Exclusive Interview with Former Steelers LB Clark Haggans

Ron Lippock spoke with former Steelers linebacker Clark Haggans, who played in Pittsburgh from 2000-07 and finished his career in 2012. Haggans played 107 games with the Steelers and finished with 332 tackles, 31 tackles for loss and 32.5 sacks.

First, can you let me know what you’ve been doing since you retired?

I’m just being a dad. Going back and forth between Pittsburgh, Vegas and splitting time with the kids with their mother in Denver. I’m also doing some real estate and just being a dad and chilling out.

I do some volunteer work at my former high school and help with the boosters at Colorado State too. I’m just happy and blessed to have put enough money away to be able to support my kids so they can do what makes them happy.

How hard was that post-NFL transition for you?

I’m good. It’s hard when you don’t hear your named called sometimes. That’s why they say the transition can be hard. That and it was so regimented. Everything was on a schedule – especially during football season. Everything was consumed by practices, film study, workouts, obligations on and off the field… So adjusting from that is hard.

When I grew up my mom and dad raised me and exposed me to a lot of things. We grew up on the beach. So when I stopped playing I still hung out at the beach with friends and worked out – took my kids to the beach. I’m happy now being able to mentor guys and give back. That’s occupied my time. That time I missed with my kids and mother and sister – I’m catching up with them all now.

It’s cool now. It’s weird going to game and watching it from the crowd. That’s an adjustment. But it’s a lifelong journey. I’m happy to have gotten out with all of my limbs and parts being operational.

Let’s step back to being drafted by Pittsburgh. Were you surprised?

I was surprised to be drafted – period! I was planning on going to grad school. Coach called me in and told me there were scouts coming to watch me, but I didn’t think about it. I was just happy we won our conference!

When I went to the Senior Bowl I had no feel for where I’d go or when. Everyone you talked to there said they were going to be first round picks! I was like, OK. You know they only pick guys one at a time, right?

I was happy I was drafted – and to go and see Joey there with open arms. They should have played that Reunited song. I had no idea about the process. I didn’t know what the process was if you got cut – I asked Joey when they’d let me know. When I didn’t get a call I asked Joey what to do – that they didn’t call me and tell me I made the team. He told me they didn’t do that and laughed, I asked what to do now, and he told me to “Show up for practice Monday, fool!” The rest was history.

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How hard was that adjustment from college to pro – especially coming from a smaller school and learning a new position?

Well, my first game I played was against Dallas. I was star-struck seeing Troy Aikman.  I used to use him on my Techno-Bowl team. Randall Cunningham was on their team then and when they snapped the ball, I didn’t move. It all happened so fast – I just stood there grabbing my crotch. It was all so different from college. If you missed one film study session in college because you were sick it wasn’t a big deal. That wasn’t the case anymore.

There wasn’t much teaching. They expected you to have a high IQ for football X’s and O’s. They’d tell you to learn this by 10 am, and the rest by practice. You’re just force-fed. You try and play and apply what you allegedly learned – and it’s hard to juggle both at once.

How did you manage to pick it up?

Everyone has to find their niche – their own way to retain information. A lot of people tell you to imitate the veteran guys, but that didn’t work for me. Holmes – he took me under his wing, when I wasn’t being his butler and getting him Taco Bell.

Joey helped show me where to go to get stuff like groceries. Man, there were like 8-10,000 bridges! I’d be driving around with printed maps. What happened to North and South? Joey would give me directions – go over the bridge, through a tunnel, past the bar with the homeless guy that usually stands in front of it and you’ll be close… Those were the directions he’d give me.

So many coaches helped me too – I’d watch film with Keith Butler a lot of nights. Things started to slow down and i got into a routine.

In the offseason, I’d ask the vets what to do. When to start working out and when not to. To do more or less training. Levon, Vrabel, Farrior, Kriewaldt, Porter – we’d all push each other. We all knew what each other was good at and all wanted to be at the top of the heap.

How hard was it adjusting to being a 3-4 linebacker?

I was a defensive end in college. I was a walk-on at 179 pounds at Colorado State. Going from college to the pros, there was no more three-point stance. Before the pros, my coach would tell me – that dude with the ball – go get him and don’t let him score. If we had more points than the other team I was happy. Now, I had to learn about unbalanced lines, jumbo packages, spread offenses and two-minute offenses. It was just crazy. It wasn’t just go get the guy with the ball anymore.

