For the past 21 years, Kevin Colbert has held a dream job for any Pittsburgh-area native: General manager of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Though he’s earned his way to the top of the organization through a lot of hard work and hours spent perfecting his craft building football teams and identifying talent, Colbert — just a few months away from stepping aside as general manager — still takes the time to reflect on his journey and be grateful for the position he finds himself in.
Speaking with former Steelers’ offensive tackle and Super Bowl champion Max Starks for Steelers.com, Colbert took some time to reflect on his 20+ years with the Steelers, saying that he sometimes has to pinch himself to realize how special
“It hits home, but it doesn’t,” Colbert said, according to video via Steelers.com. “I mean the Rooneys and myself, we went to the same high school, North Catholic. And to come back and to be part of this organization, an organization you admired from afar for so many years to be part of it, sometimes it’s not realistic.
“We always talk about being in our office and Mr. Rooney, two doors down and Art, two doors down and Bill Nunn sitting in a room. We talked recently with Coach [Bill] Cowher going into the Hall of Fame, along with Bill, and any given meeting we might have had Dick LeBeau, Bill Cowher, Bill Nunn, Mr. Rooney sticking his head in saying, ‘how’s it going?’ And we might have been talking about Troy or Allen in those meetings,” Colbert added. “So sometimes we have to pinch ourselves and realize how special it was, but those folks never made it special on their end from an expectation. It was just how we were all trying to work together. And, you know, I’ll sit back and reflect on how special those moments were. And again, we never wanted to take any of that for granted, but it was truly an opportunity that none of us could ever plan on or understand fully.”
Starks essentially called Colbert the Dick Haley of the current generation for the Steelers, which is spot-on. Haley, of course, is not only Todd Haley’s father, but was also the Director of Player Personnel for the Steelers from 1971-1990 and is credited with drafting the renowned 1974 Steelers’ class that included four future Hall of Fame inductees in Jack Lambert, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, and Mike Webster, as well as adding Hall of Famer Donnie Shell as an undrafted free agent.
Much like Haley, Colbert is a local product, attending North Catholic High School, where the Rooney family has famously attended throughout history.
Rarely do we get to hear Colbert reflect back on his time with the Steelers because he’s always looking ahead, but with his career as the GM in the Steel City winding down, it was great to hear him reflect on his time as the Steelers’ GM and talk about how lucky and grateful he is to have held the position he’s had with his boyhood team.
