Latest / The Irish Steelers Podcast / July 27th, 1997: The day the Steelers played in Dublin, Ireland

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July 27th, 1997: The day the Steelers played in Dublin, Ireland · The Irish Steelers Podcast

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Hey Cooks walking into the Irish Sailors podcast and not
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: a bit closer to the NFL's to see the podcast
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Steelers fans and Ireland and beyond. Michael mcquid delighted to
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: be joined by Jimmy English. Deev is not here this week.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: He's not a wall. Jimmy's and a family wedding or something.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: So hope to hope Dave that you're back in time
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: for training camp. Jimmy your center stage just week with
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: them not being here, always under stage.
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: Having is witty, you know, charm to keep us on
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: our toes. So it's just me and you this this
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: even Michael, but look it's it's it's our fourth podcast.
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: You know, it's been great one so far and long
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: may continue.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: It's been great, crack and like you know, this podcast
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: is going out as training camp has started, and I know,
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: I think for us obviously during the season, we're going
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: to have situations, Jimmy, where we'll try and react to
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: these gay as quickly as possible, and it'll be very
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: up to date in that sense. We'll, you know, outside
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: of that, what we will go in and night in
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: a little bit different elements and different subjects like we're
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: going to do today, So we'll talk about that more
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: in a middle of what we'd like to hear from
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: fans and from listeners to this podcast next week. This
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: is a special podcast. This podcast is going out on
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: the anniversary of the game that took place in Crok
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: Park in nineteen ninety seven, Jimmy between the Pittsburgh Theedars
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: and Chicago Bears. Now, first off, we'll just get this
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: across for the listener for the viear and neither of
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: us were at this game though, no no depth.
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: Unfortunately at that stage of my life, Mike and I
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: wasn't even aware of American football.
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: But have I been, I would have surely been in attendance.
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: You know.
• 1:49
  Speaker 3: It's just Irish.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: American football in Ireland has taken off in a massive
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: way in the past number of years, especially interest in
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: the NFN in particular, aided of course by the recent
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: news of the international expansion by the Steeers. But it's
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: for me, it's mad to think that this game is even
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: happen back in nineteen ninety seven, and then it just
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: shows you that there was always a core group of
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: American football fans in Ireland long long before the NFL
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: madness took over. So to have that base in which
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: to grow now is fantastic.
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: I think it's about all I think for there's a
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: lot of people call an arch generation, almost like second
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: we of the fan internationally, and I know a lot
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: of people in Ireland will be on listening to this
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: will maybe have been in that bubble where they did
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: not grow up and had that game of Crew Park.
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: And the reason that is such a big deal is
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: because you know, there has not been a game of
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: crow Park since and this game was a preseason game.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: Obviously we've seen the very successful games in London for
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: the Gods of fifteen years and obviously now we've got
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: gams in Germany and Lonely that continued. We obviously Jimmy
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: Doo long for a game in Dublin and I think
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: that conversation is for something to have at a different point.
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: But it's pretty cool because it's not just a matter
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: of saying this game happened and that's it, because there's
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: so much more. Obviously with the Staters history, the family
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: ties that are really family and don't really God rest them,
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: you know, he that meant so much to him to
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: actually bring his team over in a time where, you know,
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: in the late nineties, even the thought of a regular
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: season game would have been just so out there it
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: wouldn't have happened. It was still another eleven years until
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: it happened in London.
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, So there's that, of course, and the fact
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: that it was you know, that team, it was the
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: Vice of Coward, it was Betty's, it was those big
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: names were traveling across the playing buben and not just that, Michael,
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: it's the fact that overall it was too you know,
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: really recognizable franchises in the studios and the Bears who
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: had a proud history to really two of the blue
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: blood teams in the NFL who came over. This was
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: this was a big deal.
• 4:05
  Speaker 3: At the time.
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: I think we're kind of you know, these days, we're
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: almost spoiled with the availability of professional football at our doorstep.
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: You know, we have the London games every year, we
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: have the the the expansion into Germany now, so you're
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: you're never more than two hours away from an American
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: football game during the in Europe during the season. So
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: we look back to nineteen ninety seven and just how
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: much of a big deal this was this game to
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: take place, you know, and like we say, it is
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: a topic for a different time in the place. But
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: I think where we've been started with an NFL game
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: here in Ireland, and I think it's it's closer to
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: us than we think.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: It's funny because we've heard so many different reactions, but
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: I think for a lot of people they look back
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: upon it fondly. And I feel for a lot of
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: people that were in Dublin and for the Sailors organization,
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: like I can't I mean, I know we can't speak
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: on behalf of them, Jimmy, but we we seen it first.
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: Just how much it meant to them to be black
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: and Crook Park and you're you're, you're by on the
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: stadium has completely changed. I think it has part from
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: that man stand and that's the thing that we said
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: last time. You could just imagine a reincarnation of that
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: at some point in the future.
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: Yeah, no, Michael, I remember stepping out, just taking on
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: in during during the Stears logredny Crow Park, and just
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: I could imagine the roar of the crowd and every
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: seat deck there black and go the Steelers and just
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: you know, changing, here we go, here we go, so
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: I think, you know, and like you said, there there
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: is that connection there, that that family connection Rounis half
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: to Ireland. Then you know, you really could see how
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: much they were loving just being back in there in
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: their ancestral home and they went up to they went
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: up to to Newry as well the next day promote
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: the game. So I mean that family connection is well
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: and surely a lie between Steers and Irelands. There's a
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: great sense of heritage there. I think, you know, the
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: connection between the country and we're going to be strengthened
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: in the coming years. So to have to have that
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: base there in the nineteen ninety seven game is just
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: something that to be built on moving forward.
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: I think, well, as we look back on this historic moment,
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: we're going to chat to a guy that was on
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: the field in ninety seven and cook Park on a second,
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: and we're also going to hear from a massive Staters
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: span from Ireland who was at the game in ninety
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: seven and it has been a Staeters fan for a
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: generation or more and we're just really excited. Sort of
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: good memory lane and help us to look towards the future.
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: But I would say, folks, if you have any memories
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: or any questions that you would like to ask us,
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: please let us know. So here is our first guest
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: player that was on the field in nineteen ninety seven. Okay, books,
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: As we roll on on our special Staters podcast for
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: the Irishities podcast, we're going to look at the nineteen
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: ninety seven game. I'm hard to believe it was almost
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: thirty years ago, and we've got a guy that played
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: for the Staters, not just on that day, but you know,
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: for multiple years between nineteen ninety five Antifas State we
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: got former Theaters tight end Mark Brunner.
• 7:14
  Speaker 4: Mark.
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: First off, as we said, Ireland j Marts, how do
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: you do.
• 7:20
  Speaker 3: I'm doing great. I'm doing great.
• 7:22
  Speaker 4: I really appreciate the opportunity to come on your show,
• 7:25
  Speaker 4: and you made me feel really old when you talked
• 7:27
  Speaker 4: about how well it's been since the game back in
• 7:30
  Speaker 4: ninety seven. But there's a lot of fond memories from
• 7:34
  Speaker 4: my time with Pittsburgh and playing the game in Ireland
• 7:37
  Speaker 4: at Croke Park was definitely one of the first great memories.
• 7:42
  Speaker 4: Second year with the team at the time, and it's
• 7:45
  Speaker 4: one of those saints to where you start off with
• 7:47
  Speaker 4: this season.
• 7:48
  Speaker 3: On a good note. By paying playing over in your place.
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: Talk to us just before we go into ninety Stave
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: and Mark, this is a big question, but just just generally,
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: you know, talk to us about your career. You know,
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: a real great career in the senseled for many years
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: in the league. You've plad at Pittsburgh for a number
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: of years, finish off in Houston. You must look back
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: in your time in Pittsburgh jenerally, but with great pride
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: to represented the organization.
• 8:12
  Speaker 4: I got drafted BOYT Pittsburgh in nineteen ninety five. Night
• 8:15
  Speaker 4: I was drafted, I was the twenty seventh pick in
• 8:17
  Speaker 4: the first round. The night I was drafted, my agent
• 8:19
  Speaker 4: told me, congratulations, you just got drafted by the best team.
• 8:22
  Speaker 4: And I knew of Pittsburgh. I knew that of the
• 8:27
  Speaker 4: legacy from from the four championships in the seventies that decade.
• 8:32
  Speaker 4: I knew of coach Coward because they brought me in
• 8:34
  Speaker 4: for a pre draft interview, of pre derect visit, so
• 8:37
  Speaker 4: I had kind of a general understanding of the organization. However,
• 8:41
  Speaker 4: once you entered that building and you meet the Ruining family,
• 8:44
  Speaker 4: and you understand and you're exposed to the way that
• 8:47
  Speaker 4: the Steel organization is run. It's truly an honor and
• 8:51
  Speaker 4: it is truly a blessing. And for me to be
• 8:53
  Speaker 4: able to play nine years for that team, every year
• 8:56
  Speaker 4: that I was there, at every game, every time I
• 8:58
  Speaker 4: entered that building, I was honored and that was fortunate
• 9:01
  Speaker 4: to go and played for the Houston Texans for five
• 9:02
  Speaker 4: years after my time with Pittsburg and had a great
• 9:06
  Speaker 4: time down there, and then shortly after I retired, I
• 9:09
  Speaker 4: had an opportunity to come back and scout for the organization.
