DETROIT – While the Pittsburgh Steelers might not have much Super Bowl experience in their locker room these days, they can always look to a pair of grizzled veterans for advice.
Thirty-five-year-old cornerback Willie Williams and assistant coach Ray Horton, both of whom have ties to the Seattle area, have been there before.
Williams, who played seven seasons with the Seattle Seahawks before returning to Pittsburgh in 2004, is the only player on the Steelers’ active roster who has played in a Super Bowl before. He was a member of the 1995 Pittsburgh team that lost to Dallas in Super Bowl XXX.
While Williams is only a bit player for this year’s Steelers – he has been a healthy inactive in all three of Pittsburgh’s playoff games – the veteran gives his team an experienced voice this week.
“This opportunity doesn’t come around too often,” he said. “When you come here, you don’t just want to show up; you want to win the game. We just have to stay focused and approach it as a business week.”
Horton, a University of Washington product who played in two Super Bowls, has similar advice. But he also warns of the dangers of missing out on what might be a once-in-a-lifetime experience by being too focused on the actual game.
“The first time, it goes by so quick, and you don’t see everything,” said Horton, a 45-year-old defensive backs assistant who went to Super Bowls with Cincinnati and Dallas. “But now (as a coach), it’s like, I know what this is about, and the media and bus rides and people looking at you for autographs. It’s something you almost have to experience twice to appreciate it.”
Both Williams and Horton appreciate what a coincidence it is to be playing the Seahawks, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be any less motivated to win.
“Would I have liked to have played there? Yeah,” said Horton, a Tacoma native who spent an offseason living in Edmonds while playing for the Dallas Cowboys. “Would I have liked to have coached there? Yeah, because it’s my hometown. But do I want to beat them? Yeah.”
Williams still keeps in contact with some of his ex-teammates. He said he called Seattle wide receiver Bobby Engram earlier this week, although the duo didn’t do any trash-talking.
Horton also still has ties to the area, including former UW teammate and Mill Creek resident Chuck Nelson and Everett Country Club golf pro Frank Antak, who has tutored Horton for a few years.
“If you saw my golfing,” Horton said, “you’d probably say: ‘You’re paying someone for that?’”
Ever the modest ex-jock, Horton actually has a 6-handicap. And thanks to Antak, that’s a long way from where he started.
“Oh,” Horton said, groaning as he talked about his former golf game. “It was awful. Just awful.”
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