Welcome to Steelers Takeaways! – Page 98 – More than 2,000 interviews of Steelers players, coaches, front office staff PLUS interviews with Pittsburgh actors, musicians, authors and more

Remembering Bobby Layne

Tomorrow Bobby Layne would have been 93. Here’s some fun stories from former Steelers who played with Bobby:

Don Sutherin: “I remember when we were playing the Bears – Doug Atkins kept knocking Layne on his butt – bloodied him. So Layne tells us to let Atkins come free next time, and he throws the ball at Atkins, right in the mouth! Well, Doug killed Layne after that.”

Pete Brewster: “Bobby Layne and I got along good. One funny story he told me was when he played in Detroit. Everyone there knew him. One day he was driving home and he was pulled over by the police. They said he wasn’t driving right, or something like that. They knew he was inebriated. Bobby asked them why they were pulling him over when they only had one headlight. The policeman told Bobby. “That’s because it’s a motorcycle, Bobby.” Then they told his buddy who was in the car with him to get him home!”

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Exclusive with Former Ravens and Browns Tight End Darnell Dinkins

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

Well, I started a training business – ETHICS Training – helping a lot of kids get through high school and college.

Personally, I got married and have three kids. My daughter is a state champion volleyball player who was player of the week at Tulane twice now. My oldest son is getting offers from Pitt, Virginian and other schools – he’s a wide receiver and linebacker at North Allegheny. And my younger son is a sophomore and is already dunking – he’s already playing above the rim.

Tell me more about your training and coaching experience – what do you focus on?

I speak hope into kids and try to help change their mindsets. A lot of kids don’t see value in who they are. David in the Bible showed his value with the slingshot – I’m trying to show kids how they can find their own value as well.

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Exclusive with Former Steelers Defensive Back John Dockery, 1972-1973

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

Well, as you know I got into the TV business working mostly with CBS and CBS radio as well, doing NFL games, the Tour de France, the Olympics… really interesting things, I had a good time doing it.

How did you get involved in that?

The producer at NBC then was Terry O’Neill. He was a big football fan and knew talent when he saw it! He suggested that I do some sideline reporting and commenting on games. I did that for 13 to 14 years.

Frenchy was a piece of work. We were a conservative team in New York. When I was in Pittsburgh there was a function after practice – and in comes Frenchy with fur coat, suit, scarf and hat – then I see goldfish in his shoes. I thought I was hallucinating! What kind of team did I get on!

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John Kapele Jr., on Father John Kapele, Steelers OL/DL Lineman, 1960-1962

First, thanks for talking to me about your dad, John. I know he just recently passed away in June. Before we start with some questions, tell me a bit about what you think people should know about your dad?

My dad was born on October 19th, 1937 in Hawaii. He grew up in Kaneohe Hawaii and had a good early childhood. What really helped him most in football was the fact he took Judo for twelve years at a dojo in Hawaii – he said that really helped him with his football skills.

He’s still the only player from his high school to get to the NFL. He went to college at BYU and returned to Hawaii after his playing days to coach at the same high school. He gave back after being an All-Star all four years there.

His dad actually worked at Pearl Harbor in 1941 – he didn’t come home for four days. They thought he died, but he had to stay to help clean up after the attack.

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Jim Rooney on his new Book ‘A Different Way to Win’

First, tell me what drove you to write your book, A Different Way to Win?

When I started the process, my father was still with us. We were thinking of putting something together for the Harvard Business Review on his career and approach to business – how he got to the Rooney Rule and the other core elements of his career, He did such a great job balancing competency and doing what he needed to do as a leader while being respectful to those around him.

He was very involved in political causes obviously – especially as you look at the NFL today, how was he able to marry his political approach while keeping it out of the locker room and NFL?

Well, everything is blurred in this world these days, but my father did what he did because he felt a passion for it. He didn’t do those things for himself – he did them because he wanted to improve situations and conditions for folks. Throughout his career – the Rooney Rule, Ireland – he was a guy with influence but used that to help folks who had been systematically left out. And he would work with anyone – he didn’t care about the labels. As long as they would help him achieve those aims, he didn’t care.