• 9:11
  Speaker 4: So I've been a scout now since the year of
• 9:13
  Speaker 4: twenty ten, and to me, it's an opportunity for me
• 9:17
  Speaker 4: to continue to give back and find players to help
• 9:19
  Speaker 4: us win with jam Beachips.
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: You mentioned being dropped there and you were a first
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: round drop pick in the theaters back in nineteen ninety five.
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: Do you feel that there is a particular kind of
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: procede or pressure that comes to being your first round
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: drop pick.
• 9:31
  Speaker 4: There's a lot of pressure no matter when you're picked
• 9:35
  Speaker 4: by a team, but to be a first round draft choice,
• 9:38
  Speaker 4: there's an extreme amount of pressure. Eric Green was the
• 9:41
  Speaker 4: premiere tight end for the team at the time he
• 9:43
  Speaker 4: left to be a free agency to go to Miami Dolphins.
• 9:46
  Speaker 4: So you want to talk about big shoes to fill.
• 9:48
  Speaker 4: You know, Eric Green was almost three undred pounds as
• 9:50
  Speaker 4: a tight end, extremely athletic, and I'm trying to be
• 9:53
  Speaker 4: positive and complimentary with that. So I had some really
• 9:56
  Speaker 4: big shoes to fill because I was only two earn
• 9:58
  Speaker 4: sixty pounds at the time. So, yes, you do have
• 10:02
  Speaker 4: in a mess amount pressure. There's a mess amount of
• 10:03
  Speaker 4: pressure just playing the game, period, and then you go
• 10:06
  Speaker 4: to a great organization and then you're trying to tear
• 10:08
  Speaker 4: over the shoes and really.
• 10:10
  Speaker 3: Live up to the height of being a first round pick.
• 10:14
  Speaker 4: There there was a lot of a lot of sleepless
• 10:16
  Speaker 4: nights and a lot of angst and anxiety that I
• 10:19
  Speaker 4: was going through. But you know, one person in particular
• 10:21
  Speaker 4: was a Teamager's.
• 10:22
  Speaker 3: Name is Jonathan Hayes.
• 10:23
  Speaker 4: And Jonathan was in his eleventh year, my rookie year,
• 10:25
  Speaker 4: tied end with myself. He brought me under his wing
• 10:28
  Speaker 4: and taught me how to be a true pro, taught
• 10:30
  Speaker 4: me how to be a Steeler, And I'll never forget that,
• 10:33
  Speaker 4: and I'm always indebted to him because I truly believe
• 10:36
  Speaker 4: that my length of my career of fourteen years was
• 10:39
  Speaker 4: largely due to the impact that I had by the
• 10:42
  Speaker 4: organization itself and by people like Jonathan Hayes that taught
• 10:46
  Speaker 4: me how to be a pro local.
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: The ninety seven mark, now for people listening to this
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: podcast that maybe artists sack and wave a bit of
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: national generational funds like also for example Mark that may
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: not remember ninety seventh. The NFL played a lot of
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: pre season games across the world then. But I guess,
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: I guess the one thing that was different for just
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: not just for yourself, but for the entire roster was
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: that sense of real homecoming, not just for the staters,
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: but but for the Ready family especially. And you know,
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: I just I'd love to know, you know, first of all,
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: what was that excite? What was there an excitement in
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: the in the locker room when you guys knew that
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: it was a little you know, it was a different
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: type of preseason to just the usual one. You had
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: the opportunity to go to Ireland on the playing group park.
• 11:31
  Speaker 4: Let's let's let me help you put the paint the
• 11:33
  Speaker 4: picture here. A normal preseason game is a normal game, period,
• 11:37
  Speaker 4: but preseason you travel the night before if it's an
• 11:41
  Speaker 4: away game, to the to the to the home city
• 11:44
  Speaker 4: or to the city where the game is. You go
• 11:45
  Speaker 4: and play the game, and depended on what preseason game is,
• 11:49
  Speaker 4: you might play a quarter, you might play two quarters
• 11:51
  Speaker 4: or three quarters or very little. And it's like, can
• 11:55
  Speaker 4: we get in and came when we get out without
• 11:57
  Speaker 4: having anybody get hurt? Uh, and let's work on some things. Well,
• 12:01
  Speaker 4: the trip to Ireland, you're going to the Rooney family's homeland,
• 12:05
  Speaker 4: so right then and there you're like, oh man, this
• 12:07
  Speaker 4: is for real. And then we realized we're going to
• 12:10
  Speaker 4: be there a week prior, so you have a whole
• 12:12
  Speaker 4: week there in the Ironland. And it brought our families.
• 12:15
  Speaker 4: They allowed us to bring our families, so like this
• 12:17
  Speaker 4: this was a big time event. This was not just
• 12:19
  Speaker 4: a preseason game. Like this was a big time event.
• 12:23
  Speaker 4: And Jimmy talking to me about pressure being the first
• 12:25
  Speaker 4: round pick, Well, you want to talk about the pressure
• 12:27
  Speaker 4: that the players were in general were experiencing because we
• 12:30
  Speaker 4: were going to the Rooney family homeland and we wanted
• 12:32
  Speaker 4: to make sure that we represented mister Rooney and his
• 12:35
  Speaker 4: family the right way.
• 12:37
  Speaker 3: So very excited.
• 12:39
  Speaker 4: There were so many great things that we experienced while
• 12:42
  Speaker 4: we were there and they made a lot of great
• 12:44
  Speaker 4: things for our family to experience as well. So from
• 12:47
  Speaker 4: the day we stepped off the playing to the night
• 12:51
  Speaker 4: that we flew out after the game, there was something
• 12:54
  Speaker 4: positive happening for the steven players, the families and the
• 12:57
  Speaker 4: Rooney family, and it was definitely a book trip.
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: You know, you talk about having your your family there,
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: so obviously it was a special occasion for yourself, but
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: also a memorable trip and an amazing experience to your family.
• 13:11
  Speaker 2: It just how special was of having the entire you know,
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: you had your wife Tracy there. I believe your parents,
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: your sister were there, your in laws and your grandfather,
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: but the whole client came over with the tip of
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: the to Ireland. So you know, how was it for
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: you to have to be able to experience that with them?
• 13:28
  Speaker 4: It was It was great because number one training camp
• 13:31
  Speaker 4: is a real grind and for you to be able
• 13:33
  Speaker 4: to have a week away from training camp, it was
• 13:35
  Speaker 4: an opportunity to kind of recharge the batteries. You're in
• 13:38
  Speaker 4: a great country, uh that we're treating the team and.
• 13:42
  Speaker 3: The whole NFL great.
• 13:44
  Speaker 4: Be able to work during it in the early part
• 13:46
  Speaker 4: of the day and have the afternoon to experience the country,
• 13:49
  Speaker 4: experience the culture was incredible. I know they planned trips
• 13:53
  Speaker 4: that I wasn't able to go on, but they went
• 13:55
  Speaker 4: up to the Warfare. They took a train in there,
• 13:58
  Speaker 4: and we're able to experien it's, you know, the tour
• 14:01
  Speaker 4: of the facility and like do different things where they
• 14:04
  Speaker 4: can actually really understand the culture of a wire of
• 14:07
  Speaker 4: it and really understand the culture of what Dublin has
• 14:10
  Speaker 4: to provide for normally the local residents, but the visitors,
• 14:13
  Speaker 4: to me was incredible. One quick story with my family
• 14:16
  Speaker 4: as you as you recall, Uh, they were outside of
• 14:19
  Speaker 4: the hotel and there was a van and so they
• 14:21
  Speaker 4: thought and it was like a family band to transport
• 14:24
  Speaker 4: them to whatever next to Bennett was. So they're climbing
• 14:27
  Speaker 4: in this van and come to find out it was
• 14:29
  Speaker 4: our equipment Managerspan and he was getting ready to go
• 14:32
  Speaker 4: over to the stadium for practice for us, and he
• 14:37
  Speaker 4: they were all under this kind of worry. And Tony
• 14:39
  Speaker 4: Percy is his name. He walks in and looks at
• 14:42
  Speaker 4: him and he says, and what are you guys doing here?
• 14:44
  Speaker 4: We're like, oh, we thought we were going out this
• 14:46
  Speaker 4: tour wherever that tour was he goes, now, this is
• 14:48
  Speaker 4: the equipment van they need to get out of here.
