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Local Business Guide 2019

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Cheerios, Wowbutter and an upbeat note: King’s fills boxes that matter

<p>LUZERNE &#8212; Former Pittsburgh Steeler offensive tackle Jon Kolb said he once had a horse with no name.</p><p>&#8220;When I whistled, he came,&#8221; Kolb said.</p><p>Kolb, 71, will be the featured speaker at the Men&#8217;s Conference, presented by The Hope Center and Men of Hope, on Saturday, April 6.</p><p>The conference &#8212; &#8220;Straight Talk for Men&#8221; &#8212; is free and open to the public and will begin at 9 a.m. and run to 2 p.m. The Hope Center is at 205 Main St., Luzerne. Space is limited. To register, call 570-763-5217.</p><p>Pastor Leo Wisniewski, former Penn State and NFL nose tackle, will host the event.</p><p>Kolb was drafted by the Steelers out of Oklahoma State in 1969, and played with the Steelers from 1969 to 1981. Overall, he started at offensive tackle in 177 games and earned four Super Bowl rings, during the 1974, 1975, 1978, and 1979 seasons.</p><p>Kolb said he doesn&#8217;t have a title for his presentation, just like that horse he owned. But his message will be clear and powerful.</p><p>Dave Roberts, a member of Men of Hope, is coordinating the Men&#8217;s Conference. Roberts heard Kolb speak in Pittsburgh and he came away impressed.</p><p>&#8220;The message will be for men to walk the walk &#8212; a good walk &#8212; as a man,&#8221; Roberts said. &#8220;Many men struggle with that to some degree. The message will be to show them how to walk the good walk and to fight the good fight.&#8221;</p><p>During his playing days, Kolb was widely regarded as one of the strongest men in the NFL and played like the strongest one, protecting quarterback Terry Bradshaw&#8217;s blind side from his left offensive tackle position and opening holes for running backs Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier, and John Fuqua. Like many of the Steeler players of the 1970s, Jon had his own cadre of fans, known as &#8220;Kolb&#8217;s Kowboys.&#8221;</p><p>Kolb competed in the second and third annual World&#8217;s Strongest Man competitions in 1978 and 1979, finishing in the top three both times.</p><p>After his playing career ended, he became an assistant coach with the Steelers working in different capacities as a line coach and with tight ends. He was also as a strength and conditioning coach.</p><p>Kolb currently resides in Hermitage, Pennsylvania, with his wife Deborah. He is working as a physical therapist and sports performance coach. He is also teaching part-time in the Human Performance and Exercise Science department at Youngstown State University.</p><p><strong>&#8216;Fun every day&#8217;</strong></p><p>Kolb said the key to those great Steelers teams was that &#8220;the guys always felt part of a team.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;It was never an individual thing,&#8221; Kolb said. &#8220;We had quiet leaders &#8212; leaders who the media could never figure out. Guys like (strong safety) Donnie Shell and (guard) Sam Davis.&#8221;</p><p>Of Bradshaw, Kolb said the Hall of Fame QB was &#8220;all hat and no cowboy.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Terry had the biggest belt buckles that you could use as a snowboard,&#8221; Kolb said. &#8220;But he couldn&#8217;t saddle a horse.&#8221;</p><p>Kolb said he and his teammates just enjoyed working hard and going out and beating up the opponent each week.</p><p>&#8220;When we won our first Super Bowl, we didn&#8217;t even know we were getting a ring,&#8221; Kolb said. &#8220;We just had fun every day.&#8221;</p><p>Kolb recalled a book he read where the author said, &#8220;the process is the purpose, the goal is the relationship and the plan is God&#8217;s.&#8221; He said he buys into that 100 percent.&#8221;</p><p>Kolb said he and many Steelers&#8217; teammates remain close today.</p><p>&#8220;I was just with Andy Russell, Rocky Bleier and John Banaszak,&#8221; Kolb said. &#8220;The players from those teams will always have a bond.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Kolb </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_Jon-Kolb-JPEG.jpg</photo0><caption0>Kolb </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_JON-KOLB-in-UNIFORM.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jon Kolb during his playing days with the Pittsburgh Steelers. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_JON-KOLB-in-UNIFORM.jpg</photo1><caption1>Jon Kolb during his playing days with the Pittsburgh Steelers. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_KOLB-POSTER.jpg">
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Former Steeler Jon Kolb to speak at Men’s Conference in Luzerne