Fairness was a driving factor for him – that’s what he cared about.

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Exclusive with Former Steelers Cornerback Al-Hajj Shabazz, 2016-2017

First, what are you doing now with your time – what are the next steps for you?

I’m finally 100% healthy again. I’m excited to be in the XFL draft next month – I’m happy to be a part of that. That’s my trip back to the top – that’s definitely my next destination.

What have you heard about the league so far?

It’s a new league – I was a kid when the old XFL was around – that one had more swagger – it was more like wrestling. This league is much more professional. Oliver Luck has done a great job – there are some great guys from the NFL and CFL – and lot’s of guys with experience. That’s a requirement for a lot of the teams and league.

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Excusive with Former Arizona and Seattle Wide Receiver Jerhame Urban

First, as the coach of Trinity – tell me about how that got started and some of your influences as a coach?

I always knew I wanted to coach – it was my dream to play in the NFL since high school and then coach at some point. I just figured it would be at the high school level as a coach-educator. I got my degree in education.

I was never shy or bashful about my interest in coaching. I played for Coach Holmgren and Nolan Cromwell – Nolan did a great job talking to me and working with me about red one and third down routes and why they did what they did while was on the practice squad. That helped me a lot.

Todd Haley was my wide receivers coach in Dallas and he took me to Arizona and Kansas City. He was influential to me – when I was on IR in 2010 we’d sit and watch film together and when he saw someone mess up he’d yell at me and tell me those were my guys. We laughed about it – I reminded him I wasn’t a coach – I was still a player then!

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Exclusive with Former Steelers Offensive Lineman Doug Legursky, 2008-2012

First, can you let me know what you’ve been doing with yourself since you retired from the NFL?

After football, I took on a harder job. I’m a stay-at-home dad with three kids. I went from one extreme – the physical side of football – to the mental side as a stay-at-home-dad.

You also coached a bit -something you want to continue?

I just did that a bit to help out – hut my schedule wouldn’t work out with my wife’s career. It was fun and I learned a lot but it’s my wife’s turn now!

Was the post-NFL adjustment difficult?

It wasn’t too rough. I was officially done and once you know that it’s an easier transition. When you have three kids there’s also no time to sit around and think about things. So it wasn’t too tough exiting that part of life when I knew it was time to turn the page and move on to the next chapter of life.

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Exclusive with Former Cleveland/Baltimore wide Receiver Derrick Alexander

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

Right now, I’m coaching at Morgan State. Im coaching the wide receivers and am the passing game coordinator as well. So I’m just busy doing football stuff now.

Any coaching mentors that helped shape the way you approach coaching?

One coach that I really enjoyed playing for was my position coach Richard Mann – I played for him twice – in Baltimore and Kansas City. I was with him for two years in Baltimore then with Kansas City. When I coach, I try to teach my guys the same things he did. The way he approached the games and practices – he was the best coach I ever had. I model my coaching after him.

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Exclusive with Former Bengals Linebacker Reggie Williams

First, can you walk me through your post-NFL time – what you’ve been doing since you retired?

I’m in the middle of writing a book now so I can only tell you so much! I played 14 years for the Bengals and made it to two Super Bowls and lost both to the same team. When I retired I became a Cincinnati City Councilman. I continued on that ride until I became the GM for the World League of American Football’s New Jersey Knights team. That league set the seed for football in London, but it folded after two years.

But then Tom Steague- the head of the Super Bowl – reached out to me after Super Bowl XXVII. That was right after the Rodney King riots – they hired me as the Director of Community Relations to help insulate the NFL from the criticism of the white NFL owners coming in to the city leaving nothing behind when the game was over. I had the idea of creating the NFL Youth Education Trust which was a safe place for at risk kids in Compton- it was going to be in the same corner where the riots actually started. I went with Jim Brown and to negotiate the idea with the Bloods and Crips there,

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