Welcome to Steelers Takeaways!

First – let me know what you’re doing with yourself now?

Now, I’m taking time off, trying to give back by training kids  – helping them improve their football skills. People in the neighborhood asked me for help, so I work with them on seven-on-sevens , that sort of thing. I also got involved in the insurance world, selling insurance.

So insurance and training. Unless a phone call happens to come, I’m done with football. I put in seven years – I still feel like I have something left but I can only control what I can control and I’m happy with what I’m doing.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Running Back Jordan Todman, 2015”

First, can you let us know what you’re doing with yourself now and how you got started in it?

I never expected to be doing what I am doing now – my career evolved over time. I’m the general manger and vice president of the Crested Butte Mountain Resort here in Colorado. Its part of the Vail Resorts family of 37 resorts around the world. I grew up skiing – so now I get to enjoy doing what I did growing up.

How did you get involved in that as a Texas guy?

I was placed on IR my last year in San Diego – a guy I knew worked at Vail Resorts and I followed him there in the mid-2000’s..

Continue reading “Exclusive with former Steelers Wide Receiver Tim Baker, 2001”

First, can you let me know what you’ve been doing with yourself since your time in the NFL?

I’m basically retired now. I’m in Athens, Georgia living in a golfing community – we have 27 holes here and I can drive for an hour-and-a-half and never leave the community, It’s a university town – I’m trying to get back to my roots. I went to school here as did my kids.

As a retired guy, everybody loves me here because they can get me to work for free! I help raise money for charities. We do golf tournaments to raise money for kids and I also coached high school for a couple of years for free and work with the kids of some of our friends too.

Continue reading “Exclusive with former Steelers Tight Ends Coach Pat Hodgson, 1992-1995”

First, can you talk about how you got into coaching?

Well. it was purely by accident. I think that’s the case wth a lot of people. I never thought I’d be a coach – I just wanted to continue doing the thing I loved since I was a child.

My last year playing football was in the Arena League and was 30 years old. Pat Monroe – an old Penn State teammate- called me and asked what I was going to do next, and I told him I had no idea- my plane just landed and I hadn’t even thought about it yet. He asked if I would consider coaching with him at Duquesne High School. I said yes and ended up coaching for a year as their defensive coordinator. I had the same rush from the game that I had when I played, but I didn’t wake up the next morning all beat up like when I played.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Nosetackle (1987)/Current Duquesne DC David Opfar”

First, let me know what you’ve been doing sine your time in the NFL?

I’ve been working in the school system as an educator – the dean of discipline inn school. I was interested originally in law enforcement, but I got involved in substitute after football, and my friend told me if I wanted to get more involved I should take classes – so I did and got certified as a teacher.

The FBI was my first love, but I got involved in teaching. I never thought about teaching at first, but I started to like it after I got involved, and the rest is history!

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Safety Harvey Clayton, 1983-1986”

First, let me know what you’ve been doing since your time in the NFL – what you got involved in?

Pittsburgh was my last stop in the NFL. I was hospitalized six weeks into the seasons at Mercy Hospital and that ended my season and career. After I was out of the hospital I drove back home to Cortlad, New York. I didn’t know what I was going to do next.

What happened – how did the injury occur?

We were playing the Cardinals in Chicago – at Soldier Field. Remember – I’m 85 years old – an old old timer! I was returning a kick – it was a center return – and I cut towards the sideline. I planted my left leg and turned up field, and at the same time someone came at me at full speed and hit my leg. I tore the muscle – it just burst. The doctor told me that if I got hit there again  could end up crippled for life.

Continue reading “Exclusive with former Steelers running Back Jack Call, 1959”

First, can you let me know how you got started working for the Steelers?

I was on the golf team at Robert Morris but quit after my second year – I knew golf wasn’t my future.  I started working for Joe Walton and Radakovich doing video work for the football team. I was going to do an internship with the Golf Channel and passed up one with WFAN to do it, but then the Golf Channel internship fell through and I had nothing else going on. Then a job opening opened up with the Steelers and the RMU coach asked if I’d be interested, and I said “Hell yeah!”. So he  recommended me to the Steelers. It was a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Video Assistant Rob Brakel, 1998-2007”

First, can you let me know what you’ve been doing since your time in the NFL?

Well, I retired from the NFL around 2008-2009 and came back home to the inner-city of Memphis and have been coaching high school football here for the last 11 years. It’s been wonderful working with the youth here and being able to give back to my hometown  – especially in front of my family and friends so they can share these moments.

It’s been a long journey, and I’m now actually at my alma mater where we had a good season and placed second in our division!

What coaches have helped shape the way you coach now, and how?

I’m so blessed  to have had so many good coaches. I had a Hall of Fame high school coach in Tim Thompson – he assisted 30 to 40 kids in getting division one scholarships and had three or four championship appearances of his own.

At Tennessee Philip Fulmer, John Chavous and Randy Fichtner were all great. And when I got to San Francisco I had Steve Maricucci, Dennis Erickson and then of course Cowher in Tomlin in Pittsburgh. So a ton of coaching lessons from all of them.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Wide Receiver Cedric Wilson, 2005-2007”