Time Machine: Kendrell Bell, June 17, 2024

Kendrell Bell sits down with Rob King to talk about his football career and more

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Kendro. You're drafted by the Steelers in two thousand and one.
What did you know about the Steelers when you were
drafted by them?

Speaker 2 (00:11):
I knew about Greg Lloyd Levont Kirkland at the time. Yeah,
my brother was more of a football guy, a sports guy.
I was born in the Trap, So yeah, I knew
of Greg Lloyd in Levont be cause he was I
mean he was he was a big guy playing the linebacker.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
So if I recall correctly, it was your first training
camp and when you really turned heads was when you
stopped Jerome Bettis did tell me what you remember about
that drill.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
And what happened?

Speaker 2 (00:42):
Well, it's it's funny because, uh, I mean, like as
a when you're a young guy, you come in, you
just don't know, you just don't know what's going on.
And I mean, and you line up. You lined up,
and it was our first gold line drill. And in
my mind thinking, okay, we can't I can't hit this
guy cause they pay him too much. But that wasn't

(01:03):
that wasn't the case. It was the first time we
we could hit. And I remember seeing Jerome and I
was like, man, this is thick and and Joy was
on the on our side, you know, jarring l jarring,
like joy being goofing everything, and the ball snapped and
I was like, let's do a die. That's one thing
when I played football. I was like, I'm not gonna

(01:24):
punk out, you know what I'm saying. So it it was,
that's just a situation. And I got the best of.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
Jeron on that and yeah, do you remember the reaction,
Oh yeah, Joy, Yeah, it was.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
It was a big deal because of course the veteran
guys used to this. He was used to it, and
they were excited. Everybody like almost picked me up.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
Yeah, yeah, real, wow, you know.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
And yeah, so it was like, okay, alright, I did good.
You know, so I was walking straight line for a while.
T you know, these guys good favorites.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
So did your rookie year surprise even you? I'm sure
you had expectations for yourself, but to be named defensive
Rookie of the Year nine sacks from the inside linebacker position,
that's amazing. I mean, did your success even surprise you
at all?

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Not really? And I tell this to my kids, I
try to. My whole thing was to do my best.
That was my mentor do my best and when I
was able to do the things I had been doing
at Georgia even even better. And like I said, I
told you, I wasn't a football guy. So getting sacks
from inside linebacker and all those things didn't register. All

(02:32):
I knew was play fast.

Speaker 4 (02:35):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (02:35):
If I play fast, I hit something, that was my
mentor would tell me. So when the accolades came, it
was like I was like, oh man, that's that's all
I gotta do. You know, stay healthy of course, and
so at that now I wasn't surprised because I did
my best. I ran as fast as I could.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
So growing up football wasn't your first love?

Speaker 5 (03:03):
Wasn't no no, you know. As a kid, I played everything.
Uh whatever it was in season was my sport. But
really at my first love was basketball, and uh so
I actually it's it's funny. It's just a funny story.
I played basketball all the way up until ninth grade.
And in ninth grade football all my buddies went to
play football, and so I was stuck with nobody to

(03:25):
play with, and and so they all went to camp.
They were like a week in the camp and they're
like ear, I didn't have anybody play pit basketball with.
So they're like, ear, I won't you play football. I'm like, guys,
I don't really wanna play football. I'm a basketball guy.
So then uh, I decided to go out for football.
And I'm pretty good at football. I'm playing free safety
and wide receiver and tied.

Speaker 3 (03:43):
End at the time.

Speaker 5 (03:43):
Right, And then halfway through the year, they moved me
up to varsity and were of the number one team
in the state and varsity and I'm playing a little bit.
And so basketball season starts, they have trials cause we're
deep in the playoffs, and I'm like, I don't wanna
play football.

Speaker 4 (03:57):
No one.

Speaker 5 (03:58):
So I went to the coach and actually quit during
the playoffs and he looked at me like, are you crazy?

Speaker 3 (04:02):
Working to win the state championship? We might get a.

Speaker 5 (04:04):
Ring, and I'm like, I don't care. I wanna go
play basketball. He's like, are you gotta even mind? We
don't move freshman up. So I didn't even play.

Speaker 3 (04:10):
So I quit.

Speaker 5 (04:10):
I go play basketball. My sophomore year, I didn't even
play basketball. Our football they begged me and begged me,
and I'm like, no, I don't wanna play football. So
I didn't even play my sophomore year high school. So
really I didn't play my first two y f years
of high school and my junior. Going to my junior,
my high school basketball coach, who's probably the closest thing
to a father I had, comes to me. He says,
you're pretty good at football. You should probably play both.
You could double your options. So I go out and

(04:33):
I wanted to make up make all state in both
my junior and s and then my senior year, and
then I had to choose which one to do. And
my high school basketball coach, he said, you know, there's
twenty two starters in football, there's only five in basketball.
And you know six five guy in basketball is pretty common.
It's not on c it's not common in football. And
that's where it kind of l led me to football.
I didn't really be honest with you.

Speaker 3 (04:53):
Fall in love with football tail college.

Speaker 5 (04:55):
And then when I got to college, and that's all
I really that's when I started the falling love with
the sport.

Speaker 1 (04:59):
So so now you get to Northern Colorado, how do
you go from there to the NFL? What happened? I mean,
that's not obviously a big school.

Speaker 5 (05:07):
No, So I when I got to Northern Colorido. I
was a basketball guy. I never lifted away, I never trained.
I only did football just during football season. Everything else
was basketball and non stoped non stop. And so I
got there. I obviously had the red shirt cause I
was two hundred and five.

Speaker 3 (05:19):
Pounds playing defensive ends. I wasn't playing basketball.

Speaker 5 (05:22):
I put thirty five pounds on that first red shirt
year just cause I was lifting, coming from a single home.

Speaker 3 (05:28):
Where I was probably eating one meal a day. And
then you could go to.

Speaker 5 (05:31):
My second, my red shirt freshman year after being red shirted,
and I wind up starting four years and we went
two back to back national championships, All American Defensive Player
of the Year in the country, like every one year,
I think it was my junior year.

Speaker 3 (05:44):
All the way, we will national champions I have twenty
two and a half sacks.

Speaker 5 (05:47):
Then I wind up getting inter in the draft and
go to the Steelers, which is funny because you know,
when you get drafted, you have all these perspective like, oh,
this team's interested in your agents take and I don't
remember the Steelers ever being on that list, you know,
And it's kind of like when they call, it was
kind of like WHOA now just there's a surprise and
when you think out, I was going to Philly, or

(06:07):
I was going to Seattle or Arizona.

Speaker 1 (06:09):
And I wind up to hear So you were a
basketball guy? Were you aware of the Steelers? I mean,
did you follow the NFL? You know what kind of
a team you're going.

Speaker 5 (06:17):
Yeah, I was still a football fan, and obviously it's
what's funny is the Steelers were one of my favorite
teams even growing up and called out I didn't like
the Broncos. Me and one of my brothers loved the
Steelers through and through, and I actually loved the Steelers,
like when Kevin Green was here and Greg Lloyd. Kevin
Green was my favorite player at ninety one. So for
my birthday, one of my best friends gave me a
you know, it was eight by tens you can buy

(06:38):
a players. I got a picture of Kevin Green, you know,
and so, which was funny because you fast forward when
Kevin was helping out a camp.

Speaker 3 (06:46):
Kevin Green came up show and we were actually hanging.

Speaker 5 (06:48):
Out in the pool between one practices one time, and
I'm like, hey, I don't want to make this weird
and awkward, but like, you were my favorite player growing up.

Speaker 3 (06:56):
That's why I kind of chose ninety one. And he's like, oh,
you know Kevin as you know Kevin School, you know.

Speaker 5 (07:01):
But it just was kind of funny how that worked out.

Speaker 3 (07:03):
That was always one of my favorite teams growing.

Speaker 1 (07:05):
Up, and you had to play a specific style. You're
asked to absorb blocks. He didn't have the freedom that
we see now in today's Yeah, you had forty four stocks.
You had to double that if you were playing in
a different system, if you're playing a four to three.

Speaker 5 (07:24):
I think I'd like to think so. So like when
I was at Northern Carbado, we played a four man
front and I was on the end and I just
you just shot the gaps, got.

Speaker 3 (07:32):
Upfield, made plays right.

Speaker 5 (07:33):
And so then when I first got here and they said, listen,
I want you to line up in front of this
guy who's four and she was just taller than you,
fifty pounds heavy than you, and then take him on
and the other guy and just hold them so his backer.
I was like, you out of your mind like that,
I think that makes no sense. So as you learn
the system works, and like I was, I was me
and ham for talking. I would rather win two super

(07:54):
balls than have forty or twelve sacks a year.

Speaker 1 (07:58):
You know what I mean, Well, you got plenty Pro Bowl.
That's not easy to do as a three to four tackle,
and they want to call it.

Speaker 3 (08:05):
I don't. I'm not complaining.

Speaker 5 (08:06):
But there was times like where I had to play
the B gap so I was inside the tackle. I
had to play the B gap on the run. When
I realized it was passed, I had to cross completely
across the tackle to get outside to the C gap
for contained, which tells you you're not going to make
You have no chance of getting the sack, you know
what I mean. So you got to kind of humble

(08:28):
yourself and buy into the system. And that's just And
I was lucky because the guys I played with made
it easy to buy into the system. You know, you
have great players around you, people that you love and
you admire and and you trust them that they're going
to make the play.

Speaker 3 (08:42):
You do your job and they'll do their job. Give
me that.

Speaker 1 (08:47):
Before I get onto the team stuff, I have to
say this. You made the Sports Illustrated All Decade Team.
And again, when you think about a three four defensive
tackle defenseman, that has to show you what kind of
respect there was for you as a player around the
league because you didn't have the opportunity to put up
the stayed statistics because of the style of defense.

Speaker 5 (09:08):
That was quite the honor. When I got named on now,
I was kind of shocked. I knew what my position
required and the stats that I put up compared to
what these other guys are getting to do. For the
people the football community. To recognize that and see what
I was able to do, it was it was humbling
and honoring to be honest with you, to be on
that list. I mean, I think if you people, most
people probably went back and look at that list. I'm

(09:29):
probably the one red flag that like, what who's this guy?

Speaker 6 (09:31):
Like?

Speaker 3 (09:32):
How did he make this?

Speaker 5 (09:33):
But I think you know, if football guys that know
the game, they understand who's doing what. It's kind of
like you if you know baseball, you can watch you
some people get ingnamored with this guy, but you know
who the guy really is, just doing the work and
making things happen.

Speaker 1 (09:48):
What you like? Winning that first super Bowl.

Speaker 5 (09:50):
The first one, is the most stress I've ever felt
in my life. To explain it in context of people,
So this isn't something I decided I wanted to do
when I graduated college. It isn't something I decided I
wanted to do when I was a senior in high school.
Like this was probably four or five six I watched
my first super Bowl, and I wanted to win a
super Bowl. So if you take your entire life's work

(10:13):
and you put it in that one m opportunity in
one moment, and you may never get back, that kind
of gives you a context of the s the internal
pressure you place upon yourself right.

Speaker 3 (10:23):
Like I've been.

Speaker 5 (10:24):
I've been doing this for twenty five thirty years, and
this might be the only chance I ever get to
make this happen. So yeah, I didn't enjoy the week
of the game. I enjoyed the game, But I'll tell
you what, after that game was done, there's nothing like it.
Like it's like the weight of the world, cause it
l off your shoulders, like and then to hold your
children and your wife and to sit out there and
hold that trophy, like to celebrate with people you care

(10:46):
about like you can't you can't really can't describe the
feeling that it is. But I'll tell you the the
funny thing about was that after that day you enjoy it.
You wake up the next morning, I alright back to work.
Time to start climbing the mountain again.

Speaker 1 (10:58):
Did you enjoy the second one more because you've been
through it.

Speaker 5 (11:02):
Yeah, you learn to appreciate. I think the fact that
you have one, You learn to appreciate the week and
the media and all the experiences you have leading up
to that. And then that one's special to me because
that's the year my son got sick and so he
got to come to that game, which he was not
we did not think he was gonna get to go to.
And he got to hold the trophy on the field too,
So that was a special one to me too.

Speaker 1 (11:23):
You know, another measure of respect, and we've talked about
this that because of your career and what you were
asked to do, sometimes respect had to come from outside
or internally, or from other sources than just the natural plaudits.
But Mike Tomlin kept you on the roster when you're
injured for the whole season, Yeah, hoping that you'd be
able to come back for this se Well, that's kind

(11:44):
of a cool.

Speaker 3 (11:45):
It was, it was, it was, it was.

