March 23, 2022 • 15 mins
Time Machine: Rod Woodson, March 23, 2022
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
M H. Welcome to everyone and Steelers nature. I'm standing Saverean,
and it's our great pleasure to welcome in Steelers Hall
of Famer Rod Woodson, Rod welcome. Good to see it, good, Senior.
(00:26):
I would imagine that any rookie who's drafted, or even
an undrafted rookie feels pressure to first of all make
the team. Uh that's not necessarily the case with number
one draft picks as you were, However, was there a
different kind of pressure in that you were expected to
come in and contribute right away? I was, but I
(00:47):
held out until October. So, uh, you know, we're trying
to figure out the number of the deal. Um, we
really couldn't come to the dollar dollar agreement that we
you know that I would I expect acted. I thought
I was gonna go a little bit higher in the draft.
I slipped down, which I'm glad I did slip down
to uh, you know, to tenth overall, and it didn't
(01:10):
go fourth or fifth. I would have been in Cleveland somewhere. Man,
I would have been miserable. But you know, just trying
to figure that out, and then you know, the one
thing that my agent told me is like, you know,
just believing who you are, make your stand, believe in it.
And you know, luckily for me, you know, I wasn't idle.
I was running track. So I went over the Europe
and ran over there for uh several months, which had
(01:33):
a gorgeous time over there, going to the East France
and all that stuff, being a twenty one year old
knuckle head kid from Indiana and Purdue going over there.
But then you know, I finally came back and we
reached agreement, um, and I got to come in then
October um, and uh that's when the pressure kind of
hit right, like you're like, okay, Thomas ever you know,
(01:58):
you know he was the same classmate. I knew who
Thomas was because he was the first Gym thorpe or
War winner from the collegiate ranks. Uh. You know, he
went to Baylor. I knew Dalton Hall. You know, we
were at our mini camps together. Um, so I knew
those guys are already playing. So me coming in being late,
you know, trying to figure out like how am I
going to get on the field, how can I contribute
(02:19):
to the team. Uh. You know, Luckily for me, you know,
Chuck was patient. I had a great coach in Tony Dungee. Um,
and I worked my way through, working your way through.
Was it uh a great benefit that you were able
to return kicks as a way to immediately, uh, you know,
contribute until you learned the new launces of the defense. Yeah,
(02:41):
returning you know, the kickoff returns. We had Louis doing
the punt return because Louie had great hands. Um. But
luckily I was fast, you know, I was fast and
at decent envision for a kickoff returner, especially playing defense
for the most part. Um. You know, so it got me,
gave me an opportunity to step onto the field and
to contribute to the team in a positive sense, hopefully.
(03:03):
When you think about being drafted number one, there were
a number of picks before you. Um, A couple of
teams made unexpected picks which allowed you to fall to
the Steelers. Uh. Chuck Noll, who wasn't terribly effusive, is
that fair term? Um? When asked did he like the
draft pick, he said, I love him. That was not
(03:24):
typical of Chuck Noll. That feel like you were wanted
right away? Well, I mean I didn't. I didn't read
the articles. I mean I did hear the stories. Um,
you know, I never talked to the Steelers leading up
to the draft. We never had one conversation. UM. I
talked to all the other teams and then like top fifteen,
but the Steelers we never had that conversation. Um. But
(03:47):
when I got picked, when I got the phone call,
when I was sitting at home on Jefferson Avenue before
winning Dana with the family, UM, I was like absolutely.
And then I'm you know, I'm thinking in my head,
these guys got They're pretty good. You know, I'm thinking
with still curtain. And then you know, when I got here,
meeting you know, me and Joe Green was our defensive
line coach. So meeting me and Joe um kind of iconic. Right.
(04:10):
Donnie Shell was still on the team. Uh, Stalworth was
still on the team, and so meet seeing those guys
on TV winning Super Bowls, you know, previous years. Then
having the iconic Chuck no was the head coach. It
was so so real. Being a country boy from Indiana
this point, I started playing football because my tooler brothers
(04:34):
played football. Ended up playing in the seventeen year career,
starting with Pittsburgh. I remember there was a game that
you played in Arizona. Um, and you returned to kick
off for a touchdown. I think it was like a
hundred and ninety degrees on the field that day. So
many plays that you made stand out. Is there one
(04:55):
particular play or game that stands out in your mind
and your we're here, Well, there's two. Um my first
interception for a touchdown against since the against Boomer and
are wild card game against the Houston Orlers when I
made calls a humble against White when he came he
(05:15):
busted out, came to the right side. I was the
right corner, came up, made the hit ball came out.
