First, what career did you get involved with after your time in the NFL and why did you get involved in that line of work?
I started off in the auto sales industry, due to the knowledge I gathered from having an auto dealer license in Louisiana. After achieving both finance and sales management positions, my health continued declining because of my past college football and NFL careers. I then made a transition to disaster residential and commercial inspections. This knowledge was passed on to me from my father who was a master carpenter who developed subdivisions in the surrounding Baton Rouge metroplex for 35 years. My last job was with the federal government (SBA) in Fort Worth Texas. I worked directly with home owners and contractors preventing projects from over running the initial project cost.
Tell me a bit as well about your family and other things that you’ve been involved with post-NFL.
I met my wife in high school but we didn’t get married until my Senior year at LSU. We started our family at the age of 20 years old. Once my career was over in the NFL, I was able to dedicate 100% of my efforts towards my wife and children. Of course at the back of my mind were medical concerns and bills since I ended my career on an injury. We wanted to provide a better education and opportunities for our three kids. Better than what we had as children growing up in rural south Louisiana. Don’t get me wrong, our parents afforded us the best that was available.
I enjoy sharing my experience and knowledge from being involved with football as a head coach of a sixth grade soccer team that my son played on. He later played football and was a well-respected cornerback in high school. After high school he went to college and got his degree in computer technology and currently works in cyber security. My oldest daughter was also a well-rounded athlete in high school. She played volleyball, softball and ran track. She too went on to college and received her RN degree. She is a pediatric nurse. Our youngest daughter was very talented in the performing arts area. She is a gifted singer and actress. She went to cosmetology school and is currently a talented stylist in one of the top salons in Dallas. Now that we are empty nesters, we are finally able to rediscover who we are as individuals and a couple. I enjoy mentoring young men in my community in sports while stressing the importance of education first and foremost.
How hard was the post-NFL adjustment for you – what made the adjustment easier and harder for you?
It wasn’t that hard. I knew I needed to continue to provide for my family, as we had already bought a home and the kids were in school. I was able to be home with my family year round and be a permanent fixture in their lives versus six-to-seven months out of the year because I was away playing football. I think it was more of an adjustment for them having me around all the time! Both my wife and I grew up in stable home environments with two hard working parents. In total between both sets of parents, they were married almost 100 years collectively.
You joined the Steelers as a free agent in 1993- why did you decide to join the Steelers and why do you think they had interest in signing you?
First, I was available as a free agent. They were looking into the future and at the time I was an ideal player to bring on to the team. I was an all-purpose running back and a special teams standout. I also had college classmates that played on the Steelers defense. After talking to Coach Cowher, I was very convinced that Pittsburgh was the place that I was going to get my break on offense. When I came to Pittsburgh I was looking for a career move and to be part of their offensive game plan. Both of which I found for a short time.
Who were some of the players on those Steelers teams that helped show you the ropes on and off the field in Pittsburgh – and how did they do so?
To name a few, Greg Lloyd, Rod Woodson, Kevin Greene, Dermontti Dawson, Steve Avery and Neil O’Donnell are a few of the players that helped show me the ropes around the Steeler organization. I was a veteran player that had responsibilities to the team and to the fans to show up on Sunday ready to play. I had been a self-motivated player since I played on LSU’s football team as a true freshman at the age of 17.
What do you remember most about those seasons and about coaches like Bill Cowher and Dick Hoak what were they like to play for?
I enjoy talking to and being coached by both Coach Cowher and Coach Hoak. Bill gave me the freedom to follow my instincts on the playing field and Dick had a soft spoken voice that teaches you from a former player’s experience and perspective. For me, it was the perfect combination of coaching!
You left the team after two years – what drove your departure and how hard was that for you?
When I left the organization, it was a combination of things. I feel as though if it were left up to Bill, I wouldn’t have left the team and continued to contribute on offense as well as lead the team as special teams captain. I realized I had reached as high as I was going with management as a special team captain, so it was best for me to move on.
What are some of the funniest memories of your time there – pranks, fun moments in practice or in the locker room you can share?
My time in the NFL was truly a job for me. I enjoyed making lifelong friends along the way with the different teams I played on. It afforded me to travel and live in different cities. It also gave me the jump start to provide more for my family at a very young age.
As a 15+ year veteran of the game, how is your health and has the NFL done enough to help retired players, from your perspective?
My health was showing signs of wear and tear starting in college. I played most of my career with sharp headache pain that I tried to ignore. Today, I take a cocktail of medicines to address the body shock, joint pain, headache pressure, muscle mobility and sleeping disorder.
Has or is the NFL doing enough for retired and current players?
From my perspective, I think it’s a player-by-player answer. I’m still trying to play catch up with what I loss over the 15+ years that I played football and missed out on with my family and kids while they were growing up.
What are your thoughts about the way the game has changed? Like it?
That will be a good question for my wife since I watched very little of football when I played and now that I am retired.
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