• 14:50
  Speaker 4: So they all filed out and they ended up finding
• 14:52
  Speaker 4: the right big But you know things like that are
• 14:55
  Speaker 4: you know, memorable experiences. And you know Tony was a
• 14:58
  Speaker 4: good guy not to really beat about two larder get.
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: The thing is like this was such a big deal
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: even back to like we said previously, just bess out
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: and Jimmy like Fox came over. They had the full
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: crew over bar Joel Matin you couldn't fly And but
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: you mentioned there about Waterford and I had the chance
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: to speak to coach Carr I think a couple of
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: years ago when he told us a story about the
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: trophy and how much Don readie one of it for
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: his wife Pats, and Coach Cayr may have had a
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: small conversation with hees to try and try and speak
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: to you because that that's the thing, like it's it's
• 15:34
  Speaker 1: a preseason game. You probably weren't expecting to maybe play
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: as much and then boom, suddenly it turned into like
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: half a mini season game.
• 15:41
  Speaker 4: And that's well, first and foremost, let's make sure we're
• 15:44
  Speaker 4: extremely honest and Trent coach Coward is one of the
• 15:47
  Speaker 4: most competitive people, not only football coaches, football players, but
• 15:52
  Speaker 4: competitive person I've been around.
• 15:54
  Speaker 3: We're talking from racquetball to getting the line.
• 15:56
  Speaker 4: To get food of cafeteria when I was there, et cetera.
• 16:00
  Speaker 4: For mister Rooney and for Missus Rooney to make a
• 16:03
  Speaker 4: combat like, hey, I really like this water for trophy
• 16:06
  Speaker 4: and Coach Coward to understand the importance of that based
• 16:10
  Speaker 4: on what its owner.
• 16:11
  Speaker 3: Uh and his.
• 16:12
  Speaker 4: Boss was asking him, not really asking him, but indirectly
• 16:14
  Speaker 4: asking him. Then we felt the pressure, we felt the heat.
• 16:18
  Speaker 4: So yes, I'm sure that quits maybe different play calls
• 16:21
  Speaker 4: are different, attention to detail that he made that game.
• 16:24
  Speaker 4: And also though if you look across the jewel day
• 16:26
  Speaker 4: one Statt was was a coach for the Bears at
• 16:28
  Speaker 4: the time, so he had a little little evand atta, hey,
• 16:30
  Speaker 4: look make sure I can give one over on date.
• 16:32
  Speaker 4: Coach wants that as well, So there was a lot
• 16:35
  Speaker 4: of motivation for us to bring that trophy over mister's body.
• 16:38
  Speaker 3: Mark talked to us about the game. It's old. You know.
• 16:42
  Speaker 3: One of what stands out to.
• 16:43
  Speaker 2: You with some of the fond memories are that you
• 16:47
  Speaker 2: know about what's in particular about that they stands out
• 16:50
  Speaker 2: to you know, being on the fields and listening to
• 16:53
  Speaker 2: the anthem and crow Park and how did you feel
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: on that day if you can recall, well.
• 16:59
  Speaker 4: Gulie, if I can go back just a little bit before,
• 17:02
  Speaker 4: during the week of practice, we practiced against the Chicago Bears. Okay,
• 17:06
  Speaker 4: and Jerome Bettis was our star writing back at the time,
• 17:10
  Speaker 4: and you know, Hall of Fame right back, and we had,
• 17:12
  Speaker 4: you know, a lot of Hall of famers on the team,
• 17:13
  Speaker 4: from Jamary Dawson to people that really if you look
• 17:20
  Speaker 4: at you like, man, these guys were amazing players. So
• 17:23
  Speaker 4: we're practicing against the Chicago Bears, and our tempo with
• 17:27
  Speaker 4: Gerome was to always thud not tackle into the ground
• 17:30
  Speaker 4: because number one is such a large man and great athlete.
• 17:33
  Speaker 3: But then we didn't want to hurt it. Well, the
• 17:35
  Speaker 3: Chicago Bearers got it. They practice where they tackle their
• 17:38
  Speaker 3: running backs to the ground.
• 17:39
  Speaker 4: So we're in our first practice and they're tackling Jerome
• 17:43
  Speaker 4: to the ground and he comes back to the huddle
• 17:46
  Speaker 4: and he's like, hey, these guys are tackling me to
• 17:47
  Speaker 4: the ground. They were like, no, no, no, you're not
• 17:49
  Speaker 4: going to do that to our writing back, so we
• 17:51
  Speaker 4: had a little extra edge to us to make sure
• 17:53
  Speaker 4: that they weren't going to be hurt in Jerome during
• 17:56
  Speaker 4: the game, if you know.
• 17:56
  Speaker 3: What I'm saying.
• 17:59
  Speaker 4: And then we come to game time and the way
• 18:02
  Speaker 4: the crowd, the cool thing was again for us, a
• 18:06
  Speaker 4: normal presets game, you're you're only at the stadium, well
• 18:09
  Speaker 4: you only see the opponent's.
• 18:10
  Speaker 3: Jerseys or your jerseys.
• 18:12
  Speaker 4: Well, because of the way the fans are there, they
• 18:15
  Speaker 4: might have a Miami Dolphins jersey, or they might have
• 18:17
  Speaker 4: a LA Chargers or City Chargers at the time, or
• 18:22
  Speaker 4: Seattle Seahawks or Aggreevia Packers, even though that team, those
• 18:26
  Speaker 4: teams aren't playing. These guys are just this fanatics, football fanatics,
• 18:30
  Speaker 4: And to.
• 18:31
  Speaker 3: Me, I think that's awesome. I think it's it's incredible.
• 18:34
  Speaker 4: So, you know, one of the things that stands out
• 18:36
  Speaker 4: to me is the way the crowd was in And
• 18:39
  Speaker 4: I don't know if they necessarily picked the team to
• 18:41
  Speaker 4: root for as much as just hey, with the offense scored,
• 18:44
  Speaker 4: then they were cheering, or if the defense got a sack,
• 18:46
  Speaker 4: then they were chaired like no matter of what they
• 18:47
  Speaker 4: were chairing.
• 18:48
  Speaker 3: So to me, those were some standout things as far
• 18:50
  Speaker 3: as the world.
• 18:51
  Speaker 4: We were treated by the fans, and it's how the
• 18:53
  Speaker 4: reception and enthusiasm that the fans had during the game,
• 18:57
  Speaker 4: I thought was impressive.
• 18:59
  Speaker 2: You still got that at games here across the Pond,
• 19:02
  Speaker 2: where Okay, you're gonna have the teams with the jerseys
• 19:05
  Speaker 2: of the teams that are playing, but you're still gonna
• 19:07
  Speaker 2: get that mixed. You're gonna see every jersey you can
• 19:10
  Speaker 2: think of, you know, from football, pro, pro football, already college, seriousy.
• 19:15
  Speaker 3: You know, it works.
• 19:16
  Speaker 2: So it's funny that that was stead of thing back
• 19:18
  Speaker 2: in ninety seven.
• 19:20
  Speaker 3: I think it's great, I really do. I think it's.
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: Awesome, just just finally on ninety seven. For me, Mark,
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: it's funny. I was watching a couple of television broadcasts
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: from from from ninety seven this week, and I was
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: also watching the coverage that was on American television that week,
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: and they were showing videos of you guys going on
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: a golfing trip, Adell hitting some shots on the golf course.
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: Everyone when they think of Arden the Stashie from the States,
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: I think things of golf courses, but like, you guys
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: really had that next level sort of camaraderie and training camp,
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: and that I guess in terms of bonding with a team,
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: that really helped.
• 19:56
  Speaker 4: I think so I think that the best teams that
• 19:59
  Speaker 4: I ever was a part of, or the closest team.
• 20:03
  Speaker 4: And what I'm saying about closest teams is you know,
• 20:05
  Speaker 4: you you were close with your teammates, but you were
• 20:08
  Speaker 4: also close in the way where you wanted to do
• 20:10
  Speaker 4: things outside of football with your teammates.
• 20:12
  Speaker 3: And that's when you get to know the person as
• 20:14
  Speaker 3: a person and not only a football player.
• 20:16
  Speaker 4: And I remember golfing in the event, and it was
• 20:20
  Speaker 4: a link style course and you know, the hide fescue,
• 20:22
  Speaker 4: and I spent quite a bit of time in high grass,
• 20:25
  Speaker 4: but we were all kind of having fun and there
• 20:27
  Speaker 4: was some really good golfers, so got so good golfers
• 20:30
  Speaker 4: like myself, but we still found a way to be competitive.
• 20:32
  Speaker 4: But I just I just remembered just the courses being difficult,
• 20:36
  Speaker 4: and maybe because my game wasn't very good, it was
• 20:38
  Speaker 4: even more difficult. But we still enjoyed our time there
• 20:42
  Speaker 4: and those are fond memories that that we had, definitely
• 20:45
  Speaker 4: definitely fond memories. Mark Now that we have.
