Up Close with PSR
Steelers' Broadcaster Tunch Ilkin

Tunch Ilkin played 14 seasons at offensive tackle in the National Football League, the first 13 with the Steelers and the final one with the Green Bay Packers. His is the ultrimate NFL success story - cut by then coach Chuck Noll at the end of his first training camp, Ilkin later was recalled to the team and, years later, earned a spot in the Pro Bowl.

When his playing days ended, he considered a move into coaching but instead wound up in the broadcast booth. He now is a color analyst, teaming with Bill Hillgrove and Myron Cope each weekend to broadcast Steelers' games via radio.

Ilkin discussed his playing career, his post-playing career and other topics related to the NFL with PSR editor Scott Robertson recently.

PSR: As fans, we look upon the closing of Three Rivers Stadium with a certain degree of emotion. As one who played nearly your entire career in that building, what thoughts do you have about it?

Tunch: The funny thing about that is, as I've been watching the new stadium go up over the last year or so, and even in the years leading up to this, I kind of looked at it as something to be excited about. It never really dawned on me that the new one going up was going to mean Three Rivers was going to have to come down.

Really, just a few weeks ago, I was up on Mount Washington looking down at both stadiums, and at that point, I think it started to hit me. I have to admit that thinking about it, I got a tad bit melancholy. I mewan, I played my whole career there - except for the last year in Green Bay - and I've got a lot of great memories there. I think about some of the teams we had and the great games that were played there.

I always walk the field before the games and I get a chance to talk to the players and coaches and some of the grounds crew guys and the people who work there. Every time I do it, I take a good look around. That gives me a unique perspective on what will be gone.

PSR: I would imagine some of your memories have to include your first game there. What are some of the others?

Tunch: Two things really jump out at me. The first one was that in my first year, I got cut, then called back in the sixth game of the season. So my first regular season game there was a Monday night game against the Oakland Raiders. I just ran out onto the field thinking `Wow!' That was a great experience. I mean, the week before that I was working in a health club in Chicago. It was great.

The other memory was my first start, which came in 1981 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Just to have my name announced and run out onto the field with the starters. Those are the two things I remember.

PSR: You mention being cut in your first training camp, yet you came back from that to make the Pro Bowl. What kind of mindset did you have to have to come back like that?

Tunch: I remember feeling a real sense of loss at first (after being cut). I thought, `What am I going to do now?' I called my dad - I was pretty upset - and I asked him that, and he told me I was going to have to go out and get a job like everyone else. My parents were in San Francisco at the time, so I just went up to Chicago to stay at a friend of mine's. I stayed on Marty's back porch and I started looking for a job.

I started working at a health club out there to stay in shape. I figured at that point, the worst that could happen to me was I could work out for a year and get invited to some other team's training camp the next year. I thought my best shot was that someone could get injured and I'd get called back [by the Steelers].

So I just worked at the health club and lifted weights all day. I figured I at least had to be ready in case someone called. Then Steve Courson sprained his foot and the Steelers called me back.

Steve's a good friend, and when that first happened I was walking on eggshells. I kept looking over at him to see how he was doing and trying to figure out when he might be coming back. I figured I was gone when he came back, so I was hoping his progress would be real slow.

PSR: Eventually, you were able to hang in there and win the job.

Tunch: I stayed with it and worked out hard. I figured I had an opportunity and I didn't want to blow it. I had a lot of help back then. I was playing with guys like Jon Kolb, Mike Webster and Larry Brown. They were pros and they set an example with how hard they worked. I figured if I watched them and did what they did, some of that might rub-off on me.

PSR: What were your thoughts when you made the Pro Bowl years later? Did you think at that point that all of the hard work was finally worth it?

Tunch: I was really moved by the whole Pro Bowl thing. I had run through a stretch of pretty successful football by then, but had not made it. In the years prior to my making it, I would talk to players and coaches from other teams, and they'd tell me they thought I should have been there. I figured after a few years that it had just passed me by - I mean, better players than I was had not made the Pro Bowl. I thought in '87 I had a good year - I didn't give up any sacks, and in '86, I think I gave up one sack. I thought if I wasn't going to make it after those years. I wasn't going to make it.