Speaker 5 (11:48):
It was an honor and much respect, but it was
the hardest year for me personally, and I felt good
about it, but to be injured and every week come
back and answer your guys's questions and everybody questions, and
then to try to you're working and working and you're
just not making the progress fast enough and you know
where you're supposed to be, and it's just it was hard.

Speaker 1 (12:08):
It was hard.

Speaker 3 (12:08):
And then we were lucky. We were winning. We were
very successful.

Speaker 5 (12:11):
But yeah, I wish I would have if I could
go back and change one thing that I wish I
would have played in that Super Bowl. That's the one
memory I think like if I would have wrote it
until that arm felt off, like I wouldn't even I
would have said, all right, let's go.

Speaker 3 (12:25):
I don't care catch.

Speaker 1 (12:27):
That's the one thing that you would have done differently.
What's the one or two things you look back at
with the most pride or joy when you look back
at your career, whether it's your teammates or accomplishments, or
winning the Super Bowl, just playing in the NFL.

Speaker 5 (12:39):
Probably my most proud is my relationship with my teammates.
Just when you see those guys and the way we
talk and care about each other, and just those relationships
that we built through those times. That's probably the most
proud I am living it. The success I think that
we had collectively and individually, and the longevity of it,
because it's easy to be successful for one or two years,
but to do it for a long period time is it's.

Speaker 3 (13:02):
Hard, you know.

Speaker 5 (13:03):
And then just being the man and creating the family
that I did through that process, Like when I'm retired now,
so I see my kids and they all come home
and my family is happy and healthy and thriving, and
I know that I've done it while I played, which
is not easy.

Speaker 3 (13:20):
It gives me a sense of.

Speaker 1 (13:21):
Pride, the hall of honor. What does that mean for you?

Speaker 5 (13:25):
It's unbelievable. It's humbling. I mean, it's hard to describe.
Like I didn't think I was gonna make it, to
be honest with you, Like, I know how good I played,
my teammates not but but for people outside to say that,
it doesn't really get recognized. And I don't really care
because I know, at the end of the day, I
lay my head down, I know I did my job.
But for them they acknowledge that. And then for organization

(13:49):
like the Steelers, when there's so many great players, like,
there's so many players, some of the best players that
have ever played the game of football are part of
this organization. So to be put on that wall with
those guys and mentioned in the same name with the
guys on that wall is humbling. I mean it's sometimes
I almost think, do I really belong with these guys.

(14:10):
I mean, you got Joe Green, who might have been
arguably the best football player to ever play football. I'm
gonna little biased, but he might have been the best
football player. And I'm standing next to him and they're like,
what this guy ninety one dude compared to this guy?

Speaker 3 (14:21):
You know.

Speaker 5 (14:21):
So it's an honor, and honestly, the organization is probably
the best sports organization in the world.

Speaker 3 (14:27):
At the end of the day. In my life, you win.

Speaker 5 (14:29):
Super Bowls, you win national championships, college, you all Americans
pro balls, right, so your life doesn't really change.

Speaker 3 (14:35):
We all like to think it does.

Speaker 5 (14:38):
But you still go home, and you still put kids
to bed, you still mowing the yard. You still have
to do those things, right, It doesn't stop. And a
friend of mine told me, and this is probably the
coolest thing that summed it up to me. He goes,
you know, long after you're dead and I'm dead, Aaron,
your face will still be on that wall and your
grandkids and your great grandkids can still come to Now
that that's when it kind of hit me, like how

(14:59):
cool I was, Like, I'll be long guy to my
generations of my kids and grandkids will go on and
they can still see it. So that's that really put
it in perspective to me, like this is this is
a little different, the legacy that's being left behind.

Speaker 1 (15:20):
All right now. On first of all, you grew up
in New Orleans. I know you wound up going to
school high school in Houston. Had you always wanted to
go to LSU? Was at a dream for you?

Speaker 7 (15:28):
Always was, always was, And you know, I didn't quite
realize that when I was going through the recruiting process
because I was that close to going to Alabama literally
committed to them the day before and I was sitting
in my room, had told the LSU coach it was
recruiting me chewed.

Speaker 4 (15:45):
Me out, you know. I hang up the phone and
I'm in my room. I'm like, man, it just.

Speaker 7 (15:48):
Got chewed out, and I sit there and I'm looking
in my room. You know, and when you're a kid
I don't know with you, but I had posters and
shirts and things pinned all over my wall. And then
I started counting the LSU things and I hit twenty
something and I just stopped counting and said, what am
I doing?

Speaker 4 (16:04):
Uh? And changed my mind.

Speaker 1 (16:06):
And the twenty sixth pick in the first round, the
Pittsburgh Steelers select a guard from Louisiana State University, Allen Fanica.
So you were drafted by the Steelers. What were your
thoughts about being drafted by the Steelers. How familiar were
you with things like snow when you got that.

Speaker 7 (16:23):
I had no personal connection with snow. You know, new
Pittsburgh was up north. Knew about the football side of
Pittsburgh and what they were about, uh, but knew nothing
about Pittsburgh as a city.

Speaker 4 (16:35):
Uh.

Speaker 7 (16:35):
So you know, that was really one of my first things.
I was like, have you been to Pittsburgh?

Speaker 4 (16:39):
You know? Somebody? You know?

Speaker 7 (16:39):
I was asking people if anybody knew anything about Pittsburgh.
But you learn fast when you come up here what
the city is about. You know, even before mister Rooney
satistown and had had a meeting with all the incoming
rookies and you know, just to tell you a little
bit about the city, and it's it's just a great,
great tradition to sit in a meeting with him and

(17:02):
hear those things, but just to learn about the city
and just kind of see, you know, where you're taking
your life. Right, all of a sudden, you know, somebody
calls your name and your life just changed and it's
not your decision, but it's an exciting moment.

Speaker 1 (17:15):
What was the moment like and what did somebody call
you on the phone?

Speaker 7 (17:19):
Yes, yes, you know, the Steelers called me, and you know,
it was just a crazy moment. You know, all my
family and friends, but you know, we had the typical
draft party kind of thing that you can imagine a
family and friends just there for the moment and just
just to share it with everybody, and you know, to

(17:39):
get that phone call. I was kind of oblivious to
everything I was going with the moment. I was just
so excited and not really paying attention to what was
happening in the draft or on TV. And all of
a sudden it hit we hit like pick twenty. I
was like, whoa, We're at pick twenty, what's going on here?
And then I started paying a little more attention, and
then you know, next thing, you know, I get the
phone call.

Speaker 1 (17:59):
So quick step back before and move forward. You're one
of three million Americans that have epilepsy. Was that something
you did? I don't know if you ever reflected upon
that when you got to the NFL, But was that
something you had to overcome along the way?

Speaker 3 (18:12):
It was?

Speaker 7 (18:13):
It was I was diagnosed in high school. And you know, really,
you know back then, this is pre internet, pre you know,
information at your fingertips right, this is you know, encyclopedia days.
So you know, we you go sit down with the
doc and you find out all this information, and you know,
once you get past all of the real questions, how

(18:35):
does this affect my life as a human being?

Speaker 2 (18:37):
Uh?

Speaker 7 (18:37):
You know, then you get to the you know, what's
your passions? And how does this affect sports? I love
sports growing up and football right, running around, tackling, putting
on helmets, hitting people. And he said, go tackle, you know,
go chase your dreams. And he said it so fast.
I asked the doc, I was like, you know what
football is, right? Doct like, you know, you know what
I'm signing up for? And he said yeah, he said,

(18:59):
you just go do it. And I never asked again,
and I just kept going.

Speaker 1 (19:04):
So early years for the Steelers, the Steelers don't make
the playoffs first three seasons, So what was it like
then when you do make the playoffs and get all
the way to the AFC Championship game in oh.

Speaker 7 (19:13):
One, Man's a special man. One of my most favorite
moments as a player is in the tunnel before that
AFC Championship game and just the crowd. You could feel
the crowd in your chest, right, You're just feeling that
you're standing out there, they're waiting for it. Normally they
call my name and I'm gone, like, let's go play ball.
I'm going, but I just paused.

Speaker 3 (19:34):
Man.

Speaker 7 (19:34):
It was just like and I had a little moment.
I was like, this is what I've been waiting for.
This is what I'm here to do in the NFL,
for these games, these moments you run out the crowd
and you know our fans are always going crazy, but
that day was extra special. Crazy, right, they know the
big games, big moments that the towels were in the air,
and I was like, this is what I'm here for.

Speaker 1 (19:56):
Before we get to the super Bowl that you won.
Along the way, you start collecting all Pro recognition Pro Bowls?
What was that like as a player to get that,
you know, that that feedback from your peers and from others.

Speaker 7 (20:10):
That you're elite, it's pretty special. You know, you're always
chasing you know, every player's out there. How do I
improve my game? How do I get better? You know,
you're kind of taking those steps, like like I was
in my earliers right, You're you're trying to be better
than you were yesterday and the week before and the
year before, and you know, to finally get that. You know,

(20:31):
when you get your first one, your first Pro Bowl.
You know, I can remember right before Coach Kauer announced that,
Russ Groom comes up and sneaks behind me at practice
that after we called it up and kind of whispers
in my ear and says, congratulations.

Speaker 4 (20:44):
Man.

Speaker 7 (20:45):
It just you know, chills, man, just chills. To have
finally get that recognition that you're talking about, and that
to be in that group, that class, you know, to
take that a step further. You know, I'm out in
Hawaii and you're at that first meeting. Both teams are
in the meeting room. They are kind of telling you
what's going on this week, and you look around and
You're like, there's Jerry Rice, and you know, there's so

(21:07):
and so and this person, and you're just like, man,
I'm in the room with these guys. Man, this is awesome.

Speaker 1 (21:11):
I don't know how much hitting you did, but when
you think about those Twolers offensive lines and those Twolers
defensive lines, you know, Casey Hampton and Aaron Smith and
the guys in the outside, James Ferrier, what was it
like in practice? Did you guys do a lot hitting
you did that help you make you better?

Speaker 4 (21:28):
Oh? Man?

Speaker 7 (21:28):
We were always grinding and always trying to make each
other better, especially during training camp. You know, just always
trying to improve each other, work on each other. You know,
we knew how to take care of each other, but
at the same time, we knew how to push each other.
And you know, especially you know certain weeks, certain players.
You know, you knew when guys were amping up because
they had a big challenge in front of maybe they

(21:49):
were going against somebody that week. So it was always
always good to practice against each other.

Speaker 4 (21:55):
Man.

Speaker 7 (21:55):
I think we always made each other better and didn't
just kind of coast through ready for Sunday, right.

Speaker 4 (22:01):
We were trying to get better as we got there.

Speaker 1 (22:02):
One of the things that happened during your career was
the beginning of two great rivalries against the Patriots, unfortunately
coming up short a couple of times with the Ravens too.
What were those rivalries like, both of them, because they're
both different. Obviously the Ravens were divisional opponents.

Speaker 7 (22:17):
Yeah, I mean, you know, that was the prime game
in the NFL during my playing days, right, that was
you know, you looked at the calend, at the schedule,
the schedule release, and you didn't even have to look, right,
you knew that it was going to be Thursday night
or Sunday night or Monday night. Those were the only
three possibilities that they were going to put both of
our games on because they wanted us prime time because

(22:38):
we brought playoff football. Even if it was in August
or you know, October, they knew it was going to
be that intense of a game and the nation was
going to be watching. And that's kind of set in
the tone.

Speaker 1 (22:49):
You know, when people look back at the Ravens driver,
I think some of the players now talk about the
respect and stuff, but it seemed tingent a little bit
of dislike back in the day.

Speaker 4 (22:57):
Sure, sure.

Speaker 7 (22:57):
I think everything had a little tinge of dislike in
the day. Right, That's kind of how football was a
little a little more so back then, Right, there was.
But you know, at the end of the day, you know,
we can sit down with those guys and talk about
some of those games and those moments, and you know,
we can we can we can look back and relish
those things and enjoy it and you know, kind of
chuckle a little bit about how we were on each

(23:20):
other and so mad at each other in the moments,
and you know, and what at the end of the day, Right,
it's a it's a game, right, so.

Speaker 1 (23:26):
Great running attack in those days? What was that like
to impose your will on other teams? I've heard lineman
saying that's there's nothing better than that. Did you feel
that way?

Speaker 4 (23:34):
I did?

