Welcome to Steelers Takeaways!

First off, what are you doing now since you stopped playing football?

For a while I played football in Canada, but now I am coaching wide receivers at Ohio Northern University. I think it’s a natural fit for me and something I can be really good at.

Any coaches or coaching lessons influence the way you are approaching coaching?

As a player you take a lot from everything you’ve done. There are so many talented players and coaches I’ve been around over the years to learn from.

Tomlin – he was one of the greatest coaches I played for. I learned a lot from him. And guys like Big Ben – intelligent guys that you just watch and learn from.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Wide Receiver Sammie Coates, 2015-2016”

First off, can you let me know what you’ve been up to since your playing days?

I hung up my cleats in 2014 – I was tired of all the tryouts after being on the Steelers practice squad. I went to college with the idea that I wanted to go into business – I had entrepreneurship on my mind even then. That’s what I was going to school for – football was always a platform.

So after football I got a job as a consultant. I was hired by Dan Feeley – a former NIU player I knew. He actually still owned the company – it was a small shop where I was able to learn how to do consulting. I was able to go in and help companies. I learned then that the work ethic that made me a good athlete was transferable in business.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Linebacker Alan Baxter, 2013”

First, can you let me know what you’ve been up to since your playing days?

My wife and I started a business while I was playing in the NFL – it’s a furniture business that we’ve kept going over the years.

I also started coaching high school football when my son was in eighth grade. That was three years ago. The head coach is a guy I played with at Youngstown State and he asked me to help out as a coach. I moved up as my son did, from eighth grade, now to tenth. I coach the defensive line and do strength training as well.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Defensive Lineman Harry Deligianis, 1998”

First, can you let me know what you got involved with after your time in the NFL?

After my playing days I got my first job working at a juvenile detention center. It was very rewarding but very challenging working with young kids who had gone astray, trying to instill some values into them.

My friend who also played football in the NFL had worked there and mentioned it to me – that’s how I got started there.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Wide Receiver Bob Gaddis, 1975-1976”

First, can you let me know what you’ve been up to since your playing days?

I grew up in what most would call poverty. I was a country kid – an at-risk kid, though I didn’t really know that at the time. That background gave me the desire to connect with at-risk kids as I got older. I ended up after football working with at-risk youth as a drug and alcohol counselor and social worker. I also worked for 25 years as the City of Decatur Director of Youth Services. I retired in 2020 – I was able to reach and help a lot of young people over that time.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Defensive Back Bruce Wayne Jones, 1987”

First off, can you let us know what you’ve been up to since playing football?

I’m working for the government now – it was a calling I had – something I wanted to do since I was in college. That was my plan before the NFL became an option. I just happened to get a surprise last-second invite to the combine and football then became something I just wanted to pursue and give a chance.

I’m working as a special agent for the Secret Service. Working at the federal versus local level lets me have a bigger effect – to have an impact on the bigger picture too. I had some good mentors and made sure all of my ducks were in a row to make this happen.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Wide Receiver Jamar Newsome, 2011”

First off, can you let me know what you’ve been up to since your playing days?

While I was in the second half of my career, I was preparing for the day my football career was done. I dabbled in radio and webcasts in Wisconsin – I took the NFL up on its broadcast bootcamp my sixth or seventh year in the league. I met some great people – they helped teach me. I was able to put that on the back burner for later to land on.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Fullback John Kuhn, 2005-2007”

First off, can you let me know what you’ve been up to since your playing days?

I retired in 2003. After football I started working at a small company – the Suma Enterprise Group – I started there after two years in New York.

I started learning all the facets of business planning, marketing and sales there – it was a good experience. It was a start-up so they threw me into a lot of different scenarios. I was a jack-of-all-trades, master of none!

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Tight End/Long Snapper Dan O’Leary, 2002”

First, can you tell me a bit about what you’re up to now?

I had a blog I was working on – it was like my journal really on my thoughts and interest in sports performance. I had that interest since I was 12 – when I started wrestling. I realize now sports performance was more of an obsession for me than a profession.

Wrestling was so important to me because it showed me that the little things were so important – what you did off the mat mattered more than what you did on it.

So, the website captured those thoughts that I felt at the time were powerful. I decided to take time away from the trenches to write more and to be with my kids.

Continue reading “Exclusive: Dan Liburd, Steelers Strength & Conditioning Coach, 2017”