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Friday, January 29, 2010

Steelers hire Olsavsky

It's a good thing Bill Cowher is gone so we won't have to hear him butcher Jerry Olsavsky's name all the time. Cowher liked to add an extra l in Olsavsky, calling him Olslavsky until finally just settling on Jerry O.

The Steelers hired Jerry O. As their defensive quality control coach Friday. Olsavsky replaces Lou Spanos, who left to become linebackers coach with the Washington Redskins.

The 42-year-old Olsavsky – man that makes me feel old – was drafted by the Steelers in the 10th round of the 1989 NFL Draft and played linebacker with the team from 1989-97. He finished his playing career in 1998 with the Baltimore Ravens.

A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Olsavsky spent the past seven seasons coaching linebackers for Youngstown State. Prior to coaching at Youngstown State, Olsavsky spent one year as an assistant strength coach at University of North Carolina, and he also coached at his alma mater Chaney High School in Youngstown and at Duquesne University.

Olsavsky’s Pittsburgh roots extend back to his college days when he was named a first-team Kodak All-American as a senior in 1988 at the University of Pittsburgh. He became the Panthers’ first player since 1976 to record more than 100 tackles in three straight seasons.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember Jerry O. as a guy who didn't have all of the physical skills that some of his linebacker teammates had but he played with smarts and energy. I wish him well.

Collin Williams said...

Shut Up Patrick

Dale Lolley said...

It will be interesting to see how he handles the flights. When he was a player, he hated flying. In fact, he hated it so much that he never sat down, sometimes even during landings.

Ben said...

hey Dale, just to let you know I think your Atom feed is busted. Any chance you can get someone to fix it cos that's how I keep up with your blog!!

rocket9 said...

Love the hiring of Jerry O..one of my fave "limited in talent but bursting with heart" types who ever donned the uni..

Those kind of guys..who had to fight for a job and learn how to keep a job against more talented people is usually the type who make excellent coaches.