Speaker 7 (23:35):
I did you know to be drafted to Pittsburgh with
an organization and a team right that had that mindset. Uh,
I'm so lucky for that, right, Like you could go
to a run and shoot offense and just kind of
you know, fade away as an offensive lineman for what
I love to do. So it was so special to
be a part of that and to come to a

(23:56):
team that you know was you know it's third and one.
We're gonna go get that yard. We're gonna run through you. Right,
That's our mentality and that's what we always built on. Right,
that's we come into training camp and we're setting that
tone and that mindset for that.

Speaker 1 (24:10):
You knocked in the door, No one, you knocked on
the door.

Speaker 3 (24:12):
O five.

Speaker 1 (24:13):
What was it like to finally break through the door
and win the Super Bowl?

Speaker 4 (24:18):
Man?

Speaker 7 (24:18):
Chasing it for years? Like you said, right, Like, it's
like the culmination of everything in Pittsburgh. And then personally,
I'm sure everybody kind of reflects on their journey differently,
but you know, I always reflect on it like, man,
this is my football life, right, this is like pee
wee nerve football in my front yard. You know, all
those years in junior high and high school ball, in
college and in my years in Pittsburgh of chasing it

(24:40):
and trying to get to it, right, and all of
a sudden, here you are, You're in the big dance
and you win it.

Speaker 4 (24:45):
Right, there's no way we weren't winning that game.

Speaker 7 (24:47):
And just I've got this picture of me holding the
trophy and I'm screaming, and you know, the confetti's all
falling around me, and there's something special. Man, I get
I get chills just thinking of especially when I look
at it.

Speaker 1 (25:01):
When you are named to an All Decade team? What
is that like?

Speaker 4 (25:08):
So cool?

Speaker 6 (25:08):
Right?

Speaker 7 (25:08):
Because you look, you look at those right about everybody,
But you know, when you're in football, you kind of
look at those those you know, they make those little
montage pictures of the guys and you see the lists,
and uh, it's you know, to being a one of
those those pictures, right, those little montage pictures of those guys,
it's pretty special.

Speaker 4 (25:27):
You know. You're kind of.

Speaker 7 (25:29):
When you when you start getting a couple of those
Pro Bowls and All Pros, you know, you're kind of
you kind of start chasing those things and you start
pushing yourself a little bit further to be in those
kind of places.

Speaker 1 (25:41):
When you look back at your career, what do you
look back at most? Is there anyone? I mean, do
you sit back with your head in the pillo at night,
look up at the ceiling and think about your teammates
the Super Bowls? What do you think about?

Speaker 4 (25:53):
Man?

Speaker 7 (25:54):
You know, I think you think about teammates first, man,
I think about the locker room goofing off in the
locker room and having fun with the guy, and so
many guys you got a chance to meet and call
friends and still call friends. You know, I think about,
you know, anytime I walk into a game, I go
to a college game, we go to a Pittsburgh game, right,
just to think that you did this for a living. Right,

(26:14):
there's eighty something thousand people here screaming their heads off,
whether they like it or hate you. Right, but you
got to do it for a career and do it
for a living and support your family. And it's just
an amazing thing to be able to go out there
and do and do something you're that passionate about and
have fun.

Speaker 1 (26:32):
To me, you should have been a first ballot Hall
of Famer. I'm not sure why you weren't. I'm not
sure if you know why you weren't. But what was
it like to kind of not be a first ballot
Hall of Famer? And then what was it like when
you got I assume a phone call.

Speaker 7 (26:45):
It was frustrating. You know, it gets frustrating. You know,
they do the production show and they bring your family
to the Super Bowl, and you know, so you're getting ready,
you're waiting for the knock, and your kids are running
around the room because they know what's happening, and you know,
you're getting dressed for the NFL Honors Show.

Speaker 4 (27:03):
And so it's it's a little tense.

Speaker 7 (27:06):
And you know, you do that a couple of years
in a row, and you get the phone call instead
of the knock. Uh, you know, it starts to wear
Onney a little bit. It starts to wear on the kids,
I think, and the family even more. You know, it's
kind of like they're trying to console me, but I'm
trying to console them and let's just move on from
this and keep moving forward. It's gonna happen when it
when it happens. You know when I did, I did
get the knock, you know when when David Baker came

(27:28):
and knocked on my door. But it was at the house, uh,
you know, during COVID, so we didn't have to go
sit in the hotel room. We were at the house
and actually kind of surprised me. So uh, it was
it was nice, it was special. I was just ready
for it. You know, you miss you miss out on
the opportunity for a couple of years there, and you know,
I think I told David.

Speaker 4 (27:48):
I was like, let's go. I'm ready, let's let's do it.
I was just ready to be a part of it.

Speaker 1 (27:53):
You look great. What was behind the weight loss and
the decision to run a marathon too?

Speaker 7 (27:59):
I always said, I always told you, always told my
wife Julie. I said, you know, when I'm done, I'm
gonna lose the weight and if it sticks, it sticks,
it doesn't, it doesn't, I'm gonna give it a shot.
You know, I probably shouldn't be three hundred and twenty
five pounds the rest of my life. So when I
decided to retire, I just put my head down and
you know, got after it. I figured, you know, I'm

(28:22):
not training for football anymore. But I could put my
head down and use that same attitude and train and
lose the weight and put it off. And the day
the day I hit thirty pounds, I'm playing with my
daughter on the floor and I just kind of got
up and I didn't do if I call it the
old man, or it's like a lineman, the big guy grunt, right,
you kind of like ugh, push off, you know. But

(28:42):
I just kind of stood up and I was like,
well that was nice. We got something good.

Speaker 4 (28:47):
Here.

Speaker 1 (28:47):
I like this, so it's a slim trim. Alan Fannick
putting on the gold jacket. Why did you choose Hinzborg
to give your induction speech?

Speaker 8 (28:56):
Alan and I were always be tied to the hip
super Bowl forty.

Speaker 4 (29:01):
I love him, I love his family. I love what he.

Speaker 2 (29:04):
What he means to the city of Pittsburgh, and how
he represents the Pittsburgh Staler organization.

Speaker 7 (29:10):
Just so much man, so much competitive passion and drive
between the two of us being teammates for so long.
You know, I've said it a couple of times, and
I usually get a chuckle out of people when I
say it. But you know, there's offense, an offensive lineman
and a wide receiver being able to push each other

(29:31):
and challenge each other. Just doesn't sound It doesn't sound
like it fits right.

Speaker 4 (29:35):
It just doesn't. It doesn't fit up. But but it
does it does? You know?

Speaker 7 (29:40):
We had that kind of relationship as teammates, and uh,
that's it.

Speaker 4 (29:45):
He was the one you coached. What was that like?
Did you like enjoy coaching? I enjoy coaching.

Speaker 7 (29:51):
You know, it's it's fun to kind of get down
there and find the kids at their level, right and
find what they what they're working on, what they're what
they're in it for.

Speaker 4 (30:02):
Uh.

Speaker 7 (30:02):
It's a fun game. And football gets back so much, Uh,
build so much character and to kind of get down
on the ground grass grassroots level and be a part
of that and kind of, you know, help a young
man grow as a person from beginning the end of
the season or or their high school career.

Speaker 4 (30:20):
Uh.

Speaker 7 (30:21):
And as a player. Uh, it's a pretty special thing
to be a part of as a coach.

Speaker 1 (30:25):
I'm sure it's pretty special with the players too. And
special to catch up with you as well, Island. Thanks
very much.

Speaker 4 (30:30):
Thanks.

Speaker 1 (30:37):
I want to take you back to high school Texas
kid growing up in Galveston. What's it like to be
a Texas kid and go to the University of Texas
know they want you? Is that a lifetime goal when
you're a kid?

Speaker 9 (30:51):
You know what's crazy about that? Like I was always
I grew up like a Texas A and M fan.
Like I was always like, you know, they had a
wrecking crew Patrick bate Ty from Galveston. You know, we
had a lot of gas and guys you know, play
in college in the NFL and stuff like that. And
I always like A and M and kind of like
Texas kind of snuck in and like stole me from

(31:11):
A and them. So it was kind of like a
little different deal. I always liked that in them. But Texas,
once they get your own campus is over with is
you can't you you you're gonna go there?

Speaker 1 (31:20):
You know, because right now there's some Maggie fans saying,
oh no, really he could have gone to Texas City.

Speaker 9 (31:25):
You know, rc RC RCT have a lot of faith
in me. You know, he didn't think I was gonna
grade wise, he didn't think I was gonna make it,
you know, So it was it was kind of a
crazy deal. So I I had a vendette against A
them when I played them, you know what I mean.
So I wanted to do good against the Maritime I
played them.

Speaker 2 (31:43):
But the nineteenth selection, the Pittsburgh Steelers have chosen defensive
tackle from the University of Texas K C.

Speaker 1 (31:50):
Hampton. What were your thoughts when you were drafted by
the Steelers.

Speaker 9 (31:54):
I just I really didn't have no thoughts. Like, you know,
I really know a lot of Steels history. I was all.
I was oldest fan growing up, like you know what
I'm saying. So I fun so we w we were.
We were batting against the Stellers all the time, so
it wa it was fun kind of learning the history
and learning like the great defenses and and uh and
uh great teams back in the day. So it was
kind of a a learning curve.

Speaker 1 (32:15):
When I got here, what was it like, Well, when
did you feel like, Wow, this is great to be
a Pittsburgh Steel It's great to be in a city
that loves defense.

Speaker 9 (32:23):
It's like when I got here, Like, when I got here,
started learning the history, started meeting some of the older guys,
you know, some of the guys from the seventies and
stuff like that, and and then I kind of got
into the history and learning and learning and seeing how
those guys worked and how those guys had great defenses
and things like that, and you know, being a defensive player,
you know, I mean, you you wanna be a part
of that those type of things.

Speaker 4 (32:44):
So it was a great thing for me.

Speaker 1 (32:46):
You had a a great friendship with Dan Rooney. How
did that come about?

Speaker 9 (32:50):
It just kind of this kind of happened, man, like
just talking to him, just messing around with him, like
I I I think j him just being around, just
being an old school cat like just being there just
talking to everybody and things like that. And I'm I'm
that type of guy, like I I'll talk to anybody,
mess with anybody.

Speaker 6 (33:07):
Man.

Speaker 9 (33:07):
And he was just my god dude, like he was
just he was just cool, like you know what I mean.
You could just go up to him, talk to him
by anything, like just mess with him by and like
it was crazy about it is. Any conversation we had
was never really about football ever. It was always about
like family, different things like that and that, and that
was my type of thing. Like it was a different
type of relationship. He wasn't all about football. Like That's

(33:29):
that's what mat I think that's what made the relationship
really great.

Speaker 1 (33:32):
You had one of the most unique nicknames I've ever heard,
Big Snack. How did you get that nickname? Would you
think of the nickname?

Speaker 9 (33:38):
First of all, none of my teammates never call me that, right,
So i'm'a tell you how I got the name. So
we were at training camp and one of the one
some people were interviewing people like the best nicknames on
the team and things like that, and Travis Kirsky I
never forget They would ask to him, who has the
best nickname on the team or whatever. He was like, oh, yeah, man,

(34:00):
you know him. We called him big Snack cause you know,
all the time he's snacking and he's eating this, and
he's eating that, and he's he he's just it doing
meetings and whatever. He's always snacking, he's eating doing this.
Nobody never called me that, Like, nobody never called me that.
So like, I come out of I come out of
lunch or whatever. When I don't know when he didn't
interview or whatever, the people who interviewed him were like, yeah, man,

(34:22):
I heard they call.

Speaker 4 (34:23):
You big Snack.

Speaker 9 (34:24):
I'm like, big Snack, Like what, like, what are you
talking about?

Speaker 4 (34:27):
Saying, well, I guess I I guess that's what I guess.
That's what they called me.

Speaker 9 (34:30):
So after that, man, they did everybody just started calling
me snack.

Speaker 4 (34:34):
Like no, none of.

Speaker 9 (34:34):
My teammates never called me that when I was here,
but all the fans fans started calling me that, bick
snack and things like that.

Speaker 4 (34:41):
So it just it just kind of stuck.

Speaker 9 (34:43):
Now all my teammates called me that now, so that's
a that's that's what's that's what's crazy about it.

Speaker 1 (34:46):
So the Travis just make it up on the spot I.

Speaker 4 (34:48):
Made the big snack thing up.

Speaker 3 (34:49):
Man.

Speaker 9 (34:50):
That's that's crazy, man, That's that's that's fun. It's a
funny deal.

Speaker 1 (34:54):
For you as a player. Five time Pro Bowl that's
not easy as a nose tackle a lot of time.
He there are very few nose tackles playing. Obviously there's
more now, but most teams are playing four to three.
Sort of pride for you to make five Pro.

