Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers scout Phil Kreidler is retiring after 33 seasons with the club, according to an article published by his alma mater on Wednesday.
Kreidler joined the Steelers scouting staff in 1991 under Tom Donahue and Chuck Noll and remainder through head coaches Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin and general managers Kevin Colbert and Omar Khan. Kreidler was promoted to senior scouting assistant in 2022. During his time in Pittsburgh, Kreidler helped construct two Super Bowl champions, two more AFC Champions, and 15 AFC Central/North titles.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Kreidler played defensive back at Furman, including a season as NCAA runner-ups in 1985. His college teammate, Clay Hendrix, is now the Paladins head coach.
“I don’t know if you could have done it much better than Phil Kreidler did it at Pittsburgh,” Hendrix said. “The success and career he had with the Steelers is quite remarkable.”
The Steelers have aggressively turned over their scouting staff in two years of Khan’s tenure as general manager. The club moved on from longtime pro scout Dave Pettit earlier this offseason. Longtime scouts Mark Gorscak and Mike Butler have also retired over the last year.
Kelvin Fisher, who also holds the title of senior scouting assistant, is now the team’s longest-tenured scout. He is in his 19th season with the team. Mark Bruener, the team’s West Coast scout, is the next-most senior with 14 seasons with the club.