• 20:48
  Speaker 2: The NFL Global Markets Program allowing the staters to enter
• 20:51
  Speaker 2: the Irish market. You know, we're all kind of hoping
• 20:54
  Speaker 2: and praying that work, that we're going to see a
• 20:56
  Speaker 2: regular season game taking play serio at some point in
• 20:59
  Speaker 2: the near future. So if when that happens, there are
• 21:02
  Speaker 2: you going to be making the trip back across to
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: take it in.
• 21:06
  Speaker 4: D percent That would be awesome for me to be
• 21:08
  Speaker 4: able to intend to regular season game there in uh
• 21:12
  Speaker 4: in Ireland and crop Park, I obviously got those decisions
• 21:17
  Speaker 4: are a way above my pay grade with suad the
• 21:21
  Speaker 4: ownership in the NFL, But having that opportunity to have
• 21:24
  Speaker 4: a regular season game that would be immense, That would
• 21:26
  Speaker 4: be credible. I know these Tours have played in London
• 21:28
  Speaker 4: in a regular season game, why not playing iron in Ireland?
• 21:32
  Speaker 4: And you know, when mister Rudy got rest his soul,
• 21:35
  Speaker 4: he was the ambassador to Ireland. I couldn't think of
• 21:37
  Speaker 4: a better way to honor him by my having a
• 21:38
  Speaker 4: regular NFL season game there.
• 21:40
  Speaker 3: I really really can't think when away.
• 21:42
  Speaker 2: Hopefully we can get you over even if you come
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: over just you know, for outside of the organization you
• 21:47
  Speaker 2: come over as the steae Istan, I would be great
• 21:50
  Speaker 2: to have you over here again.
• 21:52
  Speaker 3: That would be awesome.
• 21:54
  Speaker 4: I I also want to mention Jimmy that when mister
• 21:57
  Speaker 4: Brudy was the ambassador at the ambassador's residence, they made
• 22:01
  Speaker 4: a feel and they actually had a football game there,
• 22:05
  Speaker 4: and I know his grandson Dan came over and some
• 22:09
  Speaker 4: other other members of the family and his son, so
• 22:12
  Speaker 4: Dan Martin is his grandson and then Dan Junior is
• 22:15
  Speaker 4: his son. They came over and participated in the game.
• 22:17
  Speaker 4: And there were Dan Colberg, who's our college director, was
• 22:20
  Speaker 4: playing in the game and Dan Farrons, who was another
• 22:24
  Speaker 4: member of our organization.
• 22:25
  Speaker 3: So we had.
• 22:26
  Speaker 4: Some some Steeler versus Ireland games in on the Ambassador's
• 22:32
  Speaker 4: property and those teams were very competitive. So I'm telling
• 22:36
  Speaker 4: you you're gonna have fun.
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: One picture mark that I look up now is that
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: picture of Coach Calaire, Don Rennie Patricia Ronney with Dot
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: Waterford Crystal Trophy and just the pride do they have
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: the fact that that trophy still sits in Pittsburgh now
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: to this day. What was it like, you know, playing
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: under coach Klier for the year that you did.
• 23:02
  Speaker 4: A coach calor was like I mentioned earlier in our
• 23:05
  Speaker 4: communication or conversation, you're very competitive person, extremely competitive coach,
• 23:12
  Speaker 4: a very tough, hard on those coach, but a very
• 23:15
  Speaker 4: fair coach. One of the things there were many things
• 23:18
  Speaker 4: that I admired about Coach Coward, but he was a
• 23:20
  Speaker 4: demanding coach. He found a way to relate to all
• 23:24
  Speaker 4: of his players, and there wasn't just one blanket way
• 23:27
  Speaker 4: of coaching that he provided. He was always fresh with
• 23:30
  Speaker 4: his ideas and found ways to motivate his team and
• 23:34
  Speaker 4: I always.
• 23:35
  Speaker 3: Admired that about him.
• 23:36
  Speaker 4: And he was one of those guys that you wanted
• 23:38
  Speaker 4: to please.
• 23:39
  Speaker 3: He wanted to do.
• 23:40
  Speaker 4: Well for, but he encouraged you to be a good
• 23:43
  Speaker 4: teammate and I need you to play for your teammates
• 23:46
  Speaker 4: and help them and not let them down. And inter
• 23:49
  Speaker 4: that was an example just his coaching style, like I'm
• 23:52
  Speaker 4: going to motivate my kid, my players to find a
• 23:55
  Speaker 4: way so they can be as successful as they can.
• 23:57
  Speaker 4: And you know, there were times where he worked us
• 24:00
  Speaker 4: really hard. We're like, how it really is? Is still
• 24:02
  Speaker 4: ever going to hit? And then there were times we
• 24:04
  Speaker 4: would throw us a bow and then take the shoulder
• 24:05
  Speaker 4: pads after through practice and you'd.
• 24:07
  Speaker 3: Be like, all right, here we go.
• 24:09
  Speaker 4: This is nice. We earned this, This is great. So, yeah,
• 24:12
  Speaker 4: there was a lot of a lot of great things
• 24:13
  Speaker 4: that had got great memories that I had and when
• 24:15
  Speaker 4: I played on coach.
• 24:16
  Speaker 2: Coward, Mark, you're back with the Stelers organization now since then,
• 24:20
  Speaker 2: since twenty ten in the position as a scout, and
• 24:25
  Speaker 2: you know what, tell me what that could have involved
• 24:28
  Speaker 2: on a day to day basis and having the perspective
• 24:32
  Speaker 2: of a former player does that help with with what
• 24:35
  Speaker 2: you do?
• 24:37
  Speaker 4: So my role is as scout as each year, most
• 24:40
  Speaker 4: of the initial work is done in the fall through
• 24:43
  Speaker 4: the college football season, and that's two tentifive prospects for
• 24:46
  Speaker 4: us in each and every draft that comes in the spring.
• 24:49
  Speaker 4: So I'll go around to the colleges and I will
• 24:52
  Speaker 4: look at the perspective and help evaluate the players that
• 24:57
  Speaker 4: are in my area and the college and there in
• 24:59
  Speaker 4: my area and then bring that information back to our
• 25:01
  Speaker 4: office and then we as a collaborative unit in our
• 25:05
  Speaker 4: personnel department, will evaluate the entire college season, college group
• 25:11
  Speaker 4: of players and placed that please the Steeler great on
• 25:14
  Speaker 4: them and then try to find guys that are going
• 25:16
  Speaker 4: to help us win in the draft. I feel very
• 25:19
  Speaker 4: fortunate because I was able to be in that locker room,
• 25:22
  Speaker 4: and I know what kind of players it takes to
• 25:25
  Speaker 4: be successful because of the teams and the teammates that
• 25:28
  Speaker 4: I had and was a part of. So I look
• 25:30
  Speaker 4: for those types of players. And there's times where a
• 25:34
  Speaker 4: player might be an amazing talent. However, I just don't
• 25:38
  Speaker 4: think he's a Steeler type person. And my litness test
• 25:41
  Speaker 4: that I do is I say, if I introduced this
• 25:43
  Speaker 4: player to mister Rudy and they had a brief conversation,
• 25:47
  Speaker 4: would mister Rudy walk away from that conversation saying, that's
• 25:50
  Speaker 4: a nice young man. I think he would be a
• 25:52
  Speaker 4: good representation of our team or organization, or if mister
• 25:55
  Speaker 4: Rudy walked away from that meeting saying, I don't know.
• 25:58
  Speaker 3: If that guy would be a great steal.
• 26:00
  Speaker 4: And uh, that's my litness stack. And a lot of
• 26:03
  Speaker 4: times I think that the guys that I scouted or
• 26:07
  Speaker 4: would recommend are the ones that mister Roody would like.
• 26:09
  Speaker 4: But still though there's some guys that are very talented,
• 26:12
  Speaker 4: but they're just they're not steel type people.
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: Mark you in your position as the tight end of
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: the series. You were primarily a blocking tight end instead
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: of maybe you know, touch of the past highly interested
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: or intrigued over the last fifteen years, since you're retired
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: of me being in looking at the evolvement of that
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: position in the NFL, because it's almost become even more
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: key as well.
• 26:38
  Speaker 4: The true why position of a tight end has changed
• 26:41
  Speaker 4: drastically over the years. And my role with the team
• 26:45
  Speaker 4: was blocking, and I looked at this. My success is
• 26:47
  Speaker 4: did Jerome get a hundred yards Russian? And if Jerome
• 26:51
  Speaker 4: got over one hundred yards rushing that game, number one,
• 26:53
  Speaker 4: we had a really good chance of winning. And number two,
• 26:55
  Speaker 4: I was probably doing my job long with everybody on
• 26:57
  Speaker 4: the offensive line, so that the style of tight end
• 27:02
  Speaker 4: that I played, you don't really see those guys too
• 27:04
  Speaker 4: watch anymore. But a lot of that is largely due
• 27:07
  Speaker 4: to the way the high schools are running their offenses
• 27:10
  Speaker 4: with the spread offenses and the bigger receivers that are
• 27:12
  Speaker 4: a slot because that's who the.
