You’ll get a ‘kick’ out of this interview!
Steve Christie kicked for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but is best known for his work with the Buffalo Bills where he remains the all-time leading scorer in team history. Steve and his wife, Kelly, now live in Lakewood Ranch.
Christie, 57, grew up near Toronto, graduated from William & Mary and began his career with the Bucs in 1990. He made the All-Pro team his rookie year. Steve retired from football in 2007 and has since been helping young kickers, is good with a paintbrush and supports charities.
Our monthly columnist, Ray Collins, anchored the news in Buffalo during Christie’s glory days and they have worked together on several charity projects. Rather than ask about strategies, game plans and techniques, Ray took a lighter approach in this fun interview:
For a 1pm Sunday game, what time did you have to be at the stadium?
11am.
Do you think most NFL players set their DVRs to record their games so they can watch when they get home?
No, they see enough of it during the week. Coaches go through it with us in detail.
How do 50 guys use the bathroom during a short halftime break?
They had pretty big bathrooms. It wasn’t too bad.
Do some players ‘go’ on the sidelines?
Yes, they just have assistants drape towels around them so no one can see. (The bottle is then discarded.)
When you had road games, could you go out at night or did you have to stay in the hotel?
We had an 11pm curfew.
During late-night games on the road, do you usually stay that night in that city?
No, we fly home that night, no matter how late. Only one time we didn’t and that was due to bad weather in St. Louis that night.
Do the coaches take advantage of having a captive audience on board the planes and talk to the players?
No, they’re mostly talking to each other.
Do you work seven days a week during the season?
No, we get Tuesdays off.
Why not Mondays after the game?
They want us to lift (weights) the day after the game.
The Bills brought you to compete in pre-season with Scott Norwood in the wake of his wide-right kick that lost the Super Bowl for the Bills. What was that like?
A little awkward. Scott couldn’t have been nicer but some of the fans initially didn’t appreciate my presence. Scott is still a good friend.
Did you have to make a lot of tackles in your career?
More with the Bucs than when I played for the Bills. They weren’t a great team at that point.
You must have really winced when you saw an opposing player successfully running back a kick-off and you were left to make a tackle?
Awful. I’d try to angle them toward the sidelines so I could just push them out of bounds. But one time a player from New Orleans, (Craig) “Iron Head” Heyward, collided with me and I felt like I was stabbed in the leg.
There was one kicker, Gary Anderson, who would literally run off the field after he kicked. I don’t know how he got away with it!
Who do you think is the best kicker in the game today?
I like Justin Tucker, the kicker for the Ravens. He also has a good mindset.
You help a lot of young kickers, even high school players. Do they come to you or do you go to them?
It’s mostly done with video. They send me clips, or I can watch their games on the internet.
Who was your favorite coach?
Marv Levy. He coached at William & Mary, he emphasized special teams and he was a fun guy to be around.
He is a very bright guy. Do you have any stories about him?
He used to quote Churchill, Socrates—all the greats, and some of the players would soak up every word, but most players were staring at the ceiling. (Laughs)
Ray Collins is an award-winning Sarasota area Realtor, media consultant and travel writer. He’s been published more than 200 times. Articles at www.RayCollinsMedia.com/articles
