beginning. The Rooneys were all class. I can’t say enough about how classy an organization it was. There was no hanky panky there. they wanted you to be good citizens and didn’t want you messing around and acting the hero with fans and getting yourself or women in trouble. Let’s just say it was quite different from many of the organizations I played for!
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