Speaker 4 (35:06):
Bowls a lot of pride, man.

Speaker 9 (35:09):
You know, playing position like I play, when you don't
get a lot of stats and things like that, it's
a bigger deal when you make a Pro Bowl because
that means that guys really respect you and they respect
what you're really doing. So I took a lot of
pride in that, Like you know what I'm saying. I
think that myself along with the other defensive lignment, you know,
Aaron kesel Kemo, you know, all all of us, like
we were so so underrated for what we did. But

(35:33):
the d the real true football people know that the
defensive line and what make it's what makes it go.
So that was a great honor for me to be
able to make those type of Pro Bowls.

Speaker 1 (35:42):
Cause it was a little different for you guys, right.
I mean a lot of what you were doing under
that system was eating up blocks, allowing the linebackers. There
seems to be a little more freedom in a lot
of the three fours now for the defensive alignment.

Speaker 9 (35:53):
So w so we always say we played a true
three four. It wasn't no getting up the field doing this.
It was plun and get to the past after you
played the run.

Speaker 4 (36:03):
We were, we were rid.

Speaker 9 (36:05):
I was, I know, meet myself, and I talked to
a lot of guys. Nobody really plays the three four
where the nose tackles two gappings. They don't really understand
how hard it is to get front side every time.
Like a lot of times they just go run backside
and get behind the block. But we ran a true
three four. You know, me and Lebou would always talk
about it. I'm like, man, lebout, I wanna make some

(36:27):
plays too, Like I wanna get out there and make
some plays too, you know what I'm saying. But I
think that he knew I could play it the true way.
So we always played like the tight traditional three four defense,
and I just got used to it.

Speaker 4 (36:40):
Man. That was just that was just what it was.

Speaker 1 (36:42):
How important was dick Lebo since you mentioned him to
the to the defense and the success you.

Speaker 9 (36:46):
Had everything, man, Dickie was everything, dude. Like, I think
the biggest thing with coast Lebo is him playing football
and being the type of player he was being a coach,
he never got on you for making mistakes and doing
things wrong because he understood it cause he played it.
He know you wouldn't trying to do it wrong. And
he did like he know you were trying to do
the right thing and you just messed up, So he

(37:07):
wouldn't like overly get mad or whatever whatever. He was
a like he was a players coach like you know,
he coached like he played like. He understood a lot
of the things that a lot of coaches when they
become coaches act like they don't understand, like like they
don't they act like you're not supposed to make mistakes.
You're not supposed to do to do that. So that's
what made him a great coach man. He was just
he was a people's person in a he understood he

(37:30):
understood players.

Speaker 4 (37:31):
By being the player.

Speaker 1 (37:32):
He remembered that the game is hard.

Speaker 9 (37:33):
Absolutely no doubt, no doubt. He'll let you know that.

Speaker 1 (37:36):
Too, So you dominated uh in Super Bowl forty. You
played a great game. You also had a sack. You
didn't get to get a lot of sacks in your career.
Take me through your sack of Matt Hasselback.

Speaker 9 (37:47):
So I think we were running like a we were slanting.

Speaker 4 (37:51):
I think we were.

Speaker 9 (37:52):
It was like a defense where everybody was slanting one way.
So I came off and I I slanted it that way,
but the the center kind of overwent that the one way.
Once I got that hand on him, it was over.
He was a little bitty dude. You know what I'm saying.
You little to do.

Speaker 4 (38:05):
When I put that hand on and and and and.

Speaker 9 (38:07):
And got him in the area, it was over with man.

Speaker 4 (38:09):
It was I.

Speaker 9 (38:10):
I don't get a whole lot of chances to get sacks,
So to be able to get a sack in the
Super Bowl, it was crazy, dude, It was It was.

Speaker 4 (38:18):
It was crazy.

Speaker 1 (38:19):
You watch it on TV. What's it like to be
on that field, the confetti's coming down, you're looking around,
you're hugging your teammates, and you're a super Bowl champion.

Speaker 4 (38:27):
I think that's what it's all about.

Speaker 9 (38:29):
You always think about it as a kid, and you're
dreaming about it as a kid, but it's like when
it happens, it's it's like better than what you ever
thought about. And I think the big thing is like
being there with your teammates and the guys you went
through the journey with and like enjoying that with with
our families and things like that. Man, I I think
that was like one of the most made. The first

(38:51):
one was like one one of the most amazing things,
like I've ever been through my life.

Speaker 4 (38:56):
Man.

Speaker 9 (38:56):
Just just that lifelong struggle and battle to get there.
It was it. It was just fulfilling, fulfilling thing.

Speaker 1 (39:03):
Second one just as sweet, Yeah, no.

Speaker 9 (39:05):
Doubt, it was just as sweet. But the first one
is the first one is the first one. You know
what I'm saying. It's always good to get 'em. But
the first one that was that was real. That was
really really sweet.

Speaker 1 (39:14):
Are you one of those people that looks back and
says with some pride. I played for one team in.

Speaker 9 (39:20):
The NFL, no doubt, no doubt, And I think playing
at the level I played at for that loan for
one team and the organization, the stored organization like this,
I think that's a really big deal. I'll take a
lot of pride in that.

Speaker 1 (39:33):
And when you think about you mentioned some of the
guys from the seventies, the rich history of Steelers defense.
To be on the seventy fifth anniversary team, what did
that mean to you?

Speaker 9 (39:44):
It means a lot, man, It was. It was really surprising,
really humbling to me, especially with the still curring the
defensive lines that get the guys they had back in
the day. Man, it was a really humbling thing, surprising
thing to me. You know what I'm saying, cause I
don't get a lot of stats and things like that,
but it just let me know that the football people
and the people who know football really respect what I
did and that and that's that's a really great thing

(40:06):
for me.

Speaker 1 (40:06):
Is there a bond with those guys, those great players
from the seventies, I mean you mentioned reaching back into
the history and just talking with the game obviously has
changed a little bit, but reaching back over eras and
making connections with former players.

Speaker 9 (40:17):
Oh, no doubt about it. Man, It means ol'mele seeing
those guys around. Man, It's it's a great thing.

Speaker 4 (40:23):
Man.

Speaker 9 (40:23):
And when those guys when they come up to you
and say, man, you know you could have played with
us or you could you could have you could have
did did the thing with us.

Speaker 4 (40:30):
Man. That's that's that's a big deal. Dude, like it.
There's nothing like that. Man.

Speaker 9 (40:34):
To have those guys give you that ultimate respect, that
that you could have played with him, that's a big deal.

Speaker 1 (40:47):
Okay, Jerry, First I have to ask you Moon Muwins.
How'd you get the nickname? When did you get the
nick fame?

Speaker 3 (40:53):
Well?

Speaker 6 (40:53):
Actually, uh, Moon Mullins was a comics character from the thirties,
and uh, when I was in junior high scho goal
there was four Jerry's on the team, and my coach
at the time decided that to eliminate some of the confusion,
he put the moon handle on me. And it sucked
all through high school, college and into the pros. Everybody,

(41:14):
all my teammates always called me.

Speaker 1 (41:16):
Move Well, you grew up in sunny Anaheim, right, played
at USC your junior year, you guys were ten on one.
You only lost one game. Not quite as good your
senior year. But at that same time, your junior year,
she does have a new coach, Chuck Nole. They go
one and thirteen. Pittsburgh not exactly known for its sunshine,
so a couple of years later when you were drafted
by this year, there's what were you thinking?

Speaker 3 (41:38):
Well, I took a trip back.

Speaker 6 (41:40):
They flew me back, and I think it was in February,
landed a greater Pitt and had that brown snow coming
into the city, and you know, I was thinking to myself,
what did I get into Harriet? But went through the
four Pitt Tunnels and just happened. When we came out
the other side of this sun broke through and the

(42:03):
Golden Triangle is really shining golden, and I was like
pretty impressed, you know with what I saw. But obviously
with their past history, I thought maybe you know, I
had been sent to Siberia.

Speaker 1 (42:15):
And when you got to the postseason, finally a couple
of years into your career, the Steelers had never won
a playoff game. Were you aware of that history?

Speaker 3 (42:24):
Not really.

Speaker 6 (42:25):
I know that they had forty years of mediocrity. And
I used to think about Art Rooney senior. You know, Yes,
it's a great attitude, you know, And I was like,
all the years of frustration. Every day he showed up
in the locker room, he always had a positive attitude,
win or lose. I just couldn't imagine being that optimistic.

Speaker 3 (42:46):
And then when we finally won a Super Bowl.

Speaker 6 (42:48):
You know, I think the highlight of my career was
seeing him take that trophy. You know, his eyes were
all like all fogged up, his big coat glasses, and
I'm thinking, you know, finally he reached the top of
them out, you know, after all those years of frustration.
And then obviously three more times he did it, but
that first time was really special.

Speaker 1 (43:09):
You started out and people don't know you're drafted as
a tight end. When were you moved to guard?

Speaker 3 (43:14):
Well, actually I was a tight end in college.

Speaker 6 (43:17):
When I got the call, Dan Rooney called to let
me know that the Steelers had drafted me, and then
he put Chuck Noll on the line, and Chuck said,
don't worry about catching passes or anything. You're going to
be an offensive line. Put on a little weight because
I was about two hundred and thirty five pounds in college,

(43:38):
and I think when I showed up at training camp
my rookie year, I was about two hundred and forty
five pounds.

Speaker 1 (43:44):
You guys had great offensive lines. I mean, it's amazing
when you look back that not too many of those
Steelers throughout the seventies. You guys are leading the league
in rushing every year, made.

Speaker 3 (43:52):
The Pro Bowl.

Speaker 1 (43:53):
Did you feel like you were undervalued a little bit
around the league?

Speaker 6 (43:57):
Well, we were really undersized as a group, mainly because
we did a lot of pulling and trapping and running,
so we were basically the guards especially were more like
running back. We did a lot of outside running.

Speaker 3 (44:11):
Key.

Speaker 6 (44:12):
I think when we got Franco, you know, that was
his forte and he made it a living out of running.

Speaker 3 (44:18):
Outside the tackles smaller people.

Speaker 6 (44:20):
I mean, I probably couldn't have made it on some
teams the big you know, straight ahead like Oakland Raiders,
walking straight ahead, you know, zone blocking kind of thing,
just sort of fifth in this year, A.

Speaker 1 (44:32):
Lot of people talked about Joe Green being the guy
that sort of changed the arc of the franchise when
he came in a couple of years before you were drafted.
But you've also identified Franco Harris as a key key
figure for the Steelers offense.

Speaker 6 (44:43):
Yeah, well, Franco was the missing piece. I mean, I
came in seventy one. We had an excellent draft in
seventy one. I think we had six or seven starters
for the Super Bowl teams. Jack Ham was the second
round pick, Frank Lewis was the first round pick, wide receiver,
Mike Wagner, Glenn Edwards, White, White White White, Larry Brown myself.

(45:06):
We had a great draft and we were getting the
pieces put together, but like Franco was the outside threat
that we didn't have running the ball, and the way
our offensive line was structured, we were basically set up
to be running outside, pulling, trapping, and Franco was one
of those kind of backs could read the holes very

(45:26):
well and he would bust some big plays and that
opened up the passing game for Bradshaw, you know. So
it was it was sort of a culmination of everything
coming together.

Speaker 1 (45:36):
I want to take you back to Super Bowl nine
because points are hard to come by in that game.
Taking on the vikings, Franco runs left, you pull around,
you get the big block on Wally Hildenburg. Do you
remember that can through that play?

Speaker 3 (45:48):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (45:49):
Yeah, it was I think thirty seven special or something.
I dipped around and Wally Hilgenberg was coming up full
speed and I knew that I had to like try
to stop him because Frank it was always like on
my hip, you know, he really set up the blocks
for his for his lineman, you know, and so I

(46:10):
decided instead of staying up high on him, I'd go
down loan and kind of because I knew he was
he was running full speed. He could you know, he
had to sell out, and I went down low on
him and he hit the ground in. Franco moved around
the outside and he basically walked in for the winning score.

Speaker 1 (46:29):
Is that block a highlight? Do you think about that?
Because that shows up on you know, listen it's a
touchdown in the Super Bowl.

Speaker 3 (46:33):
Hey, I was.

Speaker 6 (46:34):
I was on CBS or one of the networks, you know,
they called me because of that block. Was probably the
only time I was ever a national TV because back
in that era, you know, linemen were like one step
above maybe the punter, and all the publicity you get
was usually bad a holding call off sides or or

(46:54):
your man beats you and kill the quarterback. You know,
so we sort of like just stay amongst ourselves. We
were happy to be you know, low profile.