Any fun stories of your time there?

Oh I’ve got a few.

Coach Butler – we called him Butts – his meeting room was always down to work. He had a lot of, let’s just say colorful characters like Deebo, Joey, Foote, Kendrell Bell. He used to tell us we’d be the death of him. He was always stressed out. We would tease him about when he played in Seattle – make fun of him about guys running him over when he played. We didn’t even know if that really happened. He also liked to brag a lot about his golf game.

He wasn’t always about football though – sometimes he’d just give us common sense lessons about life. It wasn’t just about football, and that helped me. I needed days like that. And he’d have those expressions – “I need dogs that will hunt!” Joey had his too – he always said he was “6’3″, 250 pounds, I’m the prototype linebacker. They made me in a factory!” Like he was Robocop!

I would just laugh. Joey and Keith meshed together – I can see why they coached together. They could relate to each other because they both played and were similar in lots of ways.

How would you describe their approach to the game when you were there?

Joey – he knew there was a time and a place for everything. People said he was crazy – insane. That’s just his Peezy side – that’s what he called it. He’s a great husband and great dad. When my daughter sees him and gives him a hug – he’s just a big teddy bear. He melts in her hands. I have to police it because she’ll work him for ice cream.

Butts – he’s an older guy – he’s run more laps than Joey. But they have similar experiences and attitudes. And they way they approached the game rubbed off on everyone.

Any other fun memories?

I used to room wth Larry Foote the night before games. We’d take the us to the hotel and he’d run to get to the key cards – they were all lined up alphabetically. He’d get his and hide mine so he could get to the room first and get the remote so he could DJ the TV all night. He’d watch Michigan games and call his uncle after every play. Not every so often. After every play.

We once tried to set up Butts. We were playing Seattle in Seattle. Me and Larry checked in and had a couple of hours before our next meeting. We called Butts’ room and told him we were Sports Illustrated and wanted to interview him on his time in Seattle – about guys like Steve Largent that he played with. We told him he needed to meet us in the lobby. He got all excited. But somebody dimed us out – he caught on to us. We wanted to make him late for the meeting, but when we got to the meeting he said “Ha ha. Very funny. You’re trying to get me fired!”

After the Super Bowl win in Detroit he went to his hotel room with his wife – I think they got ice cream sundaes. They just wanted to celebrate with a quiet night in the hotel. Well, we were walking around with the robes and cigars Farrior got the linebackers and knocked on his door. He said it was 3 am – it was more like a cool 1:30 am! He was mad about that. I told him I’d tell his wife that it wasn’t right how he treated us. I liked to tease him about that. That he beat us with rulers when we watched film. He told us she’d never believe it – but he always gave us that look when his family was around. you know – that “You better not!” look.

He also used to joke and threaten me with this Karate punch – said he’d chop my throat and put me down. I mean, come on, he didn’t know Karate. Guy was from Alabama. Come on.

How was that linebacker corps together?

On Wednesdays we used to have the club in the linebacker room. We’d all participate like it was a Vegas night club, We’d all dance and Kriewaldt hit the lights. Deebo was the doorman and would tell the other guys that tried to come in that there was a cover charge. Butts would sit there and tell us we were trying to get him fired. That we were being ridiculous! We’d tell him he had to leave the club then! Of course when we won he’d tell us to do it because he was so superstitious.

Sometimes the defensive backs, and Hines Ward – they’d peak in. And we’d see Dick LeBeau – his office was across the hall. He would just smile when he saw us.

I asked Joey when he was there if they still did the club. But he said they didn’t do it anymore. That is was shut down. Went bankrupt! Those are the fun and games you really miss. The best part of playing – that you got paid to act like clowns.

Looking back on your career – what stands out most for you?

Well, a cool memory of course is winning the Super Bowl. The coolest though was that the first dude I saw when the confetti fell was Joey. We would wig out when we won the Holiday Bowl at Colorado State – that was the greatest thing to us then. Here we were winning a Super Bowl together.

I met a lot of good dudes along the way that I’m still close with now. And how Mr.  Rooney was. Going back to Pittsburgh to visit the team – it wasn’t like how other teams did it. I’d have guys ask me – “They did what for you? When I went down to my team, they told me I wasn’t welcome there now that I’m not playing for them.”

It’s like going to a high school reunion when you’re a Steeler. No matter who you are.