• 27:14
  Speaker 3: College is recruiting, and it turned that's out, that's.
• 27:17
  Speaker 4: Who what we get to evaluated, what we get to
• 27:19
  Speaker 4: bring in art our organization. You know, we drafted you know,
• 27:24
  Speaker 4: two years ago, gott freiermeron the second round out of
• 27:27
  Speaker 4: Penn State, and you know, he was a really good
• 27:30
  Speaker 4: look at receiving tight end that adds some capability of blocking,
• 27:34
  Speaker 4: and he had it. He's been doing extremely well for us,
• 27:38
  Speaker 4: and we're really excited what he's able to provide. And
• 27:40
  Speaker 4: then this year in the third round, we were able
• 27:42
  Speaker 4: to draft Arnold Washington out of University of Georgia, who
• 27:46
  Speaker 4: sixty seven towards sixty pounds and runs a four eighty forty. Like,
• 27:50
  Speaker 4: this guy can can run, and he's athletic and he's big,
• 27:53
  Speaker 4: and so now we.
• 27:55
  Speaker 3: Have some real, real, uh I call him.
• 27:58
  Speaker 4: Stud athletes at that position that I know can be
• 28:01
  Speaker 4: great weapons for us and Kenny Pickett and for anybody
• 28:05
  Speaker 4: that really wants to try a line up and matchup
• 28:08
  Speaker 4: against our group. I think we got an advantage over that,
• 28:10
  Speaker 4: but in general, the tid end position has changed, but
• 28:14
  Speaker 4: I think this large will do just to the way
• 28:16
  Speaker 4: the offenses are now at the high school and level.
• 28:19
  Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I'm definitely as a fan, I'm definitely excited
• 28:22
  Speaker 2: to see what Darren now Washington can do for our offense,
• 28:25
  Speaker 2: especially in the red zone. I mean, I watched him
• 28:27
  Speaker 2: a couple of times last season at Georgia and it's
• 28:30
  Speaker 2: just not fair what he can do. He's going to
• 28:32
  Speaker 2: be a matchup nightmare for any slot corner he tries
• 28:35
  Speaker 2: to line up against him. And Margarts have one final question,
• 28:39
  Speaker 2: you know, what are you looking forward to most? Bat
• 28:42
  Speaker 2: Bil comings theater seedon Well, Monday, I leave.
• 28:45
  Speaker 4: I live in Seattle, Washington, That's my primary residence tonight,
• 28:48
  Speaker 4: So Monday I'll leave with my son. It was eleven
• 28:51
  Speaker 4: year years old to go back to trading, and I'm
• 28:54
  Speaker 4: just really excited to get this preseason started and what
• 28:58
  Speaker 4: I'm I'm most excited about this coming season. We had
• 29:02
  Speaker 4: a big question mark at certain key positions for us
• 29:05
  Speaker 4: last year, like, Okay, we brought in mister Bisky, is
• 29:07
  Speaker 4: he going to be able to be the guy that's
• 29:08
  Speaker 4: going to read our office? Well, Mitch did extremely well,
• 29:11
  Speaker 4: but then we Kenny Pickett. So now we have we
• 29:14
  Speaker 4: have certed Kenny Pickett, and so now we have our
• 29:16
  Speaker 4: quarterbacks situations solidified and other positions we were able to
• 29:20
  Speaker 4: solidify and other fastest of our team we'd to solidify.
• 29:23
  Speaker 4: And I'm really excited about the potential that we have
• 29:27
  Speaker 4: as an organization and what what it is in store
• 29:31
  Speaker 4: for us in the future as far as this this
• 29:33
  Speaker 4: upcoming season and what we're capable of doing. I know
• 29:37
  Speaker 4: when we hit the field for the first time at
• 29:39
  Speaker 4: Saint Visits College, it's going to be exciting. There's going
• 29:41
  Speaker 4: to be butterflies, and they're to be just fully sell butterflies,
• 29:45
  Speaker 4: but it'll be exciting to see the team. And I'm
• 29:49
  Speaker 4: really excited to see what's the store for us for
• 29:51
  Speaker 4: the two thousand twenty three season.
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: It's not the it's not glorious tire year where it's
• 29:58
  Speaker 1: it's back at coming back and you're talking about in
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: Vince College earlier. There's a lot of optimism around this
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: team this year and I'm just really excited just to
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: see the product in a few weeks time. Mark, And
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: you know, look, as a guy that's working a year
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: around doing what you do, we massively appreciate you coming on,
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: not just because you're busy, but just to reminisce on
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: that game and Thatt seven because I know, and we
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: haven't already talked about this person. That game means an
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: awful lot for a lot of people, especially people that
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: grew up in the eighties and Ireland that might be
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: listening to this podcast that we're watching games on repeat
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: highlights weeks weeks behind, and now we're very fortunate to
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: be in a different situation. So we we massively appreciate
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: your time, mark and feel free to pop on a
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: game and hopefully chattistim, I.
• 30:44
  Speaker 3: So appreciate the opportunity to be on your show today.
• 30:46
  Speaker 4: And if there's ever anything I can remotely do down
• 30:49
  Speaker 4: the road, please let me know. And if for some
• 30:53
  Speaker 4: reason the NFL is able to grant us a regulars
• 30:55
  Speaker 4: season game there in Dublin, we need to talk and
• 30:58
  Speaker 4: we need to celebrate together on.
• 31:00
  Speaker 3: One of your shows. Then is that cool? Absolutely? Okay? Thanxt, guys,
• 31:04
  Speaker 3: I really appreciate it.
• 31:09
  Speaker 1: So as we reminisce on the nineteen ninety seven game
• 31:12
  Speaker 1: between the Pittsburgh Seders and the Chicago Bears, I can't
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: think of anybody better to have on this podcast. I'm
• 31:17
  Speaker 1: sure it will be the last time we had the
• 31:19
  Speaker 1: sky Thom McCormick, who is honestly, Tom one of the
• 31:23
  Speaker 1: in my opinion, one of the best known theaters fans
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: in Ireland. But more so, you're also the chief communications
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: officer for American Football Areland, the one in many different
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: rules as well. First off, said, how you doing?
• 31:33
  Speaker 3: What very good?
• 31:35
  Speaker 5: Michael delighted to join you. Lots of good things coming
• 31:38
  Speaker 5: down the track, and particularly in the Irish context, So
• 31:41
  Speaker 5: delighted to join you, and as you say, a longtime
• 31:44
  Speaker 5: Steelers fan and delighted to have a chat about that
• 31:48
  Speaker 5: game back in nineteen ninety seven, if that's when it was,
• 31:51
  Speaker 5: because it seems like yesterday in one sense, but it
• 31:54
  Speaker 5: wasn't just a matter. It was a week, a great week,
• 31:56
  Speaker 5: and loved every minute of which.
• 31:58
  Speaker 1: A great experience.
• 31:59
  Speaker 4: I think.
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: I think it's something that a lot of people, maybe
• 32:02
  Speaker 1: I wouldn't say my generation, but my is now, like
• 32:04
  Speaker 1: we're very envious in the fact that people got to
• 32:06
  Speaker 1: experience something that we haven't.
• 32:07
  Speaker 4: I got there.
• 32:08
  Speaker 1: So hopefully that time will come again to and we'll
• 32:10
  Speaker 1: talk about that game of the week. Second, talk to
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: us about your fand and that talk to us about
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: how you got them involved in sporting this theater. So
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: how does the man from Dublin turn up and just
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: start sporting the theaters back into death?
• 32:22
  Speaker 5: Well, it's that craziest story.
• 32:25
  Speaker 3: I suppose.
• 32:26
  Speaker 5: Went to college in UCD, did a freshman tour to
• 32:28
  Speaker 5: Florida back in seventy nine. All the games were on.
• 32:32
  Speaker 5: We went out in September around Jacksonville, Tallahassee, places like that,
• 32:37
  Speaker 5: played a bit of rugby, lots of games going on
• 32:39
  Speaker 5: during the season, and then there was a strike. So
• 32:42
  Speaker 5: the games that we saw back in September were repeated
• 32:46
  Speaker 5: verbatim and add infinitum on Channel four as it was
• 32:49
  Speaker 5: back then, so we got to see the same games,
• 32:53
  Speaker 5: but also got familiar with the teams that were predominant
• 32:56
  Speaker 5: at that stage, which were the former Redskins and the
• 32:59
  Speaker 5: Dolphin and things like that, and some of those guys
• 33:03
  Speaker 5: were particularly fantastic players. Joe, you know, Joe Gibbs became
• 33:08
  Speaker 5: the coach. Joe Taisman from Notre Dame was quarterback. John
• 33:11
  Speaker 5: Riggins number forty four was their superb running back. And
• 33:16
  Speaker 5: we saw those games.
