Steeler OL quit after making a Million dollars..... Who was it ??

[katmandu]

Back in the late 80s (IIRC), there was Steeler Offensive lineman that suddenly retired (quit football) after he made a Million dollars.

It was his lifelong dream to make a Million dollars and he reached his goal and quit football.

I don't remember his name..... Who was it ??

[86WARD]

Strelzcyk?

[Dwinsgames]

Carlton hassilrig ( spelling is surely wrong )

[tube517]

Carlton hassilrig ( spelling is surely wrong )

wasn't he the wrestler in college? never played a down of college football?

[LLT]

Carlton hassilrig ( spelling is surely wrong )

I think Haselrig was the player that the Steelers canned after having problems with drugs. If I remember right he went missing and was found at some sleazy motel.

[Dwinsgames]

wasn't he the wrestler in college? never played a down of college football?

yes Penn state wrestler ...

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I think Haselrig was the player that the Steelers canned after having problems with drugs. If I remember right he went missing and was found at some sleazy motel.

yes thats the guy

[86WARD]

I think Haselrig was a Pitt-Johnstown guy. I'm pretty sure he was a "small school" guy...no?

[SteelerFanInStl]

He didn't go to Penn State. He went to Pitt-Johnstown.

[Dwinsgames]

I think Haselrig was a Pitt-Johnstown guy. I'm pretty sure he was a "small school" guy...no?

my bad was thinking it was a off shoot of Penn state , it was a Pitt off shoot you are correct

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He didn't go to Penn State. He went to Pitt-Johnstown.

yea see above

[86WARD]

So is he the "correct answer?"

[Dwinsgames]

So is he the "correct answer?"

initially thought it was , now I am not trusting my long term memory so much haha

[one side only]

I think you have the Haselrig story wrong. He was suspended by the league, disappeared from camp, sat out a season, then played a year for the Jets. Maybe he made a million dollars cumulatively, but he played in the early 90's, so maybe not.

[tube517]

I think you have the Haselrig story wrong. He was suspended by the league, disappeared from camp, sat out a season, then played a year for the Jets. Maybe he made a million dollars cumulatively, but he played in the early 90's, so maybe not.

I think we (kind of) figured out the Haselrig "story" but we don't know if it is the answer to the original poster's question. I've been googling a bunch of late 80s Steeler OL draft picks and I can't seem to find the answer (Yes, I am bored at work with nothing else to do lol)
But what do I know

[one side only]

I can't think if a Steeler offensive lineman from the late 80's who suddenly retired. Those teams were pretty bad and had a revolving door for linemen (and lots of other positions). Tunch and Wolf were the continuity, but neither one of those could be the answer to the question. Terry Long drank some antifreeze and killed himself; that unique method of suicide is surely the answer to a trivia question somewhere.

[fansince'76]

Was that even possible at the time? Guys like Montana and Marino were only making $3-$4 million per year back then. I don't know if it was even possible to make a million as an OL back then, at least not very quickly, and actually NETTING a million after taxes and everything else was another story entirely.

Hell, Anthony Muñoz was making $850K per season in 1990 according to this, and he was one of the top 3 or 4 offensive linemen to ever play the game, regardless of position. The only guys we had even in that class during the late '80s-early '90s were Webby and Dirt, and one was at the tail-end of his career and the other was just starting his.

From that same list, here are the Steelers' base salaries for the 1990 season:

