Mike McCarthy is back where it all began.<\/p>\n
The new Pittsburgh Steelers head coach returned to the Greenfield neighborhood where he grew up, a community that welcomed him back with a sign reading “Welcome Home Mike McCarthy.”<\/p>\n
WATCH: Mike McCarthy returns to Pittsburgh roots as Steelers head coach<\/p>\n
Mike McCarthy returns to Pittsburgh roots as Steelers head coach<\/p>\n
“Oh, it’s special. I mean, think about it. Just the streets that you walked every day as a kid to go by the ball field. You know, I take the long way home to my parents. I actually drive through the cemetery to return phone calls. My brother’s over there,” McCarthy said.<\/p>\n
From the bar his father owned, to the church he attended, to the playground where he played pickup games with childhood friends, McCarthy’s roots in Pittsburgh run deep.<\/p>\n
One of those childhood friends was my father.<\/p>\n
“Always had great respect for your father. It was always cool to see him when we ran into each other down at the Marquette games a few times. But your father was a different-level player. I like to say I was a good player, but your dad played at a different level,” McCarthy said.<\/p>\n
When I told McCarthy my dad always talked about how competitive those games were, he laughed.<\/p>\n
“Oh yeah. No, McGee was\u2014yeah, I don’t know why they had any referees,” McCarthy said.<\/p>\n
McCarthy also attended my father’s funeral, something our family has never forgotten.<\/p>\n
“When you showed up to his funeral, that meant more to us than you know. We talk about it all the time. So I hope you know how much that meant to us,” I told him.<\/p>\n
“Well, thank you. We all came from the same place, so that always means something. Pittsburgh is the starting point of a lot of great things,” McCarthy said.<\/p>\n
For McCarthy, landing the Steelers job carried a weight that went far beyond football.<\/p>\n
“The whole week leading up to it. The interview was on the anniversary of my brother Joe’s passing. So that was a special day, you know, being home after the interview and obviously reminiscing about Joe. And then getting the job probably four or five days later. So yeah, the whole lead-up to the job and how it happened was, you know, it’s almost like a calling. What a blessing,” McCarthy said.<\/p>\n
While Pittsburgh will always be where his story started, McCarthy said his years in Green Bay also left a lasting mark.<\/p>\n
“Pittsburgh is my hometown. Green Bay has been my home. You know, I think we just got fortunate. We got two great places that we could hang our hat,” McCarthy said.<\/p>\n
Part two of this conversation, including a discussion about coaching alongside Aaron Rodgers, airs Thursday at 5 p.m. before kickoff.<\/p>\n
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.<\/p>\n
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