• 33:17
  Speaker 1: And.
• 33:19
  Speaker 5: Back in those days there was very little TV. Michael
• 33:21
  Speaker 5: to watch it. He got an r summary a week later.
• 33:24
  Speaker 5: So the games were few and far between, very little
• 33:27
  Speaker 5: and a live context, and you were scratching around for information.
• 33:31
  Speaker 5: They were just the beginning of the Internet, believe it
• 33:33
  Speaker 5: or not, and we were trying to get information from
• 33:37
  Speaker 5: any sources we could just to keep up with it
• 33:40
  Speaker 5: and then move on a couple of years and I
• 33:43
  Speaker 5: retired from rugby and I wanted to play a season
• 33:45
  Speaker 5: of American football and Gaelic football, so joined the Dublin Kels,
• 33:49
  Speaker 5: which were, you know, one of the pioneers of the
• 33:53
  Speaker 5: game in Dublin and strong US Embassy in put the
• 33:58
  Speaker 5: coach Thomas from the US Embassy DCM definitely chief a mission.
• 34:02
  Speaker 5: Some of the Marines were playing for the Kelse at
• 34:04
  Speaker 5: the time. I was working in my old school, Saint Michael's,
• 34:07
  Speaker 5: which stand the road from the embassy, So guess where
• 34:10
  Speaker 5: the training round became. And we, yeah, were very much
• 34:13
  Speaker 5: early days. There wasn't really a scheduled fixture list. It was,
• 34:17
  Speaker 5: as I say, pioneering but very enjoyable. And the US
• 34:22
  Speaker 5: Marines used to have a residence on Fox Rock in
• 34:25
  Speaker 5: Westminster Road, so we go up there after training and
• 34:29
  Speaker 5: watch a college game on a Saturday or an NFL
• 34:32
  Speaker 5: game on a Sunday coming through with the American Network.
• 34:35
  Speaker 5: And that was the only time we saw any live
• 34:38
  Speaker 5: games coming through. So then work wise, I moved into
• 34:43
  Speaker 5: public relations and worked with the Ireland Funds and obviously
• 34:47
  Speaker 5: you saw that Tony O'Reilly and Dan Rooney connection. They
• 34:49
  Speaker 5: set up the Ireland Funds back in seventy six, grew
• 34:52
  Speaker 5: and grew nationwide in the States and then global wide
• 34:56
  Speaker 5: through a network of usually the Tony O'Reilly Rugby connections,
• 35:00
  Speaker 5: but Dan Rooney kind of drove it in the American
• 35:02
  Speaker 5: market and just a superb guy to work with. He
• 35:07
  Speaker 5: and his wife pat Patricia were first class communicators. They
• 35:11
  Speaker 5: looked after everybody. Every June there was a conference back
• 35:14
  Speaker 5: here in Ireland to make sure that the money went
• 35:16
  Speaker 5: to appropriate causes up north, to put the peace culture
• 35:20
  Speaker 5: and charity together for the North, and ultimately ended up
• 35:23
  Speaker 5: with a President Clinton visit to meet the Ireland Funds
• 35:27
  Speaker 5: people and Darry in the Guildhall and things like that,
• 35:30
  Speaker 5: and then down the track the Good Friday Agreement. The
• 35:32
  Speaker 5: Ireland Funds were set up to help the Irish back
• 35:34
  Speaker 5: home and Dan Rooney and Tony already were superb but
• 35:37
  Speaker 5: that they can't talk highly enough about Dan Rooney, And
• 35:39
  Speaker 5: obviously the Steeters thing came into it.
• 35:42
  Speaker 3: One of the.
• 35:43
  Speaker 5: Irish top diplomats, Tess Smith, went to move with Hines
• 35:47
  Speaker 5: and with the Ireland Funds, and I mean the seed
• 35:51
  Speaker 5: was sown. It was a very easy surface to break
• 35:55
  Speaker 5: through and you know, foster a great relationship between Ireland
• 36:00
  Speaker 5: and the Steelers.
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: To amazing how you became a fun talk to us
• 36:03
  Speaker 1: about the first time you actually seen the team in person.
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: Was it in Dublin or did he get a chance
• 36:08
  Speaker 1: to head over to Pittsburgh.
• 36:09
  Speaker 5: The first game I would have seen, obviously NFL game
• 36:12
  Speaker 5: in Ireland. The only game or such was that preseason
• 36:15
  Speaker 5: game back in nineteen ninety seven, coming up to July
• 36:19
  Speaker 5: twenty seventh. But as I say, it was a week
• 36:22
  Speaker 5: before I lived locally to the RDS, and the teams
• 36:26
  Speaker 5: would have trained up in UCD against each other just
• 36:28
  Speaker 5: because it was a preseason game, and then they would
• 36:32
  Speaker 5: have designated certain players to come down to wander As
• 36:35
  Speaker 5: Rugby Club and Marion Road, and they would have had
• 36:40
  Speaker 5: They had a whole lot of NFL experience drills and
• 36:43
  Speaker 5: photo opportunities with statues as such a blindman and you
• 36:47
  Speaker 5: put your head in behind it a bit like the
• 36:49
  Speaker 5: funfair and different drills, catch a ball falling on a
• 36:54
  Speaker 5: mattress or you know, any of those were commonplace. Hit
• 36:58
  Speaker 5: it a couple of uh locks to make and then
• 37:02
  Speaker 5: run off, take a pass and collapse into the end zone.
• 37:06
  Speaker 5: That they everybody's a winner, and the souvenir balls were given.
• 37:10
  Speaker 1: Out down there, and you have one of all of us.
• 37:14
  Speaker 5: These ones were given out at the Wanderers signed by
• 37:17
  Speaker 5: the players, and.
• 37:19
  Speaker 1: I taught Tom for for people that can't see this,
• 37:21
  Speaker 1: and I hope that their maybe that it is popping up.
• 37:25
  Speaker 1: That ball is in pristine, great pristine condition to high.
• 37:30
  Speaker 5: Oh, it's very simple. I'm a GMA born in July,
• 37:34
  Speaker 5: so I'm a Knserrian and I hoard every ding and
• 37:37
  Speaker 5: I love stats that were like that. So be it
• 37:40
  Speaker 5: Steelers or Springsteen or anything else, you'll find me jotting
• 37:43
  Speaker 5: down notes, keeping track of it, and recording it for
• 37:46
  Speaker 5: the possible future use. So that particular ball was up
• 37:50
  Speaker 5: in the attic for a number of years. When the
• 37:52
  Speaker 5: Steelers came to Crew Park, I went to look for it,
• 37:54
  Speaker 5: couldn't find it. I had another one, but it wasn't
• 37:57
  Speaker 5: as in as good condition as that, So that one,
• 38:00
  Speaker 5: hopefully we'll make a way to Pittsburgh and one part
• 38:04
  Speaker 5: of the whole of honor exhibition of their first game abroad,
• 38:07
  Speaker 5: because it's in certainly better condition and better better autographs
• 38:11
  Speaker 5: of the would be players back.
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: In the day.
• 38:13
  Speaker 5: But as I say, it was a week long experience
• 38:15
  Speaker 5: and wanderers, and then we went to Crok Park. It
• 38:18
  Speaker 5: was the beginning of the I suppose the County Tiger
• 38:20
  Speaker 5: Crow Park was beginning to or had started. Its redevelopment
• 38:26
  Speaker 5: was only partially complete back in the day. There was
• 38:28
  Speaker 5: Jones Road behind it the old Belvedere Schools rugby ground,
• 38:32
  Speaker 5: and then you were into the that the various stands
• 38:36
  Speaker 5: and it look it was the crowd were placed that
• 38:40
  Speaker 5: they always are on the TV arc so that the
• 38:42
  Speaker 5: cameras would would show as many people as possible in
• 38:45
  Speaker 5: the ground, and right behind the camera there was Diddley
• 38:47
  Speaker 5: Squad because a lot of it was under reconstruction. Show
• 38:50
  Speaker 5: we say our demolition, but it was look there was
• 38:53
  Speaker 5: a pioneering type approach to have a game outside of
• 38:56
  Speaker 5: the US and certainly in Ireland, which was obviously very
• 39:00
  Speaker 5: strongly and still is very strongly connected to the States,
• 39:03
  Speaker 5: but more strongly connected now through the American Football Ireland
• 39:08
  Speaker 5: Organization and the Irish Wolfhounds and all the domestic competitions
• 39:13
  Speaker 5: that it would have been back then, and so they
• 39:15
  Speaker 5: certainly would be very welcome to host another preseason game
• 39:18
  Speaker 5: here in a perfectly redeveloped pro park which obviously, Dan
• 39:23
  Speaker 5: Rooney at the time said was hallow ground and he
• 39:26
  Speaker 5: was asked why was that and he was told, well,
• 39:28
  Speaker 5: have you seen the movie Michael Collins, And that's how
• 39:31
  Speaker 5: cro Park is hallowed ground. And they were delighted to
• 39:34
  Speaker 5: play with it on the time at the time, and
• 39:37
  Speaker 5: then the game took on an extra significance that week.
