High school coach influenced inductee's success through college, NFL ranks
This is the fourth in a series of stories highlighting the Class of 2005 Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame inductees.
Having coached with some of the all-time greats in professional football including Mike Ditka and Tom Landry, Steve Kazor still credits Arnold High School head football coach Frank Martin as one of the most influential people in his life.
"Frank Martin was way ahead of his time; he was like Tom Landry," Kazor said. "He brought the team so close with offseason workouts. I don't know how many people went to the NFL from the area, but we (Arnold High School) sure won a lot of championships."
Kazor's coaching exploits, which have taken him around the country and to various levels of football, have landed him in the Alle-Kiski Sports Hall of Fame. He will be inducted during a ceremony and banquet May 21 at the Clarion Hotel, New Kensington.
In addition to Kazor, the 2005 inductees include former Springdale and College of Wooster baseball standout Tim Basilone, former Valley and Northern Oklahoma State basketball star Cliff Guy, former Ken High and Pitt football standout Heywood "Woody" Haser, Leechburg native and professional baseball player Mickey Morandini, former Arnold and Oklahoma City University basketball star Fred Moses, the late Robert Sawhook, who played quarterback at Har-Brack and Slippery Rock University, and former Westminster College basketball and volleyball coach Marjorie Walker.
Kazor left the area as a high school sophomore in 1964, and moved to Las Vegas where he quickly made his presence known at Rancho High School.
He took with him a blue-collar attitude that has followed so many western Pennsylvania greats who have left their marks on the gridiron.
Kazor was named to the All-Southern Nevada team for his play on the offensive and defensive lines and to Nevada's All-State team for defense.
"I'm not a big guy, and everybody would say I couldn't do this or that I couldn't do that, but I carried with me that work ethic," Kazor said.
Kazor's dedication and hard work earned him a scholarship to Westminster College in Utah, where he lettered all four years and was elected team captain during his senior year.
"A lot of the guys that I played with in Utah were from western Pennsylvania, and they understood the (work ethic)," Kazor said.
After college, Kazor took coaching jobs at Colorado State University where he worked for St. Louis Rams vice president Charlie Armey, the University of Texas where he was the assistant secondary coach when the Longhorns played Notre Dame in the 1978 Cotton Bowl for the national championship, and the University of Texas at El Paso where he coached the linebackers and special teams along with his duties as the recruiting coordinator.
If luck is defined to be when hard work and preparation meet, then Kazor's meeting with college football coach Ron Nay, who, at the time, was the general manger for the San Diego Chargers, happened at the right time.
It was then that Kazor was introduced to Dallas Cowboys vice president Gil Brandt, who brought Kazor on board, making him an administrative assistant and player scout. Kazor spent two years with the Cowboys before following western Pennsylvania native Mike Ditka (Aliquippa) to the Chicago Bears in 1982, when Ditka took over as head coach. Kazor was part of the famed "Super Bowl Shuffle" team that won Super Bowl XX.
Kazor's 11-year stint with the Bears included coaching duties as assistant offensive line coach, tight ends coach and special teams coach.
Kazor's special teams units held the distinction of being ranked No. 1 in the NFL during the 1984, '85 and '88 seasons.
His next stop was a head coaching position in 1993 at Iowa Wesleyan College, an NAIA program. Knowing he had his work cut out for him, Kazor accepted the challenge and resurrected a program that was 1-10 the previous year, to a team that finished ranked seventh in the nation the year after.
In 1994, Kazor made his way back into the NFL and reprised his duties as assistant offensive coordinator, tight ends coach and special teams coach for the Detroit Lions.
"(Kazor) has a likable personality, but also earns respect through the detailed work that he puts in," said Kevin Colbert, director of football operations for the Steelers. Colbert and Kazor worked together in the Lions organization from 1994-96 before Kazor moved on.
In addition to helping coach one of the NFL's most prolific offenses at the time, Kazor's special teams unit again earned recognition by breaking the NFL's all-time kickoff return scoring record when his unit scored five touchdowns during the 1994 season.
The Lions' offensive coordinator at the time was Tom Moore. If the name looks familiar, Moore held the same position with the Steelers from 1977-89 under Chuck Noll.
Moore remembers the smarts and discipline that Kazor brought to the Lions' organization.
"He has a great work ethic and knowledge of the game, and he worked well with the players," said Moore, who now serves as the offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts. "Steve's one of those guys whose concern is to do the very best that he can do; it was a privilege to work with him."
With a reputation for success and a wealth of coaching experience, Kazor returned to the college ranks as a head coach in 1998, and accepted the challenges of resurrecting college programs at McPherson College (Kansas) and Wayne State (Michigan).
He currently coaches at the country's largest junior college, The College of DuPage in Glen Allen, Ill.
DuPage had only 25 players when Kazor took over. In less than three weeks, he assembled a coaching staff and put together a 60-man roster.
"I'm having fun being a head coach, and I'm having fun with the players," Kazor said.
Steve and his wife, Colleen, live in Lake Orion, Mich., and have two boys, Lance and Kyle.
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