fordfixer
12-24-2009, 02:20 AM
Steelers snapper Retkofsky moving on up
By Mark Kaboly, Daily News Sports Editor
Thursday, December 24, 2009
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 59230.html (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_659230.html)
Work for a moving company, win a Super Bowl, play for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League, go back to work for a moving company, have a couple more NFL tryouts, go back to moving furniture.
Saying that new Steelers long snapper Jared Retkofsky's life has been a little unusual over the past 10 months is quite the understatement.
In February, Retkofsky was part of the Steelers' Super Bowl XLIII winning team after replacing an injured Greg Warren for the last nine games of the regular season and the playoffs.
When Warren came back from his injury during the offseason, Retkofsky was unemployed again until the newly formed UFL came calling.
He played seven games for the Sentinels, but when the season ended a month ago, Retkofsky was unemployed again.
"I went back to work moving furniture again," Retkofsky said. "My girlfriend's brother owns a moving company in Fort Worth. I went and helped him out and started to do that again. I was doing all the same stuff I was normally doing. I was just hanging out, waiting, working out when I could."
Retkofsky went back to work for Bonilla Moving Inc. for the past month and used his new-found fame to help sell the business to potential customers.
"You would be surprised that a lot of people would let you come and move their house when you walk in with a Super Bowl ring," Retkofsky said. "I would go and do estimates and tell people how much it would cost to move their house, and I would wear my ring, and they would get a kick out of it."
Retkofsky went back to his job with the moving company because he was afforded the flexibility to pick up and leave for tryouts at a whim by owner and soon-to-be brother-in-law Vince Bonilla.
"There are not a whole lot of jobs I can do that will allow me to leave at a moment's notice," Retkofsky said.
Retkofsky has been in demand for his services as a long snapper just as much as he was with his moving capabilities.
Retkofsky had tryouts with the Redskins, Falcons and Texans over the past two weeks.
But it wasn't until Warren went down with an ACL injury Sunday that Retkofsky got the call that will allow him to put his moving company career on hold a little longer.
"Greg called a bunch of times, but I lost my cell phone on the train after trying out with the Redskins," Retkofsky said. "I didn't find out until later that he called numerous times."
By Mark Kaboly, Daily News Sports Editor
Thursday, December 24, 2009
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 59230.html (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_659230.html)
Work for a moving company, win a Super Bowl, play for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League, go back to work for a moving company, have a couple more NFL tryouts, go back to moving furniture.
Saying that new Steelers long snapper Jared Retkofsky's life has been a little unusual over the past 10 months is quite the understatement.
In February, Retkofsky was part of the Steelers' Super Bowl XLIII winning team after replacing an injured Greg Warren for the last nine games of the regular season and the playoffs.
When Warren came back from his injury during the offseason, Retkofsky was unemployed again until the newly formed UFL came calling.
He played seven games for the Sentinels, but when the season ended a month ago, Retkofsky was unemployed again.
"I went back to work moving furniture again," Retkofsky said. "My girlfriend's brother owns a moving company in Fort Worth. I went and helped him out and started to do that again. I was doing all the same stuff I was normally doing. I was just hanging out, waiting, working out when I could."
Retkofsky went back to work for Bonilla Moving Inc. for the past month and used his new-found fame to help sell the business to potential customers.
"You would be surprised that a lot of people would let you come and move their house when you walk in with a Super Bowl ring," Retkofsky said. "I would go and do estimates and tell people how much it would cost to move their house, and I would wear my ring, and they would get a kick out of it."
Retkofsky went back to his job with the moving company because he was afforded the flexibility to pick up and leave for tryouts at a whim by owner and soon-to-be brother-in-law Vince Bonilla.
"There are not a whole lot of jobs I can do that will allow me to leave at a moment's notice," Retkofsky said.
Retkofsky has been in demand for his services as a long snapper just as much as he was with his moving capabilities.
Retkofsky had tryouts with the Redskins, Falcons and Texans over the past two weeks.
But it wasn't until Warren went down with an ACL injury Sunday that Retkofsky got the call that will allow him to put his moving company career on hold a little longer.
"Greg called a bunch of times, but I lost my cell phone on the train after trying out with the Redskins," Retkofsky said. "I didn't find out until later that he called numerous times."