Speaker 1 (47:06):
You also and that you had a real championship drive
later in that game, and we just ground it down
the field. Franco n Rocky Plyer get a big run, right,
off with bright guard. I think it was Rocky Plyer
had an almost a twenty yard run. What does that
feel like as an offensive line take control of a
game and they know you want to run it, and
you run it and they can't stop you.

Speaker 3 (47:26):
Yeah, well that's the whole key.

Speaker 6 (47:27):
You know, you've got to maintain control of the football
if you want to win.

Speaker 3 (47:31):
You know, we had a great defense.

Speaker 6 (47:33):
They always gave us opportunities and in those big games,
like I said, Dallas, the Vikings, I mean, they had
great defenses.

Speaker 3 (47:44):
I mean it wasn't an easy task.

Speaker 6 (47:46):
To believe me, and especially like I said, we were
an undersized group, but we worked hard and we were
able to stay together for the most part. Ray Mansfield
transitioned over to Mike Webster at center, and the rest
of us were pretty much together. You know for most
of the time, John called Sam Davis, Webster, Larry Brown,

(48:12):
Gordon Dabel, those guys offensive line. You need to have continuity,
you know, because you rely on people without necessarily even talking.

Speaker 3 (48:22):
You know, you just get a feel from.

Speaker 6 (48:24):
Doing things on the move, and by having that group
together for so long, it just became second nature.

Speaker 3 (48:31):
Sometimes you had comfort.

Speaker 6 (48:34):
Of knowing that your teammate next to you was on
the same way link as you were, so I made
your job.

Speaker 3 (48:40):
A lot easier.

Speaker 1 (48:41):
One Super Bowl became two, and then three and then
four in a short period of time for you, your
whole career seventy one to seventy nine. What's that like
when you look back at that era of dominance.

Speaker 6 (48:52):
Well, I mean my football career was nine years. I
just think that, you know, it was amazing. I mean,
nobody could have even dreamed about having that kind of
a run.

Speaker 3 (49:03):
I mean we were the team of the seven.

Speaker 6 (49:05):
He's probably one of the greatest teams in the history
of the NFL. But you know, it's just amazing state
of Steeler for life.

Speaker 1 (49:14):
What is it like for you to be in this
Teathers Hall of Honor?

Speaker 3 (49:18):
Well, it's an amazing thing. You know.

Speaker 6 (49:23):
When I got the call from Ur the second telling
me I was going to be inducted, you know, I
couldn't believe it. I was grateful of having the opportunity
to play with so many great players, and I took
a lot of pride in seeing Franco get the Hall
of Fame. Terry Bradshaw because our offensive line is a

(49:43):
group you know, made that happen. We were the engine
that ran ran the offense. I took a lot of
pride in that, and I never really felt like I
missed out on any kind of honors because it just
wasn't what motivated us. We wanted to do whatever it
took to make the team win the games.

Speaker 3 (50:05):
I mean that that was our motivation.

Speaker 6 (50:07):
And talking to my wife, you know, she said this
really put into perspective. She said, after you're gone, you know,
our grandson could be down at the stadium with some
of his buddies point to your name up on that
wall and say that's my path path. You know, sort
of makes me get a little, you know, congested. Knowing

(50:29):
that it's not just a stealer for life, it's Steeler
for a Lomasters of Steelers, you know, it's it's really
an honor.

Speaker 1 (50:38):
That was beautiful, Thanks man, I appreciate it. Cortea, I
want to ask you how a guy in New Orleans,
Southern Louisiana winds up in Colorado and what was that like.
I'm sure it was a it was a shock, climate wise,
culture wise, everything wise.

Speaker 10 (50:59):
Well, you played football, they come find you. Right at
that time, Colorado just won a national championship against you
Notre Dame in nineteen ninety, and I became one of
their recruits. Little did I know they would come recruit
me because they ended up getting avanged Joseph the year prior,
who lived in the same area. So to have two

(51:20):
quarterbacks back to back come from the same area, and
then his high school be my art rival Arts Special
Shaw against John Arrett. I'm like, they recruiting me, So
I just wanted to go on a visit to take
a peak. When getting there, I was like, whoa, this
is pretty good. It's not that bad. Just won a
national championship. I was one of their top recruits. I

(51:41):
got to the end well Bill McCartney, and he opened
up the window behind him and there were the flat
irons and you know, the peaks of the mountains with
the snow caps and all that fun stuff. And I'm like,
can I have some time to think about it? Said,
I'll give you forty eight hours. So I get on
the plane and fall asleep and I literally dreamed about mountains.

(52:03):
Woke up, got the bagas claimed out one hundred go buffs,
and I committed right there on the spot, before I
even spoke to my dad. He didn't take the visit,
so in all due respect, you know, to him and
his wishes and wanted to collaborate a little bit. I
was like, nah, that's where I want to go.

Speaker 1 (52:19):
You had a great career, record setting career. How many
teams wanted you that were talking to you prior to
the draft, how many teams wanted you as a quarterback.

Speaker 10 (52:29):
So Jacksonville I ended up taking a visit before the draft.
They ended up getting Mark Brunell in the supplemental draft,
and I know Minnesota was right there because it was
between myself and this was the quarterback. Chad was a
chat may at Kansas State. We were in a topic
the conversation, but we just blowed him out at Kansas State.

(52:50):
So I know he wasn't going before me. Couldn't have happened,
of course, you know. Egotistically speaking, I was like, of
course not so of course they take Mark Brunel. The
night before jackson they Jacksonville does Minnesota goes by? I
guess I think they got something else. And then they
ended up getting Corey Fuller two picks ahead of me
in the second round. And then I got to Pittsburgh
and got the phone call, ended up having a chance

(53:12):
to come here and the rest was history.

Speaker 1 (53:14):
What'd you think of this slash role? I mean, you
played receiver your rookie year, you got the Super Bowl? Yeah?
Did you enjoy it?

Speaker 4 (53:20):
Was?

Speaker 1 (53:21):
It was?

Speaker 3 (53:22):
It was.

Speaker 10 (53:22):
It was the best time of my life because I
threw it, I ran and I kicked it. You know,
I caught it. You know it was it was. It
was the time where there was nothing really to think about.
Even my first year in ninety seven, there was really
nothing to think about because I knew the system. The
problem was we ended up losing Chang Gaily. We ended
up using the anti thick pen. So the carousel of

(53:45):
people leaving and coming began and so. But the slash
roll was was was second to none. It was the first.
And being able to do it at at quarterback, running
back wide receiver and punting the ball too at the
same time and then committing to playing quarterback that I
wasn't heard.

Speaker 1 (54:03):
Of during that time. When you're running the ball receiver,
was there? You did you want to be the quarterback
that most?

Speaker 4 (54:10):
Definitely? Yeah?

Speaker 10 (54:10):
So what ended up happening to that in that situation
was nil O'Donnell got hurt. Uh, Charles Johnson Lake Charles Johnson.

Speaker 4 (54:18):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (54:19):
He was heard a few other receivers were hurt.

Speaker 10 (54:21):
And I'm sitting on the sideline just watching but minu
in practice on scout team, I'm sometimes doing on the
L one or R one, which is a guy on
the very far outside on either side. I'm going down
helping out or whatever and playing quarterback. You know, I'm
warming up with Neil catching the ball. So I'm beating

(54:42):
d Darren Perry in practice. I'm beating cornellla Come beating
Rod Woodson. I'm beating Willie Williams. You know, I'm being
pretty much everybody that I'm going up against, Chris Oldham,
all the guys and Greg Lloyd, whoever lined up in
front of me. And so it gets to a point
where Neil o'dowell asked.

Speaker 3 (54:56):
Me, said would you play with our receiver?

Speaker 10 (54:58):
And I was like, man, I don't care. I want
I don't wanna send them sideline with no khaki shorts on, holding.

Speaker 3 (55:03):
The clipboard all day.

Speaker 10 (55:03):
I'm like about to get fat sitting over You're watching
this mess. And so you know, one thing led to another.
Chain Gill and Ron their heart and coach Carr, I
guess came up with this one play against Jacksonville.

Speaker 4 (55:18):
It's like thirty seventeen.

Speaker 10 (55:20):
They have a three receivers Citi side Yancy and then
o'd Downald's lining up on the outside. So the very
first play was a quarterback draw. At this time, they
didn't have a spy at this time. It was just
straight cover too. Who's gonna cover Neil O'donnald was the
question of who's gonna cover fourteen? It's gonna cover Neil,
And I'm sitting there laughing.

Speaker 1 (55:36):
I'm like, I like it, So I get the snap.

Speaker 10 (55:39):
I rushed, I got like a twenty yard game on
third down, just caught in this.

Speaker 1 (55:43):
Shot up in the middle of field full speed.

Speaker 10 (55:45):
Next week, that's when the famous Marin Coke Blake Myron
Myron Coke comes out and is Cleveland.

Speaker 1 (55:50):
I'm high slash. He slashing dashes, and he catches the ball.
He throws in them.

Speaker 10 (55:54):
High that corn down short streets. And then also I
was born off of that one playoff throwing to Ernie
Mills in the back of the end zone, and that
kind of catapulted us and winning that game because it
was kind of slow and lethargic a little bit of
that game, and I ended up going to Super Bowl
with an addition of Slash helping out just a little.

Speaker 1 (56:12):
Bit and getting a touchdown in the AFC Championship.

Speaker 10 (56:15):
And getting a touchdown and tip me toe touchdown in
the back of the end zone. You know, you know
that was That was a great year.

Speaker 1 (56:20):
That was a fun year. What was it like to
quarterback the team to AFC championship games?

Speaker 3 (56:24):
It was awesome, you know.

Speaker 10 (56:25):
The the unfortunate thing I will say about my time
starting from ninety seven to the latter part of it,
in six years, I had four different coordinators, so the
continuity was it was a little tough, right. You know,
you could Kevin Gilbrad with a running shoot system with
its your own Bears Betts with a power runner and
you know, Plexicle Burs and Hines Ward. You know, we're

(56:48):
not We're not a runner. Were more of in between
the tackles type of a team with a little play
action pass and none of the stuff they came up
with later with quarterbacks that were mobile, but a traditional
style quarterback. When you look at the game today, see
how guys are doing it today. There was a lot
of good work put in way back.

Speaker 1 (57:06):
When do you look at today's quarterbacks and think, maybe
I just came along twenty years too soon. You're a pioneer,
and would you enjoy playing in today's you know.

Speaker 10 (57:17):
The stubbornness, The stubborn side of me says they weren't
ready for me. I was ready for the game, that's
the stubborn side. But being that I was kind of
like that minority, if you will, figuratively speaking in the
sense of not too many were doing it that way. Yeah,
I was a little ahead of my time. We had
two good coaches that were able to make it work.

(57:38):
It wasn't like we were, you know, doing quarterback draws
and sprinting out all day.

Speaker 3 (57:42):
We were just playing.

Speaker 10 (57:44):
Ball and they understood how to work with my skill
set that was unconventional at that time in comparison to
the damn Marinos and you know, the Jim Kellys to
then the Peyton Mannings and.

Speaker 3 (58:00):
You know, so on and so forth.

Speaker 10 (58:01):
So it just Boomer siacins, you know, because if you
look at it, the AFC was a copycat conference. So
was the NFC. So if you looked at the NFC,
there were more runners in the NFC Steve Young playing
against the Cowboys in his run and getting his championship,
to the Donovan mcmaths, to the Michael Vicks, to the
Randam Cunninghams. You look at the AFC, you think of

(58:21):
all the passing records, even going back to warm Moon,
even a right that was the side that was throwing
the ball. So when we did do it within our conference,
it was kind of unfair to the guys who were
playing against an AFC because they didn't know how to
defend it. Because that's not where it mattered most. It
mattered in the coverage, pass coverage and the stunts up front,

(58:44):
you know, to try to you know, confused quarterback, bring
a linebacker dropping in out, you know, things like that.
And then they started catching on and before you know it,
the mobile carter quarterback became extremely relevant.

Speaker 3 (58:56):
But when looking at the.

Speaker 10 (58:57):
Game today, it's a joy to watch it becau cause
now you have Taysom Hill down in New Orleans that's
playing the the slash role sort of spright. Look at
the look at twenty twenty three. The first four picks
in the twenty twenty three draft. Number one was Young,
number two, I think, which was strout right, and then
you look at four it was Richardson, what does.

Speaker 3 (59:17):
That look like? Right?

Speaker 10 (59:19):
So so you know everybody, and then if you look
at the game itself, instutality of thirty three teams, I
think that maybe fourteen mobile quarterbacks, maybe more even c
if you wanna go to Josh Allen even but but
you need that because guys on the D line are
running four fours at the forty now four.