I'm looking down the walls right there, like what the heck?
I pick it up? Uh? And you know Gary comes
out a couple of plays later and kicks a winning
field goes. So those two plays, um, I do remember
quite well. Like there yesterday of course was difficult. You're
(05:39):
injured in the first game, but they kept you active
so you could play in the Super Bowl against Dallas.
How memorable was that to be with the team, even
though it ended up in a defeat. To be able
to play after all you've been through after chearing your
a c L. Yeah, well, I mean if you really
think about it. And I've I've talked to Bill in
(06:02):
other moments, and I'm like, you know what, he's probably
the only coach out of all the thirty two teams
that would have allowed me to stay on the active roster.
He really is the rest of him, I would have
been an I R. And you know, he listened to
my argument. I did make an argument that I'm like, Okay,
(06:23):
you know we're sitting there talking to the doctor and
doctors like, Okay, it's gonna be four to six months.
I'm like four. I mean, it's like January, it's playoff time.
I can get back. Coach. It's like, get the heck out.
I'm like, Coach, I can get back from four months,
I'll be back. And he listened. Luckily for us and
(06:45):
for me, we had Carnal Lake, right, who was I mean,
he's so underrated as an athlete who played outside linebacker
U s l A comes in play strong safety, and
then he moved the corner that year. And if he
wouldn't have moved to corn Owner and played as well
as he had, and if anybody else would have got
hurt in the secondary, then I would have had to
(07:05):
go in I r so make a roster spot move
where they can bring somebody in. But Karnell played so
well and nobody else got hurt. So, you know, Bill,
and I tell him all the time, thank you. I mean,
that was my first Bowl appearance. Never knowing as an
athlete when you're gonna go again as a football team, right,
you just never know. So you know, Bill wouldn't have listened.
(07:25):
And you know us, one thing he was really fair
with with all of us that he always listened to
our voices. Our voices mattered as athletes. Um, and if
it wasn't, I wouldn't have played. And Karnell made the
Pro Bowl as a corner. And that's why we were
delighted to induct him into the Steelers Hall of Honor
this year. Role I can't imagine there's a greater thrill
(07:48):
off the field than being inducted into the Pro Football
Hall of Fame and Kent. But I'm wondering how you
felt seeing Bill Kaer Donnie Shell being inducted. Is it
kind of like a dad who's proud of his kid, Um,
you know going in, did you get that same feeling
of pride? I knew Bill was going to go in eventually. Um,
(08:12):
I knew he had to wait. You know, there's so
many of the other coaches who had multiple Super Bowl
wins are still waiting, right. I knew he knew he
was going to get in Donnie when I you know,
I saw Donnie on the list and I'm like, that
was my roommate, my rookie year, and I'm like, I
had to go back and I looked at his numbers
and I'm like, oh my gosh, this dude had fifty
(08:33):
some pigs. I didn't know that. You know, I knew
he was good. I mean, he had He used to
do this one move he used to hit like he
would be outside shade. He would have his outside shoulder
free and he would have hit through offensive linemen or
running back coming in and he would spin back inside
and make the tackle. The first time that I was like,
(08:54):
what the what? Who does that? I mean? And he
did it. He did it so patro you know. Then
that's when I started really going back and remembering everything
that uh he did. But then I remember all the
conversations that he had with me as being a good athlete,
being a prose pro, being mature on and off the field.
(09:15):
I mean, he was really He really helped me as
an athlete to keep my head straight and then not
to think I'm bigger than what I am. Um. And
I was so happy to see him going because he's
a great human being. He absolutely is. And that was
an all Steeler affair, if you will. In Canton Um
this past summer, you know you talked about transitions and
(09:36):
about Carnal moving from safety to corner. You made the
opposite switch. Do you feel that playing safety prolonged your career?
It did well. You gotta remember I played safety my
whole life, so from nine years old pal Raiders, all
the way up through high school, all the way through Purdue.
(09:57):
My last year Purdue, they did move me to the
corner for half about half the year, but my safety
was my natural spot. And then I ran my forty
At the comment, I'm like, shoot, but I think they're
gonna play you a corner, I'm like, what, Like, I
don't want to play a corner, Like I'm not a corner,
And I mean the first the one of the main
reasons I used to get beat so off. And when
I was younger, I played like a safety. I played
(10:19):
with my eyes in the backfield, and you can't do
that as a corner. So playing on the playing on
the side view, that's what I like to call it.
