Steelers Throwback Thursday: Free agent Ray Seals’ path to Super Bowl XXX

Steel City Underground takes fans back in time to feature events, special moments, and historical times and players in the world of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Steelers Nation. Join us as we revisit these moments in our “Steelers Throwback Thursday” series.

With the free agency period opening, as well as the “legal tampering” period in the National Football League, we went back to look at some of the free agent signings the Pittsburgh Steelers have made throughout the franchise’s history. Although he may not have been the biggest signing the Steelers ever made, Ray Seals – a guy with next to zero NFL experience – helped anchor a defensive line that got Pittsburgh to Super Bowl XXX. The story of Seals’ path from unknown to the Super Bowl is an interesting one.

Before Pittsburgh

Raymond Seals was a letterman in football at Anthony A. Henninger High School (Black Knights) in Syracuse, New York. A fan of the Steelers by admission, and son of a city police officer, Ray was encouraged by a teacher at Henninger High to visit the University of Alabama. Following what would be an unofficial visit with Ray Perkins – one that didn’t sit well with Seals’ high school football coach – Seals moved to Florida. The move didn’t last long after a friend ended up in legal trouble.

Seals returned to New York and played semi-pro football as a linebacker and defensive lineman with the Syracuse Express of the Empire Football League.

Just four years removed from high school, after working odd jobs, Seals again met with Perkins who was with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it was – in part –thanks to Joe Riccardi. The Bucs saw Seals’ natural talent in 1988 and asked him back to their team after his 1989 season with the Express.

Later, Seals alleged that Bucs coach Sam Wyche embarrassed him in front of the entire team after an injury, sealing his trip to free agency in 1993.

“My story is I didn’t do it the traditional way. I didn’t go to college and get all that training. But there are a lot of people in this world who don’t do things the traditional way. The lesson is that if you dream and you hope and you want, you can do anything. And it doesn’t matter what anybody says.” – Ray Seals

With Pittsburgh

With a Drew Rosenhaus phone call, Seals was headed to Pittsburgh for a visit. The Steelers signed Seals in a free agency deal that included a three-year, million-dollar contract.

During the 1994 season, Seals was a 3-4 defensive end that recorded 7.0 sacks, two fumble recoveries and 28 solo tackles in just 13 games (11 starts) on the right end of the line. He was working opposite Gerald Williams (LDE) and nose tackle Joel Steed.

The Steelers clawed their way to a 12-4-0 record during the regular season, grabbing the AFC Central division champion spot. They beat the Cleveland Browns in the divisional round of the playoffs, but lost, 13-17, to the San Diego Chargers in the AFC title game.

In 1995, Seals started all 16 regular season games and finished with 8.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception, and 33 solo tackles. The Steelers once again grabbed the top spot in the AFC Central division with an 11-5-0 regular season record. Pittsburgh beat the Buffalo Bills in the division round before becoming AFC Champions over the Indianapolis Colts. That set the team up for a grudge match with Dallas.

In Super Bowl XXX, Emmitt Smith was just a bit too much for the Steelers to corral in a 27-17 loss with Dermontii Dawson, Rod Woodson, and Kevin Greene as captains for Pittsburgh. Dallas cornerback Larry Brown was named the Super Bowl MVP after grabbing two second-half interceptions of Neal O’Donnell; the Cowboys converting those turnovers into game-sealing touchdowns after Pittsburgh appeared to be on the verge of a comeback. Seals did get a sack against Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman in the game, matching teammate Levon Kirkland.