Photo via Newsday

Football has been part of Bill Cowher’s life as far back as he can remember. Growing up in Crafton, Pennsylvania, a westside suburb of Pittsburgh, many would say he was born into the sport.

A star at Carlynton High School and a team captain at North Carolina State, Cowher was a self-described “cut day coin toss” for five seasons as an NFL player before becoming anything but a marginal head coach. He led the Pittsburgh Steelers for 15 seasons, including a 2006 Super Bowl championship.

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As a linebacker and special teams player, Cowher listened to his coaches and watched how they did their jobs, knowing one day he'd make that transition from the playing field to the sideline. Now an NFL analyst for CBS' NFL Today and past member of the Heads Up Football advisory committee, Cowher spoke to USA Football about the roles and responsibilities of players, coaches and parents in the sport he loves.

Q: What fueled your desire to play football growing up?

"As a boy growing up in western Pennsylvania, I was taught early on that football is part of your upbringing. I played Pop Warner at 8 or 9.

"I remember practicing until it got dark. My dad would come down, take me home, and carry my helmet. It was a part of who you were. There were days after games or practice when my dad would take me in the car – really muddy days – and put the blanket down and tell me not to move. Don’t get the car muddy.

"You represented your area of Pittsburgh where you played and lived. When we went to high school, we went to different high schools, but we still remember playing together in those leagues."

Q: How did playing multiple sports growing up help you become a better football player?

"I loved basketball into ninth and 10th grade. I used to play all summer, just take the ball down to the outdoor gym and play until 9 or 10 at night. I played baseball as well.

"Parents today think that if kids don’t do a single sport 365 days a year, other kids will pass them by, but playing multiple sports develops different muscles and skills."

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"It’s difficult to watch your child develop and grow. They find something they love when they are young, but you should want them to try other things as well. Expose kids to multiple sports and let them choose. You don’t know if you love something if you don’t know anything else. There’s much too much specialization too early in people’s lives."

Q: Who were some coaches who influenced you?

"I remember all my coaches. Dick Myers in Pop Warner, Coach Hammer, Bill Yost in high school. In college at North Carolina State, I was coached by Chuck Amato. He was a great influence on me. I had Lou Holtz as a head coach for a year.

"Sometimes, you end up learning more from position coaches, especially at the college and pro level. With the Browns, I played under Marty Schottenheimer as defensive coordinator and Dick MacPherson was my linebacker coach my rookie year. Later, there was Dave Adolph.

"Training camps had a big influence on me. Marion Campbell with the Eagles. I always looked at coaches and remembered poignant moments in meetings and on the field, how they introduced themselves. The passion and approach they took as teachers, as mentors. Almost a father-like figure. All those things are applicable in football."

Q: When did you become interested in coaching?

"I started thinking about coaching the day I made my first NFL team. I never focused on a longterm career. I wasn’t the best athlete out there, so I was always focused on making the team every year. It was a celebratory day when the final cuts came out and my name was on the roster.

"My first real inclination that coaching was in my future was 1979 when I was among the last cuts for Eagles. I went back to N.C. State as a grad assistant and coached the linebackers while I got my degree."

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"I really enjoyed coaching, giving back what I knew. I studied and became a student of the game. But then the following year I made the Browns as a free agent and figured I’d try playing one more time. I ended up playing for five years, mostly on special teams, and I knew any one season could be my last."

Q: How did you prepare to become a fulltime coach?

"My first year in Cleveland as a player, I was a student teacher at Berea High School during the offseason. A lot of people then still had offseason jobs. In 1980 and 1981, I was a substitute teacher.

"The opportunity came in 1984 when Marty took over in Cleveland. I was a special teams captain for the Eagles, but got hurt in the fourth preseason game and missed the season. I made the decision the following year to stop playing and move to coaching."

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"I took a pay cut at the time, but it was a better longterm career choice. It was a no-brainer going back to Cleveland to coach special teams at age 28, even though I was coaching guys I’d played with three years earlier."

Q: What did you learn in those first few years as an assistant?

"The No. 1 thing is be prepared. Preparation is everything. Ask any teacher why they do lesson plans. You need to write out the benchmarks you want to reach before you move on in the classroom. It’s the same way on the football field: Build a foundation and communicate what you want.

"You need to realize that not everyone has the same learning curve. Keep teaching. Keep motivating. You are always bringing people to a specific concept. The best coaches have the skills that make them great teachers."

Q: A big part of coaching success is building trust. How can youth football coaches build trust with their parents and players?

"I’ve always said that trust takes time. Don’t ever expect anyone to walk in, hear you for the first time and say, “OK, that’s good.” Trust is built through a series of experiences. Be consistent and demanding, but pat someone on the back who does well. Don’t point out only when somebody does something wrong. When you critique someone, do it in a way you challenge them, but give them reinforcement."

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"If you are prepared, people will learn to trust you. I never want to walk into a meeting where I’m not able to have the answers. Be credible and be honest."

Q: As the father of athletic daughters, how do you put your trust in coaches?

"I always say this to parents: There are good teachers and some not as good. In life, there are always different levels. But coaching is a position that you have to be respectful of so your children do the same. Sometimes, it takes having a bad teacher to appreciate a good one. It’s the same with coaches.

"As long as it’s not abusive or over the top, let your kid experience different coaching styles. They will acclimate better to life and the working world. They will learn people skills.

"I encouraged my children to do public service, to work in restaurants. The customer comes in and there are nice ones and not-so-nice ones. You need to learn to deal with both kinds."

Q: What is the benefit of building special teams drills into practice plans at younger levels, even if the skill levels aren’t quite there yet?

"Being an old special teams coach, this is the only place where you have offensive and defensive players on the field at the same time working together. Whether to cover a punt or return a kick, they are coming together as one. This is sometimes the sole representative of where you are as a team. It throws out offense vs. defense for the betterment of the team. Special teams are a better example of team play than anything else.

"When I coached, I always held one session right in the middle of practice where we came together for special teams. It wasn’t at the beginning or the end where it could be seen as separate. I wanted the whole team focused on what special teams was doing."

Q: How do you help young players balance the highs and lows that come with sports?

"Sports are a tremendous journey. We have certain measuring points that include winning games and knowing where you are on offense and defense. But the true measure of someone is not how many times they get knocked down, it’s how many times they get up."

Photo via Houston Chronicle

"Football builds resiliency and character. There are so many parallels to life. You learn how to be humble in victory and gracious in defeat, something that is easier said than done. How will you respond later on in life to what you accomplish or set out to accomplish?

"You are never as bad as they say you are, never as good as you think you are. So when you are struggling, don’t get down on yourself. Also, when things are going good, don’t get too serious about yourself. It’s about proper perspective."

Q: What role do youth football coaches play in building this sport?

"You learn in life that it’s better to give back than receive. Never overlook a time when you can provide a lesson that lasts for life. Provide encouragement, the ability to recognize that special moment.

"Finally, let it be fun. Let them enjoy the wins and losses and give them something that will far outlast you as a person. Your legacy is how you impact people along the way on their life’s journey."

This is an updated version of a blog that originally posted Sept. 4, 2014.