I played a little guard in high school, and our offensive line coach affectionately referred to us as the “big uglies.” There was always an extra portion or two in our pre-game meals for the line, so you can imagine how Thanksgiving might look for a bunch of NFL offensive linemen. Head coach Bill Cowher used to have some fun on Thanksgiving at the expense of the Steelers’ offensive line coach at the time, Russ Grimm.
Cowher joined CBS Sports’ That Other Pregame Show this morning and told this as one of his favorite Thanksgiving memories.
“It’s a day of thanks. We all have so much to be thankful for, number one, for us to have the opportunity to do what we love. Something we did as we were a kid,” Cowher said, setting up his joke with a heartfelt Thanksgiving message. “…As I talked to my wife this morning, I thought, you know what, it’s also a time to make sure you’re there for people when they need you.
“So for any of you people that are out there that don’t have a place to go today, I wanna extend an open arm invitation to go to Russ Grimm’s house, our offensive line coach. Russ has got so much food, as offensive linemen do.”
As is often the case in the locker room of any football team, the offensive linemen are the butt of the jokes.
Grimm was the offensive line coach from 2001 to 2006, and like Cowher, he is a native of the Pittsburgh area. Some of the offensive linemen on the team at that time were Max Starks, Marvel Smith, Alan Faneca, Jeff Hartings, and Kendall Simmons. The two bookends, Starks and Smith, were listed at a combined 667 pounds.
That type of open invitation would likely mean multiple turkeys being prepared, and enough stuffing to stuff a parade float and still have leftovers for next week’s sandwiches.
Cowher’s open invitation may have been in jest, but it sounds like a couple people may have tested it out.
“I think he did have a couple people show up just out of principle to see if he did have extra food,” Cowher said with a laugh. “He [Grimm] said thanks, coach.”
I am sure a good number of you reading this are traveling, or getting ready to host others for Thanksgiving in a few days. From the Steelers Depot crew to you and your families, we are thankful for your readership and engagement to allow us to do what we love. And to anybody hosting and cooking for a 6-8, 345-pound person like Max Starks on Thanksgiving, Godspeed.
