Barry Foster: 'It Was Very Intimidating' Getting The Chance To Play For Noll
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) – Former Steelers running back Barry Foster joined The Fan Morning Show on Tuesday to talk about the passing of his first professional head coach, Chuck Noll.
Foster was actually intimidated by Noll when he was drafted by the Steelers.
"For me, it was very intimidating," Foster said. "I mean, I'm a rookie, you've got to understand Chuck Noll is the coach that gave me my shot. He drafted me in 1990, but yeah, I was very intimidated with Chuck Noll and the whole Steeler organization. I grew up in Dallas, Texas, as a Cowboys fan, so I always watched the Steelers whoop up on the Cowboys."
But Foster felt lucky to get to play for him.
"He was very supportive of me," Foster said. "My rookie year, I was having a very difficult time transitioning from college football to the NFL, and I was doing some decent things in training camp and throughout the season, but at the same time, I was making a lot of mistakes, a lot of rookie mistakes. But I just remember Chuck Noll really giving me his nod of approval."
Foster mentioned one game in Denver early on in his career during which he made a number of mistakes, and managed to frustrate Noll's staff but not Noll himself.
"I just remember Chuck said, 'Hey, back off, he's a young kid, he made a mistake, he's doing some good things but just back off of him,'" Foster said. "I always respected that about him. He just kind of made me feel a little bit better that, even though I am making mistakes, that he supported me."
The interview can be heard here:
Barry Foster Remembers Chuck Noll
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