First, can you let me know what you’ve been up to since your time playing football?
I’ve been a school teacher – teaching math to ninth and 12th graders in high school. I also dipped into coaching and was the head coach for a high school in Ft. Lauderdale for five years.
Now, I get to watch my kids grow up. I have two sons – one a senior in high school and one is in college – a starting cornerback for Oklahoma.
Was that post-football adjustment difficult?
It was and it wasn’t. You get so used to being around your guys and smiling and having fun with everyone – and being a part of a team. You all have the same vision and one common goal. Then you go out into the world and everyone has a different vision of how you should think and do things. That was an adjustment. Now you have to do something new – you may like it, but not as much as you did football.
As an undrafted free agent, what made you decide to sign with the Steelers?
During the draft teams were calling me. I thought I would get drafted but then one team would make a trade and then not need to draft you – another you thought would take you doesn’t.
So, I talked to my agent after the draft. We felt Pittsburgh was a good fit and that I had a good opportunity to make the team as a receiver. Atlanta was very interested in me but Pittsburgh seemed like a better fit plus they were close to where I went to school – at Youngstown State.
You still hold the record for most rushing and receiving yards at Youngstown – did Pittsburgh talk to you about how they planned to use you in Pittsburgh?
I knew they signed me as a wide receiver, but I played running back in college up until my senior year. I wasn’t sure if they wanted me to be a third down running back – San Diego talked to me about that a lot. But they kept me at receiver.
Did any of the guys in Pittsburgh help you out most when you got there?
Dwight Stone and Louis Lipps helped me the most.
Dwight walked a similar path to becoming a receiver when he got to the NFL too – I’m sure that helped?
Right – exactly. Dwight showed me that you have to be on time and keep your head up high. Study and work hard – you may mess up – they’ll be ups and downs – so he told me to keep my head up. He also taught me discipline – how to be a caring person – to care about others.
Louis Lipps – he told me bad things may happen but you can’t get upset. Do what you can do and be ready. He told me I needed to watch everyone – whether I thought they were better than me or not – to learn from everyone. Watch and learn.
Dwight also helped me with running routes. We were both used to catching the ball more out of the backfield – seven-to-10 yards from the line of scrimmage. Adjusting to catching the ball 20-to-30 yards downfield took time.
You made the team despite coming in as an undrafted free agent. What do you think helped you secure that spot?
I think I was fast and showed good hands. I was lucky though – everyone who gets to the NFL level are good. I made some plays in preseason that helped me.
We had a game in Canada in the preseason and I ran a dig route over the middle and caught a pass that was thrown pretty high over the middle. I had a good vertical and I think that caught the eyes of the coaches. To see that athleticism. After that they looked at me more.
Any memories stand out most to you of your time there?
Playing in Washington – coming on to the field and hearing all of the fans yelling at you. It wasn’t like Youngstown State!
And going to Cowboys stadium and playing there. I grew up in Florida and watched the Cowboys play a lot on TV. Standing years later in that stadium, staring around and just watching players walk on to the field. I just couldn’t believe I was there. How lucky I was to do what I had watched others do as a child.
Also – the relationships I built with guys like Barry Foster, who I am still friends with. And Justin Strelczyk. He was a low-round pick and I remember when he made the team he was so excited. He wanted to go buy an outfit to celebrate! I remember him getting so excited and asking me to go with him to buy a new outfit!
Tim Worley would make fun of me too. I never drank or smoked and when we went out for a beer he’d joke with everyone to go get me a water!
You were there for a season – what happened after that season?
In I think the second preseason game I should have had an 80-yard touchdown. I lost the ball in the pilings that were in the stadium – I just couldn’t see it and it went off my fingertips. I was having a good preseason, but they drafted two wide receivers – Calloway and Heard – and as an undrafted free agent, the receivers coach was more concerned about them getting their chances.
I actually caught a pass right after that one but then they pulled me out. That one mistake is really all it took as an undrafted free agent. They ended up keeping me over Heard, but I was released still before the season started.
I played for a couple weeks after that in Canada, but I wasn’t really feeling it. They took so much out of your pay in taxes – it just didn’t work for me.
As a coach, any of those lessons you learned in college and the NFL stay with you – any coaches influence you the most?
Jim Tressel was the main one – he was my college coach and he taught me that life is bigger than football. You have to help others – few make it to the NFL. He showed me you have to think about more than football. I teach that to my high school kids now – graduate from high school first and qualify for college.
George Stewart was my special teams coach in Pittsburgh. The way he carried himself – he was always happy. He pushed you, but he was always positive.
Chuck Noll – he was amazing to watch the way he moved. He was a real guy. He told you whether you were doing something good or bad. He was quiet – but he was always honest with you. I learned a lot from him about handling myself the same way. That meant a lot.
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