Speaker 1 (59:37):
Five's so catch up the listeners, uh, the viewers. What
is Cordel Stewart doing today?

Speaker 10 (59:43):
Being a daddy man? I I mean, I'm got a
twenty year old son, dude like bruh seriously, and then coaching,
you know, do a little coaching with high schools, and
play a lot of golf, man, and just take my time.

Speaker 3 (59:57):
That's all.

Speaker 10 (59:57):
I just enjoying life. You know, we're very hard. Want
the fruits of my labor, so to speaking, and so
you know, just staying busy, staying out the way, minding
my business.

Speaker 3 (01:00:07):
That's it.

Speaker 10 (01:00:08):
Cordell, Thank you always, yes, sir, thank you.

Speaker 1 (01:00:16):
Okay, Jeff, First of all, I don't know what happened
to you, but did you get to you? Did you
get into contest? With Alan Fanak or you're good buddy,
like a weight loss challenge or something.

Speaker 11 (01:00:25):
No, we didn't, but and I couldn't win that challenge
with him. I saw him last night, you know he's
I was thinking, how did this guy run a marathon
when he was done playing football? I I retired from
football because you know, my knees and I could. I
don't think I've run you know, two miles since I've retired.
But you know, once you get out of the weight room,
my job.

Speaker 8 (01:00:43):
Literally was to eat and weight lift.

Speaker 11 (01:00:46):
And get sleep and to stay at two hundred and
ninety five pounds. And you know, once you're not doing that,
you know, the weight just kind of came off pretty quickly.
But you know, I'm fifty one years old now. To
get to this point, I wouldn't say it's a lot
of work, but you know, you to watch what you eat,
that's for sure.

Speaker 1 (01:01:01):
Well for a lot of us. If eating and sleeping
was the job, that'd be a good job. But the
in between parts of lifting and running into huge n
I want to take you back to when you were
a bigger guy. How did you wind up going from
Northwest Ohio to Penn State.

Speaker 11 (01:01:15):
Well, I was a Notre Dame fan. And you know,
back then they didn't have five.

Speaker 8 (01:01:18):
Star, four star, three star recruits. But I would have
probably been a three star recruit. You know, I'm guessing.

Speaker 11 (01:01:24):
But my quarterback from my high school team, small school,
I mean, we're small town school.

Speaker 8 (01:01:29):
He was a five star recruit and he was getting
recruited by a lot of big schools.

Speaker 11 (01:01:34):
State included, Yeah, Bobby Hoying, right, he was getting recruited.
And I think in the recruitment of Bobby Hoying, then
I came on the radar and Penn State in particular,
it is like, who's that guy? And you know I
wasn't an Ohio State fan. I was, like I said,
a Notre Dame fan and Notre Dame. You know, you
had to be five star to go go to Notre
Dame then and now really, but I'm very thankful because

(01:01:56):
I wanted two things. I wanted to the chance to
win a national time. I don't want a chance to
go to the NFL. And then Penn State really fit
me well just because of the country setting a little bit,
you know, small towns still compared to a house state
in a city and some other schools. But bottom line
is it was about winning. Wanted to win a national title,
and they were coming off of eighty two, eighty six,

(01:02:18):
and you know I was recruited in ninety one, so
you know, hopefully we would be the next national championship team.

Speaker 1 (01:02:23):
Well, you're drafted by the Lions not too far from
your hometown within a few hours. What was it like
the draft day and getting the phone call, I assume
from the Lions saying you've been drafting.

Speaker 11 (01:02:34):
Yeah, you know, you kind of know where you're going
to end up going to some extent. I mean, obviously
we watched drafts now and guys are in the green room,
so to speak, and you know, they fall out of
the first round. So I guess that could have happened,
but I kind of had a pretty good idea it
was going to be late in the first round, but
not necessarily where so you know, there's a little bit
of anxiety, but you know, I'm a pretty focused guy,

(01:02:55):
so my focus was just.

Speaker 8 (01:02:57):
On I don't care where I go. I want to play.
Anyl didn't matter.

Speaker 11 (01:03:01):
I actually didn't even root for NFL teams in high
score college because I was like, I'm not going to
be an Avid Bengals fan or Avid Browns fan and
then get drafted by you know, the Steelers, and then
you know that's you. So I was like, I don't
care because I'm you know, my plan is to go
to the NFL. And I'm not saying that arrogantly. It
was just like I wanted to just go all in
on that. And so, you know, I remember exactly where

(01:03:23):
I was. I mean, obviously, you know at our house.
I wasn't in no green room. It wasn't like it
is now. I'm not sure I would have been anyways,
but you know, you're on you're waiting for a phone
call and then you get one. Maybe I was picked
twenty one and so you get one or twenty three.
I'm sorry, twenty one. Another guard got drafted. That's why
I always remember that. And that was the Seattle Seahawks,

(01:03:45):
and so it was, you know, we kind of knew
it was going to be between the Seattle Seahawks or
the Detroit Lions as the pick started rolling off, and
so you know, around that time, it's like, man, we're
either going to be in Seattle or Detroit. That was
a big difference, and so it was kind of thankful
that you know, I felt two spots and ended up
in Detroit.

Speaker 1 (01:04:02):
Yeah, they had some good teams thereon. Kevin Colbert was
the director of pro scouting with the Lions who moved
on to the Steelers. Was that connection any part of
the reason why you wound up leaving Detroit signing with
the Seilision Free Agency.

Speaker 8 (01:04:15):
It's probably close to say it's.

Speaker 11 (01:04:17):
One hundred percent of the reason why, because I think
Kevin when he was in Detroit, he saw the capability
that I had of moving to center. And you know,
they were looking for a center because DERMONDI. Dawson was
retiring and so you know, while a lot of other
teams were just kind of probably looking at me as
a guard, he had that first hand experience.

Speaker 8 (01:04:40):
To be able to see me. As a matter of fact.

Speaker 11 (01:04:41):
In Detroit, we had another great center Kevin Glover there,
I mean, a perennial pro bowler, not quite Hall of Famer,
but great man. And he retired in ninety eight. So
in ninety nine I almost moved to US. I was
one of the guys they considered and then went a
different direction, and so it definitely played into that decision.

Speaker 1 (01:05:01):
So no pressure, you're gonna move from right guard to center,
there's one and then you're gonna take over for tomighty Dawson.
Did those thoughts go through your head? And what was
that transition like moving from guard to center?

Speaker 11 (01:05:11):
It absolutely went through my head as I don't know
how this is gonna come across money talks. So what
I mean by that is like you're a free agent
and you obviously kind of want to have a pretty
good deal, and you know, Detroit had decided at that
time to.

Speaker 8 (01:05:28):
Just let me go into free agency.

Speaker 11 (01:05:30):
They were going a different direction with their whole franchise,
so that you know, that made sense to them, and
there wasn't necessarily a lot of options out there that
I felt like, we're really good UH franchises teams that
you know, we're gonna give me an opportunity to win
because you're not going to play forever. And super Bowls
were absolutely my goal and it was a tremendous blessing.

Speaker 8 (01:05:53):
Uh And never forget the day when.

Speaker 11 (01:05:54):
We got I got called and asked to take a
visit to the Pittsburgh Steelers because they want they're looking
for a replacement for DERMANI Dawson, and I was like okay,
Like I'm not sure. I'm super excited about moving to
center and never played there, actually never had played there
in Pittsburgh and Penn State or in Pittsburgh. Definitely had

(01:06:14):
the body type for it. But I had watched Dermany Dawson,
not as much because you didn't play crossover games as
much as you do now even and so I rarely
saw him on film. But when I did see him,
and I wasn't really looking at him.

Speaker 8 (01:06:28):
He's the center on a guard.

Speaker 11 (01:06:30):
But I'll tell you this, I signed, you know, I
was very thankful for the contract that I was able
to get everything fit really good, super excited about playing
for this franchise.

Speaker 8 (01:06:40):
I already recognized the fact.

Speaker 11 (01:06:42):
That man, they just always win. They find a way
to win. I love the way they played. I loved
coach Cower.

Speaker 8 (01:06:49):
And then I sat down and watched film.

Speaker 11 (01:06:51):
Of who I was going to replace, and I was like,
after about a week, I was like, I can't do
those things, so I better just focus on what I
can do. He was in a amazing man and an
amazing football player.

Speaker 1 (01:07:02):
So I want to step aside from football for just
a moment because I think tounch ch Ooakin was an
important guy obviously was his Steelers you know, former great
offensive lineman himself and became the color commentator. He was
an important guy in your life, wasn't he?

Speaker 11 (01:07:15):
Absolutely? Absolutely? You know, it gives me chills when I
think about him often, and I never come to Pittsburgh
without thinking about him. I mean, obviously, his death isn't
that far away, so you would you you would maybe
think that, but no, he was a mentor to me.

Speaker 8 (01:07:30):
He was actually I met him. First time I met
him was.

Speaker 11 (01:07:34):
In Pittsburgh Detroit, and uh, we brought him in to
work out, you know, the touch punch workout, and he
had he you know, of all the all the people
in my life, he's in the top five. I'm not kidding.
His Uh, his faith first and foremost, really encouraged me
in my faith.

Speaker 8 (01:07:53):
We would I would drive in the team buses.

Speaker 11 (01:07:55):
And sit next to him and Wolfley and I would
eat dinner out with him and wolf on road trips
and after our career, after my career was over.

Speaker 8 (01:08:04):
His was obviously over.

Speaker 11 (01:08:05):
You know, we did a lot of ministry together here
in Pittsburgh, So that was really devastating to hear the
news that he you know, he had a disease, and
you know, obviously everyone was hopeful that he would he
would last a lot longer than he did because we
just loved him and cherished our time with him. And
I was never actually able to have another moment with

(01:08:26):
him from the time that I found out because I
was in the middle of my football season and and
then you know, he passed so quickly at the end
of that football season. You know, definitely, uh brings sadness
to my heart right now, and wish his family well.
And he was you know, I want to be like
him and have the have the legacy that he has
in a city. And you know, I was kind of

(01:08:47):
you know, like in a positive way, kind of envy,
I think is the is the right word, Like you
want to be like that guy because you're so jealous
of the impact that he had and the love that
a city.

Speaker 8 (01:08:59):
Had for him.

Speaker 11 (01:09:00):
And he's definitely a guy that I think this city
will never forget and I hope hopefully you know, kind
of quote unquote and shrines him, you know, over by
hinds Field somewhere.

Speaker 1 (01:09:11):
So I did want to ask you, now you've moved
to the the others you wind up blocking for Jerome Bettis,
You blocked for two Hall of famers, Barry Sanders Jerome Bettis.
What's the difference blocking for two completely different style running.

Speaker 3 (01:09:23):
Backs like that?

Speaker 4 (01:09:24):
Yeah?

Speaker 8 (01:09:24):
It is completely different styles.

Speaker 11 (01:09:27):
I mean even when you look at running backs now
and I get asked that or I'm comparing myself, you know,
who do you compare to Drome Bettis? I don't even
know if there is good comparisons because that guy could
run guys over, but he could also he had feet
that could make guys miss. And then you have Jerome Bettis,
who he's just you know, I heard a great quote
from from about or from Barry Sanders. He was never

(01:09:50):
looking at the guy in front of him, Whereas Jerome
really understood our blocking concepts and really understood how to
make cuts based on how the defensive line and how
Allen and myself and you know the other guys up
front were going to block for him. And I mean,
if I I kind of knew exactly where he was
gonna go.

Speaker 1 (01:10:10):
In two thousand and one, you guys led the league
in rushing, two thousand and four and five led the
conference one year. But in those years and other years,
you let the league in rush attempts very frequently. So
you guys would get into games, you'd get a lead.
Teams knew they had to stop your running game and
you couldn't. They couldn't. What was that like being on
a team like that, where here we come, we're gonna

(01:10:32):
run it. You could even shout it out to play
and they couldn't stop.

Speaker 12 (01:10:36):
Yeah, well we did shout out to play a little bit,
you know, I mean to be honest with you know,
we would have a call Opie and they pretty much knew, oh,
it wasn't gonna go here, and now it's gonna go here,
and you know, it was very satisfying.

Speaker 8 (01:10:48):
I mean, we took a lot of pride in that.

Speaker 11 (01:10:50):
Coach Kaward took a lot of pride in that one
thing I'm coaching now, one thing that I take from
Coach Cowers, you know, what is your identity going to be?
In our identity? You know, I remember one of the seasons,
maybe it was week four or five, and you know,
his challenge was, we really haven't shown, we really haven't
shown what our identity is going to be. We took

(01:11:10):
that personal as an offensive line because we knew exactly
what he meant we're gonna run the ball and we're
gonna stop the run and play great defense.