• 39:40
  Speaker 5: I think when coach Kauer went to meet Conand and
• 39:45
  Speaker 5: Patricia Alan was told, as you've already outlined that Patricia
• 39:50
  Speaker 5: Rooney wanted that trophy, that water for Crystal Trophy back
• 39:53
  Speaker 5: in the Pittsburgh Hall of Honor as it is now,
• 39:56
  Speaker 5: back in the Pittsburgh boardroom. And that's why I think
• 40:00
  Speaker 5: Cordell's Stewart and Jerome Bettis suddenly were you extra reps
• 40:05
  Speaker 5: than they thought they might have had. And it was
• 40:07
  Speaker 5: great to see Cordell Stewart slash back at crow Park
• 40:10
  Speaker 5: all those years later, and he seemed to really enjoy
• 40:13
  Speaker 5: just the reconnection with the place, obviously seeing Croe Park
• 40:16
  Speaker 5: now when it's glory and saying, hey, this is a
• 40:18
  Speaker 5: good place for a ballgame and hopefully it'll work out
• 40:22
  Speaker 5: in the next couple of years.
• 40:23
  Speaker 3: They may play the Jags.
• 40:24
  Speaker 5: I see their scheduled to play down the track, but
• 40:26
  Speaker 5: another preseason game would I think beatn what the insatiable
• 40:31
  Speaker 5: appetite for more NFL here on the Emerald Isle. And
• 40:35
  Speaker 5: it's a fairly long window way of saying how yours
• 40:37
  Speaker 5: truly got involved with the Steelers and how it turned
• 40:41
  Speaker 5: up on the day, But it was just one of
• 40:43
  Speaker 5: those things that all just fell into place, very well
• 40:45
  Speaker 5: organized for nineteen ninety seven, and Ireland was just coming
• 40:50
  Speaker 5: up to the Marcus opposed the relation to stadia and
• 40:52
  Speaker 5: professional sports and things like that. Last down road hadn't
• 40:55
  Speaker 5: even started. They couldn't start their redevelopment until crow Park
• 40:59
  Speaker 5: had been the developed. So all the international rugby games Ireland, England,
• 41:03
  Speaker 5: all those huge rugby games and crow Park hadn't even
• 41:06
  Speaker 5: been taught about. So it was very much at the
• 41:10
  Speaker 5: beginning of the the the modern Irelands in relation to
• 41:14
  Speaker 5: modern sports, modern state, and modern media and now modern
• 41:18
  Speaker 5: social media.
• 41:21
  Speaker 1: You said, you said it's a long winded answer. I
• 41:23
  Speaker 1: think it's a fascinate answer. I think that is a
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: testament to your experience with this team and just just
• 41:29
  Speaker 1: just ever and you've seen down through the years so
• 41:31
  Speaker 1: many different questions that We could probably go into a
• 41:33
  Speaker 1: podcast mini series on but I'll focus on a couple
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: of things you know, you mentioned there, like Cordell, you
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: mentioned about Don god rest them and his wife as well.
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: You must had in the men's sense of pride whatever
• 41:48
  Speaker 1: the deal was originally announced the game for the Global
• 41:51
  Speaker 1: Markets Program, but you must have. I wouldn't say, Tommy,
• 41:55
  Speaker 1: I wouldn't say you're pinching yourself, but you must have
• 41:57
  Speaker 1: been a very happy man a months ago and now whatever.
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: The stats were the first team to come to crow
• 42:04
  Speaker 1: Park and actually take the time to come over and
• 42:07
  Speaker 1: launch the markets the Global Markets Program like like they did.
• 42:12
  Speaker 5: Absolutely stunned and delighted. It was a fantastic piece of
• 42:17
  Speaker 5: news to get. And for a couple of reasons then,
• 42:21
  Speaker 5: since nineteen ninety seven, my alma matter Saint Michael's, when
• 42:27
  Speaker 5: the clergy diminished in numbers, et cetera, they rented out
• 42:30
  Speaker 5: that particular part of the building to do Caine University
• 42:34
  Speaker 5: from Pittsburgh. My own family members are in Squirrel Hill area,
• 42:39
  Speaker 5: which obviously went through a tragedy at the massacre at
• 42:43
  Speaker 5: their Sylagogue, et cetera. Obviously my family would be irish
• 42:47
  Speaker 5: Catholics and stuff like that, but a great community area.
• 42:50
  Speaker 5: So in a lot of Pittsburgh and Irish historical connections
• 42:54
  Speaker 5: which have really been ramped up in the last couple
• 42:56
  Speaker 5: of years. Obviously, as I've mentioned previously, Tony Ryan from
• 43:00
  Speaker 5: Ireland was the CEO of Hines h J Hines and Pittsburgh,
• 43:05
  Speaker 5: and people knew of Pittsburgh was somewhere out there. But
• 43:08
  Speaker 5: it's not too big a city, it's not too small
• 43:10
  Speaker 5: a city. There are tickets available and when I recently
• 43:14
  Speaker 5: hit a zero birthday, the kids gave me a ticket
• 43:18
  Speaker 5: for the Ben Roethlisberger Last ride on a Monday night
• 43:23
  Speaker 5: in Pittsburgh where it was minus thirteen. We went along
• 43:27
  Speaker 5: with our Squirrel Hill Custins and family and we had
• 43:29
  Speaker 5: a superb game right to the final whistle. Nobody wanted
• 43:33
  Speaker 5: to leave until Bell's final knee and happened to see
• 43:36
  Speaker 5: a Penguins came the day before with Stanley Crosby and
• 43:40
  Speaker 5: Sidney Crosby and it was just the Stanley Cup and
• 43:44
  Speaker 5: Sidney Crosby were synonymous for a couple of years, but
• 43:46
  Speaker 5: not now. But it was just a fantastic weekend just
• 43:51
  Speaker 5: after COVID started easting up a wee bit and yeah,
• 43:54
  Speaker 5: it's fantastic to see the Steelers come back here and
• 43:59
  Speaker 5: they had their steel little shamrocks on that on their
• 44:02
  Speaker 5: lapels and things like that. But Dan Ruiney the Grand's son,
• 44:05
  Speaker 5: so there's a great sense of tradition there and that
• 44:07
  Speaker 5: really I think that strikes a chord with the Irish
• 44:10
  Speaker 5: that we like the tradition, we like the genuine affinity
• 44:13
  Speaker 5: with the country. Dan Rooney his family came from Ury.
• 44:18
  Speaker 5: I would have seen them down as a holiday home
• 44:20
  Speaker 5: occasionally down in Bantry in West Cork, so they when
• 44:23
  Speaker 5: he was ambassador here Loan be Ald, he wanted to
• 44:25
  Speaker 5: visit every county, all thirty two and he did each
• 44:29
  Speaker 5: and every one of those. And I think that that
• 44:32
  Speaker 5: was just the same approach that he would have taken
• 44:34
  Speaker 5: with the Ireland Funds that grants north and south were
• 44:37
  Speaker 5: distributed both north and south. Wherever there was a gap,
• 44:42
  Speaker 5: the Ireland Funds tried to fund local community groups to
• 44:46
  Speaker 5: get projects up and running and you know, flourish going
• 44:50
  Speaker 5: into the future. So again a tribute to the guy,
• 44:53
  Speaker 5: and he's as a very easy team to follow. There's
• 44:57
  Speaker 5: very good connection channels now with social media and all
• 45:00
  Speaker 5: the other bits and pieces. With the onset of the pandemic.
• 45:05
  Speaker 5: The Steelers Run Walk, which have been running for a
• 45:07
  Speaker 5: number of years, it was now converted to virtual so
• 45:11
  Speaker 5: overseas fans can do the Steelers Run Walk on Labor
• 45:14
  Speaker 5: Days weekend on the Sunday and on the on the Monday,
• 45:18
  Speaker 5: and they can join a global fang group photo on
• 45:21
  Speaker 5: the Sunday, usually organized by the Mexican Coworts, who are
• 45:24
  Speaker 5: absolutely diehard one hundred and fans and they're the stimulus
• 45:32
  Speaker 5: to get this fans from all over the globe together.
• 45:34
  Speaker 5: So it's a lot of so I think going to
• 45:36
  Speaker 5: happen down the track with Steelers and Steelers Ireland and
• 45:40
  Speaker 5: bring it on.