Then, in 1988, we had a bad year. We went 5-11, and even though a lot of the defensive players I talked to told me they voted for me, I figured there was no way I was going when we were 5-11. I remember Sharon, my wife, telling me one day that it was the day the Pro Bowl teams were announced, and I told her not to even think about it, that it wasn't going to happen.

Then I walked into the locker room, and Chuck told me, `Congratulations, you're going to Hawaii.' I was shocked. I called Sharon right away. It was great.

I don't think I ever thought of it as a struggle to get there, though. For me, I just loved to play the game. It was great to be part of it all and to play for an organization like the Steelers. I had some great role models - my line coaches like Rollie Dotsch, Ron Blackledge, Jack Henry and the players like Mike Webster, Jon Kolb, Larry Brown and Sam Davis. It was great to be part of something like that..

PSR: Since you retired, you've had several opportunities to get into coaching. Why have you chosen broadcasting instead?

Tunch: When I retired after spending '92 and '93 in Green Bay, Mike Holmgren asked me if I was interested in coaching. He didn't really offer me a job, but he said he thought I would make a good coach, and he told me to call him if I ever wanted to get into it.

But I did not want to live in Green Bay. Being there was a wonderful experience, but Pittsburgh was my home. Bill [Cowher] offered me a job this year as an assistant offensive line coach, and part of me would have loved to do it. But I've got three kids now, one who is playing football and two who are playing soccer, and I wanted to spend more time with them, so I didn't take it. You never say never, though. Right now it's too difficult, but I would love to do it.

PSR: You are, though, involved in coaching of a sort, aren't you?

Tunch: I do pass-blocking clinics around the league. We've been to Indianapolis, Oakland and a lot of the other teams. We work with the linemen on things like their punches, their body control and things like that. I have a lot of friends around the league who are involved in coaching, and, like I said, part of me would love to do it.

PSR: Instead, though, you're in the broadcast booth. Has that been an effective way of staying close to the game and staying involved?

Tunch: Broadcasting is a blast. I've done some work on TV with Fox Sports and spent 10 years with Channel 11. It's been a lot of fun, and I've gotten to work with some of the legends of Pittsburgh broadcasting - Myron [Cope], Billy [Hillgrove], Sam [Nover] and Stan [Savran] and Guy [Junker]. They're all great guys who have helped me a lot. It's been a great experience. I had the greatest job in the world for 14 years when I played football, and now I get to talk about it.

PSR: Was moving from the field to the broadcast booth a difficult transition in any way. You are having a lot of success, but there are a lot of athletes who don't. What has helped you succeed?

Tunch: I don't think it was difficult. I always had a pretty good relationship with the media when I was a player. I can only remember one time when I did not want to do an interview. That was a long time ago, when we were struggling on offense, and that's all anyone wanted to talk about. That got frustrating.

But I've always thought that dealing with the media is part of the job. There are times, sure, when you don't want to answer the questions, but I was never someone who hated the media coming in to talk. That just comes with the territory.

PSR: As a broadcaster, you must face some of the same questions. This year, that `What's wrong with the offense?' question has come up again. Is it tough for you to be critical, given the perspective you have of the problems a team can face?

Tunch: That's the toughest thing for me. As a player, I didn't like it when someone criticized me or wrote something negative about the way I played. But again, it comes with the territory. But it is tough to be critical.

PSR: OK then , rather than criticize, what are some of the positive things you have seen from this offense?

Tunch: I think the offensive line has been a lot better this year than it has in the last couple years. They seem to be a lot more aggressive and more physical, and they've got a couple of young guys who look like they are going to be pretty good. I think Marvel Smith is going to be a terrific tackle.

The other thing is the way they hung together and bounced back after they started 0-3. They never tanked. They worked hard and continued to battle.

PSR: Any other positives?

Tunch: I think if one of their young receivers can mature a little, that would really help the team. Those guys have to understand that being a professional is more than just physical ability. They have to prepare mentally and emotionally and they have to understand the game. A lot of young players don't understand that. Courtney Hawkins is a great example for those guys. He is prepared week-in and week-out. He was the forgotten man for a while, but he stayed ready and played well when he got the chance. He's a true professional. If I was a young receiver, I'd watch everything he did and try to do the same. They can learn a lot from a veteran like that. If I was a young guy trying to learn the game, I'd be in his hip pocket.