First, can you tell us how you got involved in coaching?
It was interesting. I took a year off after I retired from football. My son played in a Pop Warner league and my best friend coached at a high school. He asked me to help coach his defensive backs. I enjoyed that. I went from coaching them to becoming the head coach at the youth level and then becoming the head coach at Lincoln High School.
I’ve been at Lincoln coaching the wide receivers and as the head coach of the JV team at the same time.
Were there any coaches that influenced you most now as a coach?
I took a little bit from everyone I played for. The coaches at the youth level – they taught fundamentals and discipline. So I took away some of that.
What got me excited to coach was when I watched the NFL coaches work with the younger players. I saw them work a lot with the skill positions but less with the linemen. I was like, I could see why they were losing!
So I took an old school approach to coaching – I pushed fundamentals and added some fun as well. It’s been working well so far.
You came to Pittsburgh as a free agent in 1998. Why Pittsburgh?
At the time Pittsburgh was looking for a bigger receiver. I was 6’3″, 215 pounds. So I fit that mold. Most of the receivers there were barely at six feet. And of course the history of the program and the coaching staff – who wouldn’t want to be a part of that.
Did the guys give you any grief, coming in from a rival like the Bengals?
They did give me some grief. Especially because I messed up their home field advantage the year before when I returned a kick for a touchdown to help the Bengals beat the Steelers the year before. They were pretty upset about that!
Jerome and Kirkland – they were the ones to give me the most grief about that.
Was it strange coming in from a rival and playing for Pittsburgh?
It was kind of strange. The games were always impactful and tough rivalry games between the two teams. In Cincinnati things were different – we went 8-8 or 7-9 the three years I was there.
But coming to Pittsburgh, one of the first things I noticed was that the Steelers weren’t just hoping to make the playoffs. They were expecting to – and to get home field advantage. There was just a big difference – you could tell that right away – the aura in the locker room. They were preparing for the playoffs – they knew that’s where they should be. It was just that feeling you got – a higher level of play and expectation.
Did anyone help you out most when you got there?
The receivers helped me out right off the bat. I knew Will Blackwell from San Diego. Ward and Bobby Shaw too helped me – showed me some spots to go and get something to eat and hang out. We all just stayed together – the wide receivers all just kind of locked in together.
You were also a good kick returner. What made you a good returner?
It was about getting positive yards. Fielding the ball – making sure you were in the right position to catch the ball and get positive yards.
You also had to know how to set up returns. Some of it is instinct and some of it is gameplanning. Knowing how to set up your blocks if it’s a right, left, or middle return. Setting up your blocks and then finding that one chance to break it.
Any funny experiences that stand out to you in Pittsburgh?
The first thing that stood out – what really tripped me out right away was that we had to practice across the street in this grass field. We had to walk through the parking lot in our gear and stand at the light and wait for it to change as the traffic went by and fans honked and waved at us. Then we’d cross when the light changed.
It was the old facility – i just couldn’t believe that. I had to call home right away after that and tell everyone that we were practicing across the street in a park!
What do you think of the rivalries in the AFCN today – having played for three out of those four teams?
In Cincinnati as a rookie I didn’t know what to expect. Cleveland had a big fanbase, but the Bengals had a less active one. I played the last game in Cleveland before the shut down the franchise and moved it to Baltimore. I caught the last pass in that stadium.
In Pittsburgh after they shut the Browns down, I remember seeing Dawg Pound fans there supporting the Steelers. That was different. After that I went and played for Cleveland’s expansion team, but the direction of the team was very challenging. I was considered a veteran – there were about 10 guys on the team from my draft class.. But they just wanted to play the younger guys and wondered after why they were losing.
I definitely like the rivalries today. I think that what I took most from Pittsburgh was the expectations of the program. What was expected – the aura of the locker room. You were going to work and you took pride in your work – just like the city itself. You had an obligation to go hard every day in practice – based on the city and the program. I felt that right off the bat.
As I coach high school kids now, I want to take that same approach from Pittsburgh – to have that same aura for my kids at Lincoln.
You watch the NFL today – do you like the way the game has changed?
It’s definitely less physical. I totally understand why. But as a return guy they are taking away a lot of opportunities. There are more touchbacks than returns. The game just isn’t as physical – guys don’t work as hard in practices. I got to some practices to watch them and get some ideas and it’s much more laid back than it used to be. Just not as physical.
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