• 45:41
  Speaker 1: It's great to see just what the steers of dollars
• 45:43
  Speaker 1: with a short period of time. Tom, and I know
• 45:45
  Speaker 1: you've touched on that ninety seven game. You have talked
• 45:49
  Speaker 1: about different elements of it. Is there one memory of
• 45:52
  Speaker 1: six in your head from that day, even even almost
• 45:56
  Speaker 1: thirty years onto on that.
• 45:58
  Speaker 5: Thanks very much, Michael, you mean he hasn't gone that bad.
• 46:03
  Speaker 3: But the one thing I probably would remember best.
• 46:05
  Speaker 5: A lot of Irish would support Notre Dame and my
• 46:09
  Speaker 5: Yeah York up state, went to the Bronx in the fifties,
• 46:13
  Speaker 5: Notre Dame all the way through Coach lew Holds all
• 46:16
  Speaker 5: that stuff and to seize your own bettas in the
• 46:19
  Speaker 5: flesh in Crowe Park, crossing for you know, a touchdown,
• 46:22
  Speaker 5: happy days. You know, that was probably the highlight for me.
• 46:25
  Speaker 5: And as I say, the backup players started coming in
• 46:27
  Speaker 5: from the second quarter on and that's fine and people
• 46:31
  Speaker 5: know that. It's the same with if Liverpool Man you
• 46:34
  Speaker 5: come in a preseason soccer match or whatever.
• 46:36
  Speaker 3: You know you're going to get.
• 46:37
  Speaker 5: The substitutions or a mixture of the first and under
• 46:40
  Speaker 5: twenty ones in the soccer context. But to see, you
• 46:43
  Speaker 5: know the pretty much that the squad, I mean, Cordell
• 46:46
  Speaker 5: Stewart wasn't that well known at the time. He went
• 46:48
  Speaker 5: on to represent US at quarterback for four or five
• 46:52
  Speaker 5: years afterwards. Obviously your own bettat the Bus went on
• 46:55
  Speaker 5: as just a legend, absolutely legend and still very involved
• 47:00
  Speaker 5: raising money both for the Steelers foundations, the different charities
• 47:04
  Speaker 5: and there and for his Jerome but as bettest Bus Foundation,
• 47:07
  Speaker 5: which gives technological aid to kids and underprivileged areas around
• 47:12
  Speaker 5: Pittsburgh and in Pennsylvania and obviously more recently he touching
• 47:19
  Speaker 5: on the cte E chatter, offered to and has will
• 47:24
  Speaker 5: will donate his his body to science when he passes,
• 47:29
  Speaker 5: to look at the growth of concussion and professional rugby
• 47:34
  Speaker 5: and professional football players which is now also coming into
• 47:38
  Speaker 5: rugby grounds as well, you know rugby players as well.
• 47:41
  Speaker 5: So yeah, that was probably the highlights. Jerome bettas on
• 47:45
  Speaker 5: the park and wanderers, seeing these guys that are only
• 47:48
  Speaker 5: on American TV, not that often in your local district
• 47:52
  Speaker 5: side of the football hanging out, and and then the
• 47:57
  Speaker 5: game and Crow Park. As I say, then I actually
• 48:00
  Speaker 5: want to be better. The stadium is better. There are
• 48:02
  Speaker 5: a lot more educated fans loud during the offices of
• 48:06
  Speaker 5: your good self and others that highlight the sport.
• 48:08
  Speaker 3: And yeah, let's bring it on again.
• 48:12
  Speaker 1: That was my last question, Tom. How much would it
• 48:15
  Speaker 1: mean to you to have either a preseason or regular
• 48:18
  Speaker 1: season game here, I say, if it was in the
• 48:20
  Speaker 1: next five to ten years. Hype of fact, I know
• 48:23
  Speaker 1: per se the Steers are said on their website that
• 48:25
  Speaker 1: they would love to at least explored at some point,
• 48:27
  Speaker 1: but it will take time because they're looking at the market.
• 48:30
  Speaker 1: But you know, as someone has been a fan for
• 48:33
  Speaker 1: as long as you have, you know what would.
• 48:34
  Speaker 3: It mean for you?
• 48:35
  Speaker 1: And like, look, I'll be honest, I from a personal viewpoint,
• 48:39
  Speaker 1: I would find it difficult to see that in the
• 48:42
  Speaker 1: preseason game because I think now the NFL mantra is
• 48:45
  Speaker 1: the extra game, an actual regular season game. So let's
• 48:48
  Speaker 1: hype of val I say it was a regular season game.
• 48:50
  Speaker 1: What would that mean if it was a game that actually,
• 48:52
  Speaker 1: you know, it meant something that was just so much more.
• 48:55
  Speaker 5: The absolutely fantastic. Having said that, if you were a
• 48:59
  Speaker 5: Steelers and I would also make the pilgrimage to Pittsburgh
• 49:03
  Speaker 5: and have your Sandwi Jim Promantes and do all the
• 49:08
  Speaker 5: bits and pieces in Pittsburgh. It's not that big a place.
• 49:11
  Speaker 5: It's a bit like I I thought it was very
• 49:13
  Speaker 5: much like Colway. It wasn't too big, wasn't too small,
• 49:16
  Speaker 5: and lots of action going on. But to have the
• 49:18
  Speaker 5: Steelers here in Ireland absolutely tremendous.
• 49:21
  Speaker 1: He's got Tom Tom McCormick. Fagy's wants your time and
• 49:24
  Speaker 1: I will chuck these in. Appreciate your love, take care
• 49:26
  Speaker 1: of season, Jimmy. That was Tom McCormick. He's a lossive
• 49:31
  Speaker 1: Steelers spawn and obviously great to hear as well from Mark.
• 49:34
  Speaker 1: It's it's it's been a really cool podcast. But we've
• 49:37
  Speaker 1: been able to dive into the history and the generations
• 49:39
  Speaker 1: of these team and just of this team, and it
• 49:43
  Speaker 1: definitely for me anyway, it's it's allowed me to see
• 49:46
  Speaker 1: a lot more as well.
• 49:48
  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, Michael, And as the Steelers fan myself, it's
• 49:50
  Speaker 2: great to see the passionate that Tom has for the
• 49:53
  Speaker 2: team and for you know, for the history. And I
• 49:56
  Speaker 2: bumped into Tom recently at the Shamrock Well, which I
• 50:00
  Speaker 2: don't know is the National American Football Game and championship
• 50:03
  Speaker 2: game here in Ireland, and he was decked out in
• 50:05
  Speaker 2: his jersey in his host and he has some great
• 50:08
  Speaker 2: stories from the game. So it was fantastic to catch
• 50:10
  Speaker 2: up with him about badness and hearing from Marcus Well
• 50:13
  Speaker 2: who was there, who was a part of history and
• 50:16
  Speaker 2: will be a part of the Theaters history forever, and
• 50:18
  Speaker 2: hearing his story how his experience of Barland and commanding
• 50:22
  Speaker 2: and Crow Park and really enjoyable. So thanks to Boat
• 50:25
  Speaker 2: Goes for joining us in the podcast.
• 50:29
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, and it's it's great to job to you. Also,
• 50:31
  Speaker 1: that's let's up ahead next week. So next week we're
• 50:33
  Speaker 1: going to be in the in the the Deaths of
• 50:36
  Speaker 1: Training Cup. We've already heard from our friend Lott Williamson
• 50:39
  Speaker 1: prior to training count, but folks, we want to hear
• 50:42
  Speaker 1: from you next week. What are your questions ahead of
• 50:45
  Speaker 1: the new season. Don't hold back whatever you're interested in
• 50:49
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  Speaker 1: And also and let us know. We're gonna try and
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  Speaker 1: read it as many different questions and opinions next week
• 51:19
  Speaker 1: and we're gonna have a round table discussion. But for
• 51:22
  Speaker 1: but for now, it's it's it's been awesome, Jimmy the shot.
• 51:25
  Speaker 1: But you hope you enjoy the start of this training
• 51:27
  Speaker 1: camp and we're getting closer. I hope you have a
• 51:29
  Speaker 1: great weekend.
• 51:30
  Speaker 2: I'm gonna be absolutely clue to Steelers dot com Michael
• 51:34
  Speaker 2: for the entire duration of training camp, getting as much
• 51:37
  Speaker 2: information and no bits as I can. And you know,
• 51:40
  Speaker 2: as the season continues to approach it and build up,
• 51:44
  Speaker 2: you know, it's it's it's almost the best part of
• 51:46
  Speaker 2: the year is the is the anticipation of the season
• 51:48
  Speaker 2: and can't wait to see what the Steelers do this season.
• 51:52
  Speaker 1: Also, I can't believer, I like, I wait to get
• 51:54
  Speaker 1: back next week because we're getting closer to the season.
• 51:56
  Speaker 1: Books appreciate you listening to this podcast. Please do check
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  Speaker 1: What we can say here we go with for now.
• 52:07
  Speaker 1: This has been the our students podcast Chatty Soon.