Tag: Steelers

First off, can you give some highlights on your life after football?

Back when we played the players all needed offseason jobs – we didn’t make the money these guys make today! So I had a job selling Wrigley’s gum – I was a gum salesman! I stayed with that for a time then after 12 years I decided that I wanted to work with young people – to teach and coach.

I went back to Pitt and got a Masters in Education and got my teachers certificate. I taught and coached at high school and became an Athletic Director. After that I coached at California State University and then went to work at Robert Morris College for 11 years as their Assistant Athletic Director. Then I became a high school Athletic Director at the end of my career.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Linebacker Bill Priatko, 1957”

First, can you let me know what you’ve been up to since football and how you made the transition to post-NFL life?

I’m living here in San Antonio, Texas – I got my real estate license and have begun selling and buying houses here.

For me the transition was a little bit difficult. My career ended sooner than I anticipated. I signed a two-year contract with Pittsburgh and was released after that first year. I wasn’t picked up by anyone after that.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Offensive Lineman Anthony Brown, 1999”

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

Well, I retired in April of 2019. My goal was always to retire at 59 1/2. My wife and I were doing a lot of traveling before Covid so we’re hoping to be able to pick that up again.

I was the GM of a Nissan dealership for 25 years before I retired here in Houston. Before that I was in the banking industry for five years or so.

I’ve become an avid mountaineer, strangely being from flat Texas. I started climbing Mount Rainier in Washington state. I made the summit twice and started on a quest to climb the tallest peak on every continent. I’ve now climbed four of the seven highest peaks – Kilimanjaro Africa, Aconcagua South America, Mt Elbrus Europe, and Mount Kosciuszko Australia. Three more to go!

Continue reading “Exclusive with Mark Kirchner, Steelers Offensive Lineman, 1983”

First, can you let me know what you’ve been doing since your time in the NFL? What work/profession you got involved in and how you got started in that?

Due to my injury I received a settlement from the Steelers and temporarily retired from
football. Before leaving Pittsburgh in 1972, I served as Acting Assistant Principal at Rankin  High School.

In 1975, when L. C. Greenwood was being courted by the World Football League, he
chose to stay with the Steelers, but encouraged me to join the new league. I made the team and helped lead the Birmingham Americans to the championship of the fledgling, World Football League. I was sidelined by a knee injury near the end of the season though and officially retired from football.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Defensive Lineman Clarence Washington , 1969-1971”

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

I’m the regional VP of a security company now – Walden Security. I’ve been here nine years. We’re contracted with different businesses to supply officers and services to companies that need them.

A friend of mine heard about the opportunity – that’s how I got word of the job. Before that I worked for an underground utility company. But I wanted to get out of that when the construction industry wasn’t very good and found this new job. I’ve been here ever since.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Offensive Lineman Jeff Smith, 2002”

First, can you let me know what you’ve bene doing since your playing days?

So, currently I’m the Fitness Director for Onelife Fitness  I’ve been there since November of 2018. We went to a new 80,000 square foot facility in 2019.

It’s been an eye-opening experience. Before then I was a personal trainer – I didn’t have any management experience and didn’t have to report to anyone. Now I’m running the facility and learning as I go – it is all thrown at you at the same time. I applied for the Assistant Fitness Director position actually – but they pushed me to this position instead. I guess they saw something they liked!

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Wide Receiver Shawn Scales, 1998”

First, can you let me know what you’ve been doing since your time in the NFL and how you got started in that line of work?

I got my B.S. in political science and wanted to be a lawyer, but that didn’t work out. So I  got a degree and became a guidance counselor. I worked for a couple of places, lastly U.S. Foods and just retired – and am enjoying it!

Being on the Steelers, I didn’t make as much money playing then as guys do now. I did some speaking engagements and worked some in the offseason. Doing that offseason work, I saw how folks in HR did their jobs and thought I’d enjoy working with people as well.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Wide Receiver Reggie Garrett, 1974-1976”

First, can you tell us what you experienced after playing football and how you got involved in the church and with The Good News Community Church?

After football I went through a long period of addiction – I went to prison twice and suffered from a cocaine addiction. I had my recovery meetings at the church I am a pastor at now. The doors opened for me to stay there.

Why become a pastor?

I had been in the ministry beforehand actually. I worked with Sports World – they were the ones who worked with Pete Rozelle to get chaplains for each team. When we weren’t working with players we went to schools and prisons to help people there. That was right after football.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Tight End Jeff Markland, 1988”

PART ONE

Part 2:

I wanted to talk to you about L.C. and some of those other guys. L.C. actually called me to talk about why he felt he should have made the Hall of Fame. Do you think he and others were overlooked?

Oh yeah, sure they were. But there’s a fine line from being a good, very good, great, and Hall of Fame player. What a Hall of Fame player is today gets muddled because of TV, newspapers and the internet. Guys see faces on screens and names that are out there more often and think they are great or Hall of Fame players. Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends – there’s no comparison to the numbers today versus guys 20-to-30 years ago.  Now when people talk about quarterbacks no one says anything about Johnny Unitas, but I dare say no one was better than he was. Griese was an unbeaten quarterback and never threw more than 17 passes.

Continue reading “Part 2: Exclusive with Steelers Defensive Lineman, Coach Joe Greene, 1969-1981, 1987-1991”

First, can you tell me a bit about the impact North Texas had on you as a player – what made you such a good player there?

Well, you know Joe doesn’t like to talk about Joe!

Well, let’s start with North Texas then and what they did to help you?

North Texas didn’t let freshmen play at the varsity level when I was there as a freshman. I had a really good freshman coach – Ken Bahnsen. He put us through exercises and drills – a myriad of them that personally helped me to understand balance, quickness, and leverage. And explosiveness. Things like the 50-yard duck walk, where you put your hands between your knees and walk like ducks. The two-man sled we did as 100-yard relays – 50 yards at a time. All the sled drills, and practicing running to the ball.

Continue reading “Part 1: Exclusive with Steelers Defensive Lineman, Coach Joe Greene, 1969-1981, 1987-1991”