Bristol Herald Courier | Tim Hayes | Photo Credit: Bristol Herald Courier
Commissioner Paul Tagliabue stepped to the podium on April 23 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and made the anticipated announcement around 6 p.m.:
With the 30th choice in the 2005 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Heath Miller, tight end from Virginia