Bubby Brister QB $800,000.
Louis Lipps WR 650,000.
John Rienstra G 400,000.
Gary Anderson K 350,000.
Bryan Hinkle LB 350,000.
Dwayne Woodruff CB 350,000.
Tunch Ilkin T 350,000.
David Little LB 340,000.
Keith Willis DE 325,000.
Rod Woodson CB 325,000.
Tim Worley RB 325,000.
Terry Long G 265,000.
Gerald Williams NT 260,000.
Eric Green TE 250,000.
Mike Mularkey TE 251,000.
Aaron Jones DE 250,000.
Tom Ricketts OL 225,000.
Hardy Nickerson LB 225,000.
Delton Hall CB 210,000.
John Jackson T 195,000.
Merril Hoge RB 190,000.
Dermontti Dawson C 190,000.
Thomas Everett S 185,000.
Carnell Lake S 185,000.
Kenny Davidson DE 182,500.
Charles Lanza OL 177,500.
Neil O'Donnell QB 160,000.
Greg Lloyd LB 160,000.
Dwight Stone WR 160,000.
Derek Hill WR 150,000.
Larry Griffin S 137,500.
Tyronne Stowe LB 135,000.
Brian Blankenship OL 121,000.
Lorenzo Freeman DL 121,000.
Dan Stryzinski P 120,000.
Craig Veasey DL 120,000.
Jerrol Williams LB 105,000.
Donald Evans DE 100,000.
Rick Strom QB 90,000.
Chris Colloway WR 90,000.
Warren Williams RB 85,800.
David Johnson CB 85,000.
Barry Foster RB 82,500.
A.J. Jenkins LB 77,500.
Jerry Olsavsky LB 75,000.
Carlton Haselrig G 75,000.
Karl Dunbar DL 73,000.
Gary Jones S 72,500.
Justin Strzelczyk T 70,000.
Richard Bell RB 70,000.
Terry O'Shea TE 66,000.

[86WARD]

Brian Blankenship? His career was only a few seasons but he left with a neck or back injury...?

[Steelman]

Back in the late 80s (IIRC), there was Steeler Offensive lineman that suddenly retired (quit football) after he made a Million dollars.

It was his lifelong dream to make a Million dollars and he reached his goal and quit football.

I don't remember his name..... Who was it ??

Gosh, Kat...so far the almighty Google has turned up nothing. I've combed draft classes and seasonal roster charts and haven't found anyone matching that description. Are you sure you have your facts straight?

[86WARD]

The original question was after he made a million...so it's possible the player in questions n played multiple seasons?

[katmandu]

Was that even possible at the time? Guys like Montana and Marino were only making $3-$4 million per year back then.

I don't know if it was even possible to make a million as an OL back then, at least not very quickly, and actually NETTING a million after taxes and everything else was another story entirely.

I'm certain he was a black dude and it was not in (1) contract either. He was a decent OL and I distinctly remembering... Damn, the sucks for us (Steelers) to lose this guy so early in his career and the potential he had.

I remember someone interviewing him and him saying his life goal was to make a Million dollars. He reached that goal and just quit. Last name began with an "S" IIRC....

[tube517]

Leon Searcy (1992 draft, though) is the only O Lineman that comes close to what you describe but he played 10 years so it's not him.

http://www.pro-football-reference.co.../pit/draft.htm

[katmandu]

Leon Searcy (1992 draft, though) is the only O Lineman that comes close to what you describe but he played 10 years so it's not him.

http://www.pro-football-reference.co.../pit/draft.htm

Not Searcy..... Maybe it was a backup player. ??? I can't remember, but I do remember that story for sure.

[Steelman]

Glen Ray Hines came over from NO in '73 and only played one season before abruptly retiring. Can't find any mention of the million dollars thing though, and I assume he made more than that in 8 seasons, but it's the closest thing I've found so far.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Ray_Hines

http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=2397,6116224

[Steeldude]

The question didn't ask who received a million dollar paycheck/salary. It says after making a million...

[fansince'76]

The question didn't ask who received a million dollar paycheck/salary. It says after making a million...

No, but the OP also alluded to the player in question having a pretty short career along with making a million, which would have been hard to pull off at ~$100-$150K per season on average. At that rate, they would have had to stick around a good 6-8 years at the very least.

[Steeldude]

Rienstra or Pinney. Then again it could be Larry Brown.

It may be no one. The author of the thread doesn't know the answer either.

[Steelerette]

It was probably Blake Wingle.

[one side only]

It was probably Blake Wingle.

No way he earned a million dollars in four years playing for three different teams.