PITTSBURGH – Kevin Colbert was among those to whom Dick LeBeau dedicated his new book, “Legendary: The 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers Defense, The Zone Blitz, And My Six Decades.”
Monday, he praised Colbert in person for helping assemble the for-the-ages defense that led the Steelers to their sixth Super Bowl title.
The two attended an annual gathering of Western Pennsylvania high school football coaches and got to catch up before and after LeBeau spoke to the group. Watch LeBeau get a little emotional as he thanks Colbert, who served as the Steelers’ director of football operations and then general manager from 2000-2022.
It marked the second time that LeBeau has spoken at the event, which is now 10 years old and organized by Bill Priatko, the oldest living Steeler and LeBeau’s close friend. LeBeau didn’t just attend the gathering because he was in Pittsburgh for the official launch of his book Sunday.
LeBeau regularly followed the Pittsburgh-area high school teams when he coached for the Steelers. His attachment to high school football never waned, even as he spent 59 years in the NFL as a player and coach.
“I look at it as a great honor to be among you,” LeBeau told the 15 coaches at Grandview Golf Club in east Pittsburgh. “I think this is one of the most exceptional and unusual events in the sporting calendar that I’ve ever been aware of because you guys are recognizing each other for what you have accomplished and done.”
What the coaches – a mix of active and retired ones – have accomplished is staggering. Among them, they have won 66 WPIAL championships and 25 state championships. The group Monday included retired Woodland Hills coach George Novak. His program served as an NFL pipeline for years, producing players like Hall of Fame DE Jason Taylor, former Steelers S Ryan Mundy and Carolina Panthers RB Miles Sanders.
Also, there was Jim Render, who won a WPIAL-record 404 games and two state championships at Upper St. Clair High School. Among the players he coached were former Steelers executive Doug Whaley and former Cowboys LB Sean Lee.
LeBeau has an admiration that borders on reverence for high school football because two of the biggest influences in his life were Jim Bowlus and his older brother. Bowlus coached LeBeau at London (Ohio) High School, where he remains an iconic figure. Bob LeBeau coached high school football before becoming a school principal.
“He was never as happy in his life as the time that he spent coaching football,” LeBeau told the coaches. “I respect the hell out of you and the job that you do and the job that you’ve done.”