Speaker 8 (01:11:17):
Pass rush, great pass rush with Joey Porter, And you're
exactly right.

Speaker 11 (01:11:21):
You know, there's so many comebacks in the NFL, you know,
in now, in the NFL now, from twenty one points down,
twenty four points down, it was hard to come back
against us when we were up ten points, you know,
even if it was in the first quarter halftime. Once
we got up ten, I think teams were like, I'm
sure coaches were saying, you cannot get down to this

(01:11:42):
team because you really don't have a chance to come back.
And that's a credit to coach Cower first and foremost,
and maybe even the Rooney family because you know, we
all know in Pittsburgh, you know, they want to be
able to run the ball, and they draft that way,
and that's the culture. And they went out and got
drum bets because they wanted to run the ball. Whatever
it was before I came here. And so at the

(01:12:04):
end of games, you know, forty five rush attempts and
fifteen pass attempts.

Speaker 8 (01:12:08):
That was fine with us.

Speaker 4 (01:12:09):
We liked that well.

Speaker 1 (01:12:11):
When you won the Super Bowl, first of all, a
great run through the end of the season, adversity in
the playoffs, Drome's rare fumble, having to win that game,
and then beating Seattle. I'm sure just winning it is enough.
That journey in that season was pretty incredible. What's it like?
What was it like for you? You came to Pittsford
to win and you want.

Speaker 11 (01:12:30):
Well, you know, I mean, it was just like a
dream come true. You know, I don't I don't want
to make it. You know, it's surreal, you know, honestly,
it's just like you know, going to the Super Bowl,
and it definitely meant a lot more. And I experienced
a lot more because it was my tenth year, and
I think it meant more to our team because we
had we failed in two thousand and one and coach

(01:12:53):
Kauro was definitely the kind of coach that was capable
of winning a Super Bowl. Went there in ninety five.
I think, like I said, built that team back up
to be able to potentially go in one and then
fell short, and then two wasn't quite the same team,
and then three, you know, the wheels fell off. But
we had an opportunity to draft Big Ben, so then

(01:13:13):
you know, we come back in four, and.

Speaker 8 (01:13:15):
We won fifteen in a row.

Speaker 11 (01:13:17):
I think, one of the longest streaks in NFL history,
maybe including the playoff game.

Speaker 8 (01:13:21):
Sixteen in a row.

Speaker 4 (01:13:22):
That was rare.

Speaker 11 (01:13:23):
That was one of those years where we really felt
like we could run the ball down. You know, anybody,
you know, we weren't even necessarily out to win the
last couple of games of the year because we had
we had had locked it up, and yet we were
able to go run the ball and and still win
those games. But we you know, fell short again to
the same team, you know, so that was tough. And

(01:13:43):
then you know Week eleven in two thousand and six
is when we were I guess it would have been thirteen.
We were seven and five out of the playoffs.

Speaker 8 (01:13:52):
You know, ESPN puts the playoff up.

Speaker 11 (01:13:54):
There and you're like, oh my goodness, I came back,
Drome came back. You know, we all come back to
go to the Super Bowl, and we find ourselves out
of the playoffs right now, had a great team meeting,
we had great team leadership, and like you said, then went.

Speaker 8 (01:14:08):
On a little bit of a role.

Speaker 11 (01:14:09):
Four games, got healthy and and then you know, played
really really well Indianapolis and Manning dominated him. But yet
you know I had to have a little bit of luck,
that's for sure. After he fumbled, and you know that
was another like are.

Speaker 4 (01:14:24):
You kidding me?

Speaker 8 (01:14:25):
But it all added to that really did add.

Speaker 11 (01:14:27):
To the satisfaction and fun of winning the Super Bowl.

Speaker 1 (01:14:30):
Did it feel a little bit full circle for you
to win the Super Bowl in Detroit where you started
your career?

Speaker 4 (01:14:35):
Yeah?

Speaker 8 (01:14:36):
Absolutely.

Speaker 11 (01:14:36):
I mean I don't think I I you know, I
think Drome probably enjoyed that a lot more.

Speaker 8 (01:14:41):
Because that was his hometown.

Speaker 11 (01:14:42):
Honestly, I enjoyed being in Detroit because we weren't in.

Speaker 8 (01:14:45):
The sun and fun in Florida or something like that,
and our.

Speaker 11 (01:14:48):
Team would be distracted and my family would all want
to come down and want to do whatever. And I
kind of liked it because, you know, it was there
was nothing to do but focus on football. And then
I didn't have any animosity towards Detroit from that perspective.
But like you said, full circle, you know when you
end up coming back. You know, my first game, ironically,

(01:15:09):
it was a it was a preseason game, but was
in Detroit in the new stadium, the stadium that I
thought was you know, I was excited about.

Speaker 8 (01:15:16):
Them building and I'm going to be able to be there.

Speaker 11 (01:15:18):
And we're building towards a you know, a super Bowl
in Detroit, and and you know, I'm I'm a I'm
a loyal person. So I was committed to the franchise
and they chose to go a different way. So that
was that.

Speaker 8 (01:15:30):
That probably was a little full circle.

Speaker 11 (01:15:32):
Also standing I can still remember that standing going against
my teammates. And so then five years later coming back
standing in the same stadium and I'm not sure I
had played in that was it was really special, added
a little bit more, you know, I guess you could
say made it a little bit more special because it
was in Detroit.

Speaker 1 (01:15:52):
And when you look at your decision to move to Pittsburgh,
you win a Super Bowl, a couple of Pro Bowls,
first Team All Pro. You cannot come up with a
list of the greatest free agent signings in Steeler's history,
and na see Jeff Hardings on that short list. What
was your time in Pittsburgh?

Speaker 8 (01:16:09):
Like, you know it was.

Speaker 11 (01:16:10):
You know, I'm a man of faith, really blessed, you
know when I think about the play, the players that
I played with, the coach that I played for, the
coaches that you know, coached me that I'm still you know,
when you see them, you you know, you you literally
say you know, I love you. And because it was
that kind of special time, you know, I think and uh,

(01:16:31):
and you know, what I've really learned in life is
like you're not in complete control of everything.

Speaker 8 (01:16:36):
You know, obviously you have to make decisions, but you if.

Speaker 11 (01:16:39):
You can't, I can't ignore where God was really leading
me because we really had prayed a lot about that.
I had become a Christian and prayed a lot about
our decision and decided that we had laid our family
foundation in Detroit. And so it was like, okay, yeah,
we'll stay in Detroit. And then to have Detroit say
we've decided to go another way. That rejection is hard.

(01:17:00):
I don't doesn't matter. You know, we're human beings, football
players are. And so when you feel like you made
a commitment somewhere and then they go another way, that
was like I was in the valley you could say,
everybody I think understands that proverb. And you know, went
and visited another team and had an interest from another team,
and it was like, man, these teams aren't even close

(01:17:21):
to the super Bowl, right, now they're building towards that.

Speaker 8 (01:17:24):
Like I said earlier, to.

Speaker 11 (01:17:26):
Have a phone call from the Pittsburgh Steelers to block
for Drone Battist, to play for Bill Kauer, to play
for a franchise that I was aware of, and you know,
maybe didn't remember watching those Super Bowls in the seventies.
Even now, it gives me chills of how blessed I am,
So I can't That would be the number one word
that I would think about. I think that no matter
where you play, you're going to have some teammates that

(01:17:49):
you're friends with, and I have those in Detroit. But
then you add the camaraderie and the uniqueness of getting
close to Super Bowls and losing championship games and then
having to come back and do it again, having to
come back and you know kind of.

Speaker 8 (01:18:05):
Did it together.

Speaker 11 (01:18:06):
Well I was five years, you know, because that was
my sixth year. Those guys, maybe you could add one
or two more years where a lot of those players
were drafted. I think Aaron Smith and some of those
guys came in, you know, prior to me. Clark Kagan's
obviously Joey Porter, but that group of guys from about
ninety eight to two thousand and eight was definite me
falling right in the middle. That was a really I

(01:18:26):
think a special the seventies and then that probably ten
year era or maybe the best eras of Pittsburgh Steelers football.

Speaker 1 (01:18:35):
Jeff, thank you very much, appreciated great catching.

Speaker 4 (01:18:37):
Up with you.

Speaker 8 (01:18:38):
It was an honor and a pleasure.

Speaker 1 (01:18:46):
James. Growing up in Akron, I read this, Is it
a true story? Your mom did not want you to
play football?

Speaker 4 (01:18:51):
Yeah?

Speaker 13 (01:18:51):
My mom, she didn't want me to play football. She
thought I would get hurt, so that was her biggest thing.
We'd be playing ball.

Speaker 1 (01:18:58):
When did she get over that? And when did you
you finally find yourself out in the football field.

Speaker 4 (01:19:02):
Well, she didn't get over it.

Speaker 13 (01:19:03):
I'll say my dad was able to talk her into it,
allowing me.

Speaker 4 (01:19:06):
To play immediately.

Speaker 13 (01:19:08):
But as far as her fear of me being hurt, Uh,
that probably didn't stop until seven eight years into the league.
So yeah, it became more of a me hurting other people.

Speaker 1 (01:19:25):
How important was KENT to you? Because y the feel
Pass has your name on it, your numbers retired during
the Hall of Fame. How important was the those years
it kent for you?

Speaker 2 (01:19:33):
Uh?

Speaker 13 (01:19:33):
Kent was extremely important because they were the only ones
that actually uh were there when it when it came
time to offer a scholarship.

Speaker 4 (01:19:40):
It's really what it I came to. I had some.

Speaker 13 (01:19:42):
Uh uh difficulties in uh my senior year, which leonarded
the field of people that were willing to uh offer
me a scholarship. And Kent was a school that was
there to offer me a scholarship. So getting into Kent
I still kind of fizzled a little bit there at
the beginning, and the coach that brought me in was

(01:20:04):
fired and the new coach that came in was Dnps
and he brought me in and actually, you know I did.
I had to walk on, of course, but after the
walk on, he gave me my scholarship. So you know,
without Kent, I'm not here right now.

Speaker 1 (01:20:21):
Your NFL career is a studying perseverance. I mean you
talked about even Kent and getting to Kent and having
to walk on and Kent and then not necessarily, you know,
having immediate success in the NFL. What was it like
for you? Why did you stick with it? I don't
off practice squads and playing in Europe and all these different.

Speaker 9 (01:20:39):
Things for me.

Speaker 4 (01:20:41):
I liked playing football.

Speaker 13 (01:20:43):
And you know, when I first started playing football, it
was just the opportunity to play with my friends.

Speaker 4 (01:20:48):
You know. It was like, you want to go play football.

Speaker 8 (01:20:49):
I'm like, yeah, cool, let's go out.

Speaker 4 (01:20:50):
You go outside and the street They're like, no, it's
organized football.

Speaker 3 (01:20:53):
I'm like, ooh, yeah, I do that.

Speaker 13 (01:20:55):
So me, originally playing football was just the opportunity to
continue to play with my friends. Enjoyed playing football because
of what I got to do out there, and from that,
you know, it was, yo, college is you know, they're
willing to pay for your education. You know, I could
have went to any college, to be one hundred percent
honest with you, but uh, like I said, my senior

(01:21:15):
year limited that. And then I got into college and
during my uh senior year, it was teams that you know,
wanted me to work out, you do your pro day
and all that stuff, and it was like, yo, you
could you could get paid to.

Speaker 4 (01:21:29):
To actually do this.

Speaker 13 (01:21:30):
So when I you know, got to UH Pittsburgh, I
was originally just on the practice squad, and of course,
you know it escalates from there, but you know, being
cut and brought back and cut and brought back. For me,
the reason I persevered is to be honest, I didn't
give a hundred percent effort in my first year or two.

(01:21:52):
I gave enough to make it through.

Speaker 4 (01:21:54):
Uh.

Speaker 13 (01:21:54):
When I finally sat down and took the time to
understand and learn the defense, and my biggest issue was
s my head. I didn't know what I was doing,
and instead of me, you know, trying to get help
and understand it, I would just shut down and just
make like it wasn't a big deal to me, cause
I you know, I didn't want people to know I
didn't know what I was doing. But once I was

(01:22:14):
able to sit down and actually, you know, have people
to take time to actually say, hey, this is what
you need to do, and I didn't feel like, uh,
you know, I was being talked, that I was being
coached too, it was, Uh, it was easy for me.