You're done done from top down, you know, safety you
always playing top down. You get to see if they're
all twenty two, look where a corner you're playing side view.
And I had to learn how to play out there.
And then, you know, probably ten years, twelve years into
(10:41):
my career, I'm like, you know, I kept asking wherever
I was at, like I can play safety. I mean,
that's what I do. That's who I that's who I
really am. Inside of me. I'm really a safety playing corner.
I just can run. And they allowed me to play.
And when the move when I did move to safety,
playing corner and Nickel really helped because now I mean corner,
(11:03):
every every spot on the defense really an X, right,
So it helped me kind of understand what a defense is,
where the players are going to be, where's the weakness
of the defense. And you know, I got to play
another five years with it, and it was it was fun.
I wish I had played seventeen years at safety because
it was so much easier. They couldn't take you out
of the game, like they can go to the other
side of the field at corner. Well, they can't do
(11:26):
that at safety. So that was it was fun. So yes,
it definitely long answer, Yes, it definitely helped me prolong
my career. You went into the Pro Football Hall of
Fame as a Steeler. I think everybody realized that's the
right fit. But you did play for other organizations. Um,
you want a Super Bowl with a team who shall
(11:46):
remain nameless in Pittsburgh anyway. Um, but I'm wondering, Um,
you've played in four different organizations, maybe provincially Pittsburgh's Steeler
fans everywhere. I like to think that there's something special
and different about the Steeler organization. Um, from the chief
(12:09):
to Dan now to are just the Rooney organization the
way they do things. And I wonder, having experience with
other three other organizations, is that true that the Steelers
just there's a different feel about playing for them. Yeah.
I mean it's you know, I played for really honestly
for iconic owners. You know, when you're talking about the
(12:30):
Rooney family, and I'm talking about all the Rooney's, right,
not just the one, all the Rooney's, but the difference
of the Steelers. Is that First of all, I think
it was like it was meant to be that I
came to play for the Steelers. My high school team
colors was the same as the Steelers, are uniforms of
the exact same match as the Pittsburgh Steelers. My hometown
was called Fort Wayne. We have three rivers that run
(12:51):
through it, so we have a three years festival. Every
single year. We have three of us here. I didn't
know that. I didn't know how the Rivers started in Pennsylvania.
I don't think anybody knows that. That's a great trivia question. Um,
but it was just a part of who I am.
Pro due old black and gold. You know, I wore
black and gold for eighteen years of my life, so
(13:12):
it's really who I am. But then you're meeting the
chief and seeing how they treat you, how they's really
about family and really, honestly, a lot of the old
school owners are all like that. Uh so I was.
I'm really I'm glad I played in the air, I
played in UM and played for the Steelers. UM being
around Mel Blunt, you know, got getting to go to
(13:34):
his farm and see what he does with the kids
out there. How great influence that all the older Steelers
who come back into the locker room and give back
to the current Steelers on a yearly basis. I mean,
it's it's something you don't see everywhere. You just don't.
I mean I did go to other four other iconic
teams and four iconic owners, but they didn't that didn't
(13:55):
happen on a daily like it does in Pittsburgh. And
that standard doesn't stand her. That's what that's That's what
you have to love, the standards, the standard in the
front office, on the playing field, in the locker room.
Being a Steeler, that's the difference between the Pittsburgh Steelers
and I think the rest of the teams that I
played for. And lastly, Rod in conjunction with that, coming
(14:19):
from where you come from, working class family, did you
always feel like you and the Steelers fit the personality
and the persona of western Pennsylvania. Oh yeah, I'm blue collar.
My dad's blue collar. My dad worked for International Harvester,
you know, back in the day. Um, I'm a hard
hat guy. My first job of working, uh in high
(14:41):
school was working construction. I mean, that's that's not a
blue collar. I don't know what it is I mean
breaking concrete with our switch of sledge hammer. They would
not give us a jackhammerer who were too young. So
they're like, but you can sling that sledge hammer. Go,
we need to crack those five slates right there on
the sidewalk, and we did it. Um, It's a part
(15:02):
of who I am. I mean, and Chuck don't let
us know. If you don't tackle, you need playing. So
I'm like, oh, yeah, I'm a tackle. We played tackle
football in the streets of fur Wayne, I mean me
and my brothers. I got I got face driven into
the snow quite often when I was young, So tackle
football for me is a part of part of life.
(15:22):
Getting your hands dirty as a part of life. So yeah,
it was. I think it was a match meet in heaven.
