Tag: Steelers

First off, what’s the offseason and OTAs been like for you?

It’s been good – it was different than being in Cincinnati. Mike {McCarthy} ran a tougher program – practices have been harder and longer than what we ran in Cincinnati. It was good though – with a new offense and me getting the chance to get to know those guys, it was great to be there and work on my craft and to get ready for camp.

Why did you decide to sign with Pittsburgh versus other teams?

I thought it was a good fit. I looked at the roster – they made a lot of moves in the receivers room and I thought I might have some opportunities there. It was also closer to home – and I love AFC North football.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Steelers Wide Receiver Cole Burgess”

First off, what have you been up to since your time playing football?

Now I’m a senior manager at a publicly traded global real estate company. I’m a tenant rep and broker here in Chicago – working on commercial real estate on behalf of my clients. It keeps me on my toes.

Was the post-NFL transition diffcult?

It was difficult. I wanted my career to be longer – I didn’t want to give it up. I was cut from a lot of tams over my three years in the NFL – but I was also one of 96 guys at my position those years. Competing after that against a bunch of kids who just graduated college for jobs was humbling. I had to show that my experience as a quarterback was valuable – all those kids did was go to school. I got a finance degree from Illinois as well – I didn’t go to Illinois for my grades. I had to work hard to compete in the classroom and win games.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Quarterback Kurt Kittner, 2004”

First off-  what have you been up to since football?

Well – I have a 10 year-old daughter – I love working with her. She’s really become great at tennis and when she’s with me I really have a goos time working with her and seeing her get better!

For me – after the NFL I went to the CFL for a bit then I found my niche. I’m working with kids – I started with after school programs, helping others utilize my knowledge while I realized that I have a great passion for working with people. I started that 10-12 years ago.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Linebacker Thaddeus Gibson, 2010”

First off, what are you up to now since your football days?

I run a gym here in my hometown and am a sports performance coach. I work with kids, adults and teams who want help.

I learned from a lot of my coaches about hard work and dedication to the craft. That was the biggest thing for me – I was a good player but I didn’t understand how important that side of things was when you got to the NFL. In college it was line up, beat your man and make a play. In the NFL you had to know what the linebacker, safety, other defensive linemen all were doing. I try to instill that in the kids I work with now – put the time in and go get it.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Defensive Lineman Eric Taylor, 2004-2005”

First off, what have you been up to since your playing days?

I’m currently in law enforcement – I’ve been here for six years now. After I was done playing with the Steelers I went to the CFL for a bit and played for the B.C. Lions, then I applied to the police academy.  I had my degree in criminal justice and knew that while I was still able-bodied, I wanted to do something that wasn’t sitting behind a desk.

As an offensive lineman I was used to blocking and protecting people – so I knew I wanted to do something either with the police or fire department. I wanted to use my size for a good calling. God blessed me with this size for a reason! I’ve been loving it since I applied in 2019.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Offensive Lineman Keavon Milton, 2016-2017”

First off, what are you up to now – coaching at the high school level correct?

Last year I was coaching for St. Vincents – I was there for a year and we had some All-Conference players there. I tried to become a head coach – applied to a couple of different schools but they wanted more experience. Now I’m coaching 7-on-7 football with the PA Goblins– we’re a nationally ranked 7-on-7 team.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers/Pitt LB Cheyton Pine”

First off, what have you been up to since your playing career?

I got my degree in Pulp and Pivot Technology – so I went into commercial and residential landscaping after football. As I got older I went more into earthworks – septic systems and building and fixing roads. I like working with my hands.

Was the post-football adjustment difficult?

I played for 10 years – I was ready – my body was telling me it was time ot get ready to stop. At the end of my career I was at 285 pounds – I was smart enough to start gradually dropping weight. I didn’t do it immediately – but I got to a healthy weight and maintained that.  A lot of guys don’t do that and end up with a lot of stuff – heart conditions and stuff like that. I also did some coaching, donated to the community and public speaking ….I stayed active.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Steelers Defensive Lineman Ed McAleney, 1976”

Can you let us know first off what you did career-wise after football?

That’s a difficult question. When I was released by the Steelers I went to Ottawa in the CFL. I was there a short while but I lost my taste for playing. When I was released I figured I’d give it a shot, but I was raised to move forward and take that next step in life when the time comes.

I came back home to Florida and started a business at first and coached at my high school for a year, trying to figure out what to do in life.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Quarterback Cornelius Benton, 1992”

First off, what have you been up to since you’re playing days?

It’s been interesting. I have an electrical business now. I’m blessed to have four sons – all athletes. So I get to carry on my love of football through them. My first is graduating college – it’s exciting to see my first kid graduate.

I also have a non-profit I started with Raheem Orr called “More Than Sport”. We help kids with things like financial literacy, character building…  Between football and the non-profit I’m always around the sport.

It was rough after football though. To lose the love of your life and get in legal trouble like I did – you see people fall off sometimes and not come back – but I knew I had to get back up.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Running Back Mike Jemison, 2006”

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

After playing I stayed and lived in Pittsburgh for 37 years before moving back to Mississippi! I was a science teacher and coached high school football at Gateway High School. Life’s been good! I also started preaching the gospel in 1997 – really as a social minister.

Was the post-NFL transition difficult?

At first it was hard. What made it hard was that I felt like the best man didn’t get the job. At the time that felt difficult. I was from a smaller university and I think they wanted to keep the bigger university guys. The ledger leaned towards them. I know Tony Dungy later told me he regretted the decision – it was just a numbers game he said. It wasn’t because I couldn’t play.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Cornerback Lou Rash, 1983-1984”