Speaker 1 (01:22:29):
When did your legendary workout program start? Did it start
around that or was that later in your career?

Speaker 13 (01:22:34):
So my workout program, I w I was doing a
little something like that in college, but nothing.

Speaker 4 (01:22:39):
To the extreme that I did in pros. What ended
up happening is I saw Duke's check.

Speaker 13 (01:22:44):
Dude, show me a check, and his one week check
was my whole year's pay, and I said, you know what,
I need to do everything possible and its short term
to make as much money as I can because cause
it's not a long time that I'll be able to
do this, and to do that, I need to.

Speaker 4 (01:23:04):
Take care of my body.

Speaker 13 (01:23:06):
So from that point forward, about two thousand five, two
thousand and six, I started taking better care of my body.

Speaker 4 (01:23:12):
And as each year went on, I add more.

Speaker 13 (01:23:15):
And different things that you know were supposed to be
the advances and you know, healthcare or whatever that may be.

Speaker 1 (01:23:23):
Now, taking you back a little bit earlier, before you
establish yourself, was there a time where you almost quit? Did?
Did so in.

Speaker 4 (01:23:30):
Two thousand, two thousand. Between two thousand two.

Speaker 13 (01:23:34):
And two thousand and three, I was sent to NFL Europe.
So I went to NFL Europe, came back from NFL
euro Baltimore had actually sent me to NFL Europe, and
when I came back, they released me. So that's about
year two. So it's two thousand two, two thousand three.
I've been cut four or five times now and I'm

(01:23:55):
just sitting there waiting and I'm like, you know what,
if I don't get picked up up, then this is
just not meant to be, and I'm gonna move on.
Give me a regular job like everybody else, you know,
work my forty fifty hours a week and and.

Speaker 4 (01:24:08):
Call her to day.

Speaker 13 (01:24:09):
And that year Clark Hagen's he breaks his hand about
a week before training camp and then the rest is history.

Speaker 1 (01:24:19):
So speak, did you know you had an Indian to
go from a guy who just went through the experiences
you talked about Europe and being cut to being like
almost immediately the defensive player of the year. That's incredible.

Speaker 13 (01:24:33):
I won't say that I knew I had that Emmy,
but I knew I had the ability to make an
NFL roster and from there, making the roster, it's just
one step. And then the next step is, you know,
I want to you know, be the best special teams player.
You know, then I want to start I want to
be the best, you know, linebacker. And it's just you know,

(01:24:57):
taking a step each year to try and get better
than you did the previous year.

Speaker 1 (01:25:01):
Well, you had great days aheady, but your first Super
Bowl largely special.

Speaker 4 (01:25:05):
Team largely special teams?

Speaker 1 (01:25:07):
Yeah, how what did it mean to you to win
the Super Bowl?

Speaker 4 (01:25:10):
Uh?

Speaker 13 (01:25:10):
That's the ultimate goal of every year, you know, it's
only one team that succeeds. And if your goal going
into that year is not to win the Super Bowl,
then you're cheating yourself and you're lying to yourself.

Speaker 4 (01:25:23):
It's only one winner.

Speaker 1 (01:25:26):
What's it like winning Defensive Player of the Year. I mean,
when you were notified of that, what was your reaction?

Speaker 3 (01:25:31):
Uh?

Speaker 13 (01:25:31):
It was great, And it was great because we had
already won the Super Bowl. I think that's when they
notified you. After the year was overweight, So it was
just a cherry on top, you know, to get the
recognition and notoriety that you know, that's how people uh
saw and uh felt about my play.

Speaker 1 (01:25:47):
We'll get back to that Super Bowl a minute, cause
there's obviously a a pretty important play in that. But
when you wind up making Pro Bowls and you wind
up setting a single season sack record for team that's
got the defensive players that the history of the Steelers
can boast, is that special.

Speaker 13 (01:26:07):
I think it's always special when you when you break
a record. All records are meant to be broken, and
when you're a person that gets to go out there
and break one of those records instead of a new standard,
and especially in the organization, you know, saw historic as
the Pittsburgh Stillers, and like you said, the lineage of
players they had, the history you know, Still Curtain defense,

(01:26:29):
it's you know, it's a big thing.

Speaker 3 (01:26:32):
You know.

Speaker 1 (01:26:32):
I talked to players who say they love talking to
the Joe Greens and the players from the past. I
don't know if you feel the same way, but so
they're a little connection there. And then we see T. J.

Speaker 3 (01:26:41):
Watt.

Speaker 1 (01:26:41):
Now, I guess you don't ever yet, Like you said,
records are made to be broken. You don't get to
hold of them forever. But what's that like to be
in the middle of that great history with the Steelers?

Speaker 13 (01:26:51):
I now, you know, hopefully, you know, get to be
viewed as one of those guys. You know, you know
that you know what the Stiller's defenses of the two
thousand and seven eight nine can be in the arguments
now of defenses with you know, Still Curtain. And you're

(01:27:14):
now part.

Speaker 4 (01:27:14):
Of that history, that linage, that lore, a legend.

Speaker 1 (01:27:18):
Were you held every single play when you rushed.

Speaker 13 (01:27:20):
Listen if they called it, anytime of armor is around
you and there that's a whole that's I don't I
don't know, but that's how I see it. But you
know it was a occasional blue moon. I say that
I would get a I would get a holding call.

Speaker 1 (01:27:36):
Yeah, I mean, but that is an enduring image, and
of course you're living it. But we're seeing you coming
around that right end, the closed line underneath the chin.

Speaker 4 (01:27:45):
That's not legal to them, that's legal.

Speaker 3 (01:27:48):
Think about it.

Speaker 13 (01:27:48):
If they if they outlawed that and they didn't allow that,
it wouldn't be too many quarterbacks left in this league,
you know.

Speaker 1 (01:27:54):
Yeah, well Aaron Smith was talking about how because of
the way you got to the quarterback of what you
did once you got there, they had to change.

Speaker 4 (01:28:01):
The rules a little bit, a little bit, you know.

Speaker 13 (01:28:04):
That's uh, that wasn't just me, I'm a I'm a
blame some of that on the rest of the defense too.

Speaker 1 (01:28:10):
What was it like playing in that defense with all
the talent around you and and everybody doing your job,
and maybe that OA defense in particular was just.

Speaker 4 (01:28:19):
I mean, that's just it.

Speaker 13 (01:28:20):
You know, each guy is out there doing exactly what
he's supposed to do.

Speaker 4 (01:28:25):
But the biggest thing is the bond that we had
with each other. You know, I think I spent.

Speaker 13 (01:28:28):
More time, you know, weeks you know, through the season
where I was with those guys more than I was
with my family, And I think that bond of that,
that brotherhood, you know what I'm saying is really what
brought us close together and made you genuinely care and
love you know, your teammates where you wanted to go
out there and do everything you could to make sure

(01:28:49):
that you did your end.

Speaker 4 (01:28:50):
Of that job.

Speaker 13 (01:28:51):
And you know Dickle both being a decordinator, you never
wanted to let him know.

Speaker 1 (01:28:57):
Well, you talk about your pois in Stewart's history, just
serve it right in the middle of it. The Pro Bowls,
the defensive player of the Year and the author of
maybe the greatest playing Super Bowl history.

Speaker 4 (01:29:08):
The greatest playing Let's get it right.

Speaker 1 (01:29:10):
No, maybe start that over. So tell me what you
remember about that play? How did it come about? And
and you're running down the sideline.

Speaker 13 (01:29:20):
Well, we were, you know that whole half. I felt
like we were getting there just step step too late.
You know, we'd hitting just as he threw the ball, hitting,
you know, right as he we got you know, got
red of the ball a step away, and he was
just really reading the defense getting the ball out and
coach Lebo called all out blitz on that play, I
believe it was six to one blitz zero and my.

Speaker 4 (01:29:43):
Job is too obviously blitz.

Speaker 13 (01:29:45):
But the biggest thing is I need to get this
tackle to step at me and take me so that
Tim Ands, who's blitzing on my inside, can have a
free run to the quarterback. He's the one that we had.

Speaker 4 (01:29:54):
A free shot. So I'm like, you know what, I.

Speaker 13 (01:29:57):
Think he's going to see it and h he's gonna
get the ball out in time. So I'm gonna play.

Speaker 4 (01:30:03):
I'm'a drop.

Speaker 13 (01:30:04):
I gonna play for the quick slant in and hopefully
I'm able to you know.

Speaker 4 (01:30:07):
Knock the ball down. That's really what I'm thinking. And
you know I do that part.

Speaker 13 (01:30:11):
I step tackle steps that me Tenmans comes free and uh,
later on, you know, Kurt would say that, you know,
he was looking at me. He saw me step, so
soon as he saw me step, he knew it was
all out blitz and he's just looking now to get
rid of the ball. And uh, as I'm looking at him,
I'm you know, I'm thinking he's looking at me, and.

Speaker 4 (01:30:28):
Uh he throws the ball and I'm like, oh my god.

Speaker 13 (01:30:32):
So the rest of it is just you know, it's
a it's a whole whole defense. You know, all ten guys,
you know, putting every ounce of effort that they had left,
and that you know that last part that half to
you know, help me get down there and score.

Speaker 1 (01:30:48):
Well, all ten guys in you old running back from
high school. He played running back in high school. That
can come in handy.

Speaker 3 (01:30:52):
Yeah, I coulda I could, you know, I could. I
could have went either way in high school. You know
what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (01:30:56):
I had.

Speaker 1 (01:30:57):
I had three that wanted me for running back.

Speaker 4 (01:30:58):
I had nothing three that wanted for the backer. But yeah,
it uh, it came in handy.

Speaker 1 (01:31:03):
You must have been no fun attack on football nine.

Speaker 13 (01:31:08):
I delivered the blow the same way I did on
defense as I did when I ran the ball.

Speaker 1 (01:31:12):
Yeah, there was no no river to hit to hit
for you, right, I mean, you're just all muscle and well.

Speaker 3 (01:31:17):
I wasn't like that.

Speaker 13 (01:31:18):
I was like, I'm my stat said I was six
two two teen okay, but I was really like six
foot one ninety two inches twenty pounds you know.

Speaker 9 (01:31:26):
I high school.

Speaker 4 (01:31:27):
Though.

Speaker 1 (01:31:29):
How did you get the nickname of deebo.

Speaker 13 (01:31:31):
Us from a character on Friday? It's the bully? So
they considered me to be a bully on the football field.
So that's how I had a bunch of nicknames though.
You know Peewee's I was Pitbull, I was Jabo.

Speaker 4 (01:31:45):
It's just a off throw of Debo that was before
before Deebo.

Speaker 13 (01:31:48):
They ain't wanna come to Deebo. I was two day
vet silver back, which two day vat they said. I
was there for two days and I was acting like
I was a vet.

Speaker 4 (01:31:59):
They called me today.

Speaker 1 (01:32:00):
Then, do you have a favorite nickname everybody calls you Debo?
Your teammates, Yeah, it's Deebo.

Speaker 8 (01:32:09):
Naw.

Speaker 13 (01:32:09):
I mean it's just I I can tell where you
know me from by the nickname you call them. I
got other nicknames too, So when I hear the nickname,
I'm like, oh, they know me from elementary, right, they
know me from high school, and they know me from college.

Speaker 1 (01:32:20):
You know, any difference winning that second Super Bowl? So
the first your.

Speaker 13 (01:32:26):
Difference, I'm I'm I'm a full time starter. You know,
you got a bigger role. You you have a bigger hand,
and and uh, you know what the outcome of that
game is. I think even then I was still on
some special teams too. To be honest, I think I
was still doing kickoff and punt.

Speaker 4 (01:32:43):
So yeah, it it.

Speaker 13 (01:32:45):
You know, it's a it's definitely it feels it feels better,
it feels more significant cause it is.

Speaker 1 (01:32:51):
When you look back at your career, what do you
look back at most?

Speaker 4 (01:32:54):
Fidly mm. You know.

Speaker 13 (01:32:58):
The crazy part is I don't even really look at
like like games. I I think about the times that
you're with the guys. You know that you're you're just
goofing around in the locker room, you know, on the bus,
on a plane, at the hotel. You know, I c
I can give you more stories about that if they
were you know, actually able to be told than I

(01:33:20):
could about Games.

Speaker 1 (01:33:24):
So you're in the Hall of Honor? What does that
mean to you?

Speaker 13 (01:33:28):
You know, I'm just extremely honored and just how mbled
to be a part of a you know, a group
of men that it's what a Pittsburgh Steelers to find ass.

Speaker 4 (01:33:38):
You know what I'm saying. And uh, I'm just extremely
thankful man,