M
M H. Welcome to everyone and Steelers nature. I'm standing Saverean,
and it's our great pleasure to welcome in Steelers Hall
of Famer Rod Woodson, Rod welcome. Good to see it, good, Senior.
(00:26):
I would imagine that any rookie who's drafted, or even
an undrafted rookie feels pressure to first of all make
the team. Uh that's not necessarily the case with number
one draft picks as you were, However, was there a
different kind of pressure in that you were expected to
come in and contribute right away? I was, but I
(00:47):
held out until October. So, uh, you know, we're trying
to figure out the number of the deal. Um, we
really couldn't come to the dollar dollar agreement that we
you know that I would I expect acted. I thought
I was gonna go a little bit higher in the draft.
I slipped down, which I'm glad I did slip down
to uh, you know, to tenth overall, and it didn't
(01:10):
go fourth or fifth. I would have been in Cleveland somewhere. Man,
I would have been miserable. But you know, just trying
to figure that out, and then you know, the one
thing that my agent told me is like, you know,
just believing who you are, make your stand, believe in it.
And you know, luckily for me, you know, I wasn't idle.
I was running track. So I went over the Europe
and ran over there for uh several months, which had
(01:33):
a gorgeous time over there, going to the East France
and all that stuff, being a twenty one year old
knuckle head kid from Indiana and Purdue going over there.
But then you know, I finally came back and we
reached agreement, um, and I got to come in then
October um, and uh that's when the pressure kind of
hit right, like you're like, okay, Thomas ever you know,
(01:58):
you know he was the same classmate. I knew who
Thomas was because he was the first Gym thorpe or
War winner from the collegiate ranks. Uh. You know, he
went to Baylor. I knew Dalton Hall. You know, we
were at our mini camps together. Um, so I knew
those guys are already playing. So me coming in being late,
you know, trying to figure out like how am I
going to get on the field, how can I contribute
(02:19):
to the team. Uh. You know, Luckily for me, you know,
Chuck was patient. I had a great coach in Tony Dungee. Um,
and I worked my way through, working your way through.
Was it uh a great benefit that you were able
to return kicks as a way to immediately, uh, you know,
contribute until you learned the new launces of the defense. Yeah,
(02:41):
returning you know, the kickoff returns. We had Louis doing
the punt return because Louie had great hands. Um. But
luckily I was fast, you know, I was fast and
at decent envision for a kickoff returner, especially playing defense
for the most part. Um. You know, so it got me,
gave me an opportunity to step onto the field and
to contribute to the team in a positive sense, hopefully.
(03:03):
When you think about being drafted number one, there were
a number of picks before you. Um, A couple of
teams made unexpected picks which allowed you to fall to
the Steelers. Uh. Chuck Noll, who wasn't terribly effusive, is
that fair term? Um? When asked did he like the
draft pick, he said, I love him. That was not
(03:24):
typical of Chuck Noll. That feel like you were wanted
right away? Well, I mean I didn't. I didn't read
the articles. I mean I did hear the stories. Um,
you know, I never talked to the Steelers leading up
to the draft. We never had one conversation. UM. I
talked to all the other teams and then like top fifteen,
but the Steelers we never had that conversation. Um. But
(03:47):
when I got picked, when I got the phone call,
when I was sitting at home on Jefferson Avenue before
winning Dana with the family, UM, I was like absolutely.
And then I'm you know, I'm thinking in my head,
these guys got They're pretty good. You know, I'm thinking
with still curtain. And then you know, when I got here,
meeting you know, me and Joe Green was our defensive
line coach. So meeting me and Joe um kind of iconic. Right.
(04:10):
Donnie Shell was still on the team. Uh, Stalworth was
still on the team, and so meet seeing those guys
on TV winning Super Bowls, you know, previous years. Then
having the iconic Chuck no was the head coach. It
was so so real. Being a country boy from Indiana
this point, I started playing football because my tooler brothers
(04:34):
played football. Ended up playing in the seventeen year career,
starting with Pittsburgh. I remember there was a game that
you played in Arizona. Um, and you returned to kick
off for a touchdown. I think it was like a
hundred and ninety degrees on the field that day. So
many plays that you made stand out. Is there one
(04:55):
particular play or game that stands out in your mind
and your we're here, Well, there's two. Um my first
interception for a touchdown against since the against Boomer and
are wild card game against the Houston Orlers when I
made calls a humble against White when he came he
(05:15):
busted out, came to the right side. I was the
right corner, came up, made the hit ball came out.
