Steelers' Hartings retires

Starks, Okobi say long-standing knee problems a big factor in center's decision

Friday, February 02, 2007

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Another era has ended for the Steelers, who have been informed by center Jeff Hartings that he will retire.

Hartings, who succeeded Dermontti Dawson at a position that has been the team's most stable and successful for the past four decades, told his fellow offensive linemen shortly after the season ended that he planned to retire.

"He's done. He told all of us," said offensive tackle Max Starks, an Orlando, Fla., native spending time around Super Bowl activities this week. "He said, 'Hey guys, I'm going to retire, I just wanted to let you guys know before it came out.' We had our moments with him; we shared our last moments, gave him a big hug and wished him well in all his future endeavors."

Hartings ends an 11-year playing career with two teams at two positions. He began as a guard after the Detroit Lions drafted him in the first round from Penn State in 1996. He switched to center, a position he had never played, when he signed with the Steelers in 2001 as an unrestricted free agent.

Dawson was forced into retirement after the 2000 season because of lingering hamstring injuries. Hartings moved in and started all but six games over the past six seasons at center despite chronic problems and soreness with his knees because of a loss of cartilage.

Hartings made the Pro Bowl as a center after the 2004 and '05 seasons.

"He had some issues with his knees and everything," said Chukky Okobi, Hartings' backup the past six years who likely will take his spot next season. "He did everything he possibly could do in a career, went to Pro Bowls, won a Super Bowl, and won a bunch of games. Whatever more can he do?"

Okobi, speaking from his home in Pittsburgh yesterday, confirmed that Hartings told his teammates he had retired. Hartings did not return a telephone message left for him yesterday. There's no guarantee that Okobi will take over -- rookie Marvin Philip also was on the roster last season -- and the Steelers have a new head coach and offensive line coach. But they have been grooming Okobi for this day.

"From what I understand, I have an opportunity now after six years," Okobi said. "I think I deserve a shot. I think everything will work out."

Hartings' tenure followed a rich tradition at that position. Ray Mansfield started from 1964 into the mid-1970s when he began sharing the position with Mike Webster. Webster, elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, started through 1988 and made nine Pro Bowls. Dawson took over and made seven Pro Bowls.

Okobi said he wants to continue that custom at center.

"They'd probably run me out of town if I don't. The standard's been set. I have no choice. There were four centers before me, all made Pro Bowls. I don't want to be that guy that they say, well he just filled in for a couple years and they got someone else."

Hartings has talked about retiring for several years because of his achy knees, which actually improved the past two seasons. He took a pay cut to return to play for the Steelers last season at $2.2 million. He had one year left on his contract for 2007.

Starks said Hartings told his teammates that he plans to enter an entirely new kind of profession in Utah, where he lives in Salt Lake City with his wife, Rebecca, and their six children.

"He's going to start a church," Starks said. "He's helping to build one."

According to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, Hartings is a born-again Christian who has performed missionary work in Nicaragua and plans a new non-denominational church with former Lions teammate Luther Elliss.

Hartings made the adjustment to center from guard seamlessly, although there were early problems between him and quarterbacks with the snaps from center. He was not as quick as Dawson, but Hartings was agile enough to block on the move and didn't require help from the guards on blocking assignments.

"Jeff was kind of the father of the offensive line," Starks said. "He's an elder statesman in the room. When he spoke you always listened.

"We respected him, and he was ultimately the captain of the offensive line because he made all the calls and put us in the right position to be successful. He's a valuable asset and he's going to be missed."



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(Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. )