Tag: Steelers

First – I know you got into coaching – tell me how you got started?

Coaching was always my dream since high school – that was my goal, to come back and coach at my alma mater. I ended up doing that 25 years later.

In college I learned that in order to coach in Illinois you had to be a certified teacher. Teaching was never my goal – it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I was hoping to go into the FBI or something like that. But I fell in love with sports and coaching in college and they told me I needed the degree in physical education to coach.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Wide Receiver Jason Johnson, 1989”

Steelers PR Specialist Ryan Scarpino: “Kevin Colbert was an unbelievable person as well. He had that same mentality – blue collar, and treated everyone with respect. It didn’t matter who you were, his door was always open and you could go in and talk about anything. I used to go in and watch film with him – even as a PR guy he let me go in and would ask me what I saw. I’d tell him I saw guys getting to the second level or something and he’d laugh and tell me I should have been a scout!”

Continue reading “Steelers Players and Staff Comments on Kevin Colbert”

First, can you let readers know what you’ve been doing with yourself since your coaching time in Pittsburgh?

I’m retired now for 10 years or so. I say retired, but I had some unique experiences as a part-time coaching assistant at the University of California and Duquesne. Those were fun times for for me. I hate to make the comment but it’s tough for coaches to leave the game.

I think now that if I knew what coaching was like, maybe I’d have tried to put an end to my coaching career sooner to do other things.

I had a great career. I coached for 45 years and I tell people I never went to work a day in my life. You move a lot and are hired to be fired. It’s a very volatile profession, but to stick it out you have to have it in your blood. That’s the way I was, since back in junior high school

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers WR Coach Dwain Painter, 1988-1991”

First, can you let me know about your post-NFL career and how you got started?

Well, I always tell folks that having a long career in the NFL can be a blessing and a curse. I was blessed with three years in the NFL and one in the CFL. I retired at the age of 25 and lived a dream. Football was something I loved but not what I was put on this Earth to do.

After I retired I worked as a volunteer for the Pitt athletic department then decided to enroll at CMU for their MBA program.  It was the best investment in myself I ever made. I gained insight into the world of finance and met some of the smartest people I had ever met in my life.  It was as big of a learning experience as sitting in the Steelers locker room next to Bettis and Kordell.

Continue reading “Exclusive with former Steelers Wide Receiver Malcolm Johnson, 1999-2000”

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

I started my job here at Riverside City College as the Athletic Director in January of 2021. It’s a two-year community college with over 500 student athletes across 19 sports.  My job is to serve our college by providing the best experience possible for the student-athletes, coaches and staff.  

We don’t have athletic scholarships or massive crowds, so we are very proud of our transfer rates to four-year colleges for our student-athletes and our tradition of athletic success.

Currently, we have two former RCC players in the NFL (JC Jackson-New England and Travis Jonsen-Detroit), Jesse Chavez won a World Series this year in Atlanta, and we had a track athlete in the recent Tokyo Olympics.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Defensive Back Payton Williams, 2000-2001”

First, I know you’ve been very involved in the media business even while you played, and especially now. How did that start for you?

Certainly. I always had a real passion for broadcasting. I got my journalism degree at Georgia which is one of the best schools for that in the country. I wanted to get a degree in broadcast journalism but playing football required a lot of my time and I couldn’t get the broadcasting credit hours I’d need to do that while I played, so I became a telecommunications major – focusing on the business side of the media business.

As a player I always had a lot of respect for media guys, but I knew as a punter I had to deal with the stigma of having to prove my worth, and that held true. I met with my agent while I was in Pittsburgh and he told me I should get involved and do radio before I retired – so I did that, writing – all to help give me the chances I have now.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Punter Drew Butler, 2012-2013”

First, I know you just went back and finished your degree at Tuskegee. What made you decide to do so?

I always wanted to do it. I speak to the kids-  speak to my kids  – explaining the importance of a degree. I was a late round pick out of Tuskegee and there’s a lot that needs to happen to make you able to get drafted by an NFL team. It takes a lot to get there – I didn’t have the chance to finish getting my degree before I was drafted.

But, I was tired of telling people I attended Tuskegee instead of saying I graduated from Tuskegee. And I had too much competition once I got to the NFL to be able to go back and spend time getting my degree.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Linebacker Ken Woodard, 1987”

First, what’s been the plan for you and what’s been going on lately?

Well, I’ve been working out and staying in shape – training every day. I just had my first son – he was born November 30th.

So sleeping well!

Ha yeah!  I’m staying in shape – staying optimistic. I still love the game and get up every morning at six am to lift and train – doing what I normally would do and just trying to see what will happen next.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Tight End Xavier Grimble, 2016-2019”

First, can you let me know what you’ve been up to since the NFL – especially your coaching work?

For the last nine-to-10 months I’ve been training high school kids who are trying to become better quarterbacks. I started XII Academy  to help train kids on footwork, technique and the mental aspect of the position.

My wife and I moved from Pittsburgh to Florida over a year ago and looked to figure out what was next for us. I got the idea to do the training and felt Florida was a good place because you can spend the entire year outside doing it.  I had to meet a lot of new people and learn my way around but it’s been going ok.

Football has done a lot for me. Growing up on the North Side of Pittsburgh, I don’t think I could have ever experienced what I have in my life without having played.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Quarterback Rod Rutherford, 2005”

First, can you let me know how you landed in Pittsburgh after your time with Atlanta and L.A.?

I played six years in the NFL – I was one of the last cuts in Steelers camp in 1990. I was a college quarterback, but I made it in the NFL as a fullback. I was traded to the Rams by Atlanta and built my career up as a special teams player and backup fullback.

By my fifth year I became a Plan B free agent. I signed with Buffalo but they released me. They had Tasker there so it was a funny signing since I was a special teams guy too, but Levy was the coach of the Blitz in the USFL and he drafted me then for the USFL, so I think he had some familiarity with me.

When Buffalo released me, the Steelers picked me up. I think they had an injury or something and I played that year. The next season they drafted Barry Foster and they were pretty jacked at the position.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Fullback Tim Tyrrell, 1989”