Randy Fichtner, the former Meadville football player who recently was named the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers coach, was a guest of honor Wednesday at the Meadville Area Sports Banquet.
He wasn't alone. Backup quarterback Charlie Batch, among others with Steelers ties, also was on hand.
They shared their thoughts on Fichtner's place with the new-look Steelers staff for a story in Thursday's Erie Times-News, and had opinions on plenty of other topics as well:
Randy Fichtner
-- On socializing with his former Meadville football teammates:
“The stories have gotten better, believe me. I don’t know if we were ever that great when I was here, but they seem better.”
-- On coaching advice from his father, Ross, who played and coached in the NFL:
“He told me be consistent with your players. Be honest. If you’re an excited coach, be an excited coach. If you’re not an excited coach, don’t be it one day and not the next.”
-- On the late Bo Schembechler, whom Fichtner served as a Michigan graduate assistant for the 1986 and 1987 seasons:
“He was awesome. I love Coach Schembechler. I already miss him. I wish he was around today so I could call him and thank him giving me a background to get started.”
Charlie Batch:
-- On former coach Bill Cowher’s resignation from the Steelers after 15 seasons and the Super Bowl XL title:
“At the start (of the season), I think we were just like everybody else. We didn’t know what was going to happen at the end of the year. Ultimately, we all had a pretty good sense of the fact that by the end of the season he wasn’t going to come back.”
More on Cowher and how he’ll miss him:
-- “I look at it from two perspectives. I look at him from a fan’s perspective and being able to play for him.”
“Looking at him as a player, what you see it what you got. He was true to his authority and he was true to his word.”
“I think I was more emotional than anybody on the team (when he resigned) because when I left high school (at Steel Valley) in 1992 he was just coming (to the Steelers). I had an opportunity to follow the Steelers for six years before I got into the NFL.
"I’m just glad I had an opportunity play for him and actually go through a Super Bowl winning season.”