Positively Pittsburgh Live! Steelers, Life After Football in Pittsburgh 9-26-11

Positively Pittsburgh Live!

Steelers, Life After Football in Pittsburgh

Original Air Date: 9-26-11

Guests:
JT Thomas, Defensive Back, Cornerback, Safety (1973-1981)
Robin Cole, Linebacker (1977-1988)

Six Super Bowl rings between the two of them, learn now why they are still busy with the Black and Gold, but now it’s cheesecake. No really, real honest to goodness cheesecake. And Steeler fans and cheesecake fans alike will tell you that they sell the best sweet potato cheesecake. Listen to the archived show here.




JT Thomas

 James Thomas Jr. (born April 22, 1951 in Macon, Georgia) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League. He played college football at Florida State. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1973-1981


Thomas was one of Florida State's most brilliant defenders, he began his Seminole career with a sensational performance and ended as an All-American. FSU's first black football player, Thomas blocked two field goals in his first game in 1970. His second preserved a 9-7 victory over Louisville. That same year, the Macon, GA, native tied the FSU record for single game interceptions with three. He was a brilliant open field tackler, great playmaker in the secondary and brought FSU fans to their feet with exciting rushes at punts and field goals. Thomas, who began as a cornerback and ended as a safety, was a first team All-American pick by Pro Football Weekly and Time Magazine as a senior in 1972. He went on to a great professional career with the Pittsburgh Steelers winning four Super Bowl rings as a member of the famed "steel curtain" defense.

JT Thomas

Thomas, who has lived in Monroeville since 1975, found success in the restaurant industry after his playing days. He and former teammate Larry Brown brought Applebee’s restaurants to the area back in the late-1980s. Last year, the 56-year-old Thomas opened Red, Hot & Blue, a restaurant that features Southern cuisine, at The Waterfront in Homestead.










Robin Cole



Robin Cole (born September 11, 1955 in Los Angeles, California) is a former professional American football player who played linebacker for twelve seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was elected to the Pro Bowl in 1984. Though he played with many great Pittsburgh linebackers, he is considered one of the best from his peers, and some feel he did not get as much recognition as he deserved.



Robin Cole

He currently owns and operates Robin Cole's Unforgettable Sweets in the Pittsburgh area with this brother, Erick. Of Ericks cheesecake he said, "It's creamy, and it tastes phenomenal," Cole said. "I realized he has a gift that needs to be shared."  He is also involved in the Obediah Cole Foundation, named after his father.

Visit Unforgettable Sweets here.

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This was reported as a reproduction of PositvelyPittsburghLive news done by Joanne Quinn-Smith. (c) Joanne Quinn-Smith and PositivelyPittsburghLive(TM) 2012 All rights reserved.


Tara Darazio is a Positively Pittsburgh Live reporter, an independent copywriter, blogger, article writer, and social media strategist. If you are in need of writing assistance, or need help with your social media efforts connect with Tara on LinkedIn here.