John's Career with U.W. and the Pittsburgh Steelers
Football has been an integral part of my life since I began playing in sixth grade. It's amazing how many life skills can be learned from participating in a competitive team sport. Each phase of my football career added it's share of character-building experiences.
I chose to be a "walk-on" for the UW Huskies, turning down a full scholarship offer from USC. However, the next year I received a 4-year scholarship at UW and worked my way up through the ranks to starting linebacker, captain, and most inspirational award recipient in my senior year. The personal skills I learned from my time as a Husky football player was invaluable.
I was one of the fortunate few who was able to continue playing a sport I truly loved at the next level. I had a fantastic six-year professional career playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Starting on the scout team and working my way up to four years as Special Teams Captain and often playing the inside linebacker position. Professional football is big business and I learned to meet the challenges of this competitive world. It was an experience of a lifetime!
Thank you for the photos: Steelers, Mike Fabus and U.W., Joanie Komura