I'm looking down the walls right there, like what the heck?
I pick it up? Uh? And you know Gary comes
out a couple of plays later and kicks a winning
field goes. So those two plays, um, I do remember
quite well. Like there yesterday of course was difficult. You're
(05:39):
injured in the first game, but they kept you active
so you could play in the Super Bowl against Dallas.
How memorable was that to be with the team, even
though it ended up in a defeat. To be able
to play after all you've been through after chearing your
a c L. Yeah, well, I mean if you really
think about it. And I've I've talked to Bill in
(06:02):
other moments, and I'm like, you know what, he's probably
the only coach out of all the thirty two teams
that would have allowed me to stay on the active roster.
He really is the rest of him, I would have
been an I R. And you know, he listened to
my argument. I did make an argument that I'm like, Okay,
(06:23):
you know we're sitting there talking to the doctor and
doctors like, Okay, it's gonna be four to six months.
I'm like four. I mean, it's like January, it's playoff time.
I can get back. Coach. It's like, get the heck out.
I'm like, Coach, I can get back from four months,
I'll be back. And he listened. Luckily for us and
(06:45):
for me, we had Carnal Lake, right, who was I mean,
he's so underrated as an athlete who played outside linebacker
U s l A comes in play strong safety, and
then he moved the corner that year. And if he
wouldn't have moved to corn Owner and played as well
as he had, and if anybody else would have got
hurt in the secondary, then I would have had to
(07:05):
go in I r so make a roster spot move
where they can bring somebody in. But Karnell played so
well and nobody else got hurt. So, you know, Bill,
and I tell him all the time, thank you. I mean,
that was my first Bowl appearance. Never knowing as an
athlete when you're gonna go again as a football team, right,
you just never know. So you know, Bill wouldn't have listened.
(07:25):
And you know us, one thing he was really fair
with with all of us that he always listened to
our voices. Our voices mattered as athletes. Um, and if
it wasn't, I wouldn't have played. And Karnell made the
Pro Bowl as a corner. And that's why we were
delighted to induct him into the Steelers Hall of Honor
this year. Role I can't imagine there's a greater thrill
(07:48):
off the field than being inducted into the Pro Football
Hall of Fame and Kent. But I'm wondering how you
felt seeing Bill Kaer Donnie Shell being inducted. Is it
kind of like a dad who's proud of his kid, Um,
you know going in, did you get that same feeling
of pride? I knew Bill was going to go in eventually. Um,
(08:12):
I knew he had to wait. You know, there's so
many of the other coaches who had multiple Super Bowl
wins are still waiting, right. I knew he knew he
was going to get in Donnie when I you know,
I saw Donnie on the list and I'm like, that
was my roommate, my rookie year, and I'm like, I
had to go back and I looked at his numbers
and I'm like, oh my gosh, this dude had fifty
(08:33):
some pigs. I didn't know that. You know, I knew
he was good. I mean, he had He used to
do this one move he used to hit like he
would be outside shade. He would have his outside shoulder
free and he would have hit through offensive linemen or
running back coming in and he would spin back inside
and make the tackle. The first time that I was like,
(08:54):
what the what? Who does that? I mean? And he
did it. He did it so patro you know. Then
that's when I started really going back and remembering everything
that uh he did. But then I remember all the
conversations that he had with me as being a good athlete,
being a prose pro, being mature on and off the field.
(09:15):
I mean, he was really He really helped me as
an athlete to keep my head straight and then not
to think I'm bigger than what I am. Um. And
I was so happy to see him going because he's
a great human being. He absolutely is. And that was
an all Steeler affair, if you will. In Canton Um
this past summer, you know you talked about transitions and
(09:36):
about Carnal moving from safety to corner. You made the
opposite switch. Do you feel that playing safety prolonged your career?
It did well. You gotta remember I played safety my
whole life, so from nine years old pal Raiders, all
the way up through high school, all the way through Purdue.
(09:57):
My last year Purdue, they did move me to the
corner for half about half the year, but my safety
was my natural spot. And then I ran my forty
At the comment, I'm like, shoot, but I think they're
gonna play you a corner, I'm like, what, Like, I
don't want to play a corner, Like I'm not a corner,
And I mean the first the one of the main
reasons I used to get beat so off. And when
I was younger, I played like a safety. I played
(10:19):
with my eyes in the backfield, and you can't do
that as a corner. So playing on the playing on
the side view, that's what I like to call it.
You're done done from top down, you know, safety you
always playing top down. You get to see if they're
all twenty two, look where a corner you're playing side view.
And I had to learn how to play out there.
And then, you know, probably ten years, twelve years into
(10:41):
my career, I'm like, you know, I kept asking wherever
I was at, like I can play safety. I mean,
that's what I do. That's who I that's who I
really am. Inside of me. I'm really a safety playing corner.
I just can run. And they allowed me to play.
And when the move when I did move to safety,
playing corner and Nickel really helped because now I mean corner,
(11:03):
every every spot on the defense really an X, right,
So it helped me kind of understand what a defense is,
where the players are going to be, where's the weakness
of the defense. And you know, I got to play
another five years with it, and it was it was fun.
I wish I had played seventeen years at safety because
it was so much easier. They couldn't take you out
of the game, like they can go to the other
side of the field at corner. Well, they can't do
(11:26):
that at safety. So that was it was fun. So yes,
it definitely long answer, Yes, it definitely helped me prolong
my career. You went into the Pro Football Hall of
Fame as a Steeler. I think everybody realized that's the
right fit. But you did play for other organizations. Um,
you want a Super Bowl with a team who shall
(11:46):
remain nameless in Pittsburgh anyway. Um, but I'm wondering, Um,
you've played in four different organizations, maybe provincially Pittsburgh's Steeler
fans everywhere. I like to think that there's something special
and different about the Steeler organization. Um, from the chief
(12:09):
to Dan now to are just the Rooney organization the
way they do things. And I wonder, having experience with
other three other organizations, is that true that the Steelers
just there's a different feel about playing for them. Yeah.
I mean it's you know, I played for really honestly
for iconic owners. You know, when you're talking about the
(12:30):
Rooney family, and I'm talking about all the Rooney's, right,
not just the one, all the Rooney's, but the difference
of the Steelers. Is that First of all, I think
it was like it was meant to be that I
came to play for the Steelers. My high school team
colors was the same as the Steelers, are uniforms of
the exact same match as the Pittsburgh Steelers. My hometown
was called Fort Wayne. We have three rivers that run
(12:51):
through it, so we have a three years festival. Every
single year. We have three of us here. I didn't
know that. I didn't know how the Rivers started in Pennsylvania.
I don't think anybody knows that. That's a great trivia question. Um,
but it was just a part of who I am.
Pro due old black and gold. You know, I wore
black and gold for eighteen years of my life, so
(13:12):
it's really who I am. But then you're meeting the
chief and seeing how they treat you, how they's really
about family and really, honestly, a lot of the old
school owners are all like that. Uh so I was.
I'm really I'm glad I played in the air, I
played in UM and played for the Steelers. UM being
around Mel Blunt, you know, got getting to go to
(13:34):
his farm and see what he does with the kids
out there. How great influence that all the older Steelers
who come back into the locker room and give back
to the current Steelers on a yearly basis. I mean,
it's it's something you don't see everywhere. You just don't.
I mean I did go to other four other iconic
teams and four iconic owners, but they didn't that didn't
(13:55):
happen on a daily like it does in Pittsburgh. And
that standard doesn't stand her. That's what that's That's what
you have to love, the standards, the standard in the
front office, on the playing field, in the locker room.
Being a Steeler, that's the difference between the Pittsburgh Steelers
and I think the rest of the teams that I
played for. And lastly, Rod in conjunction with that, coming
(14:19):
from where you come from, working class family, did you
always feel like you and the Steelers fit the personality
and the persona of western Pennsylvania. Oh yeah, I'm blue collar.
My dad's blue collar. My dad worked for International Harvester,
you know, back in the day. Um, I'm a hard
hat guy. My first job of working, uh in high
(14:41):
school was working construction. I mean, that's that's not a
blue collar. I don't know what it is I mean
breaking concrete with our switch of sledge hammer. They would
not give us a jackhammerer who were too young. So
they're like, but you can sling that sledge hammer. Go,
we need to crack those five slates right there on
the sidewalk, and we did it. Um, It's a part
(15:02):
of who I am. I mean, and Chuck don't let
us know. If you don't tackle, you need playing. So
I'm like, oh, yeah, I'm a tackle. We played tackle
football in the streets of fur Wayne, I mean me
and my brothers. I got I got face driven into
the snow quite often when I was young, So tackle
football for me is a part of part of life.
(15:22):
Getting your hands dirty as a part of life. So yeah,
it was. I think it was a match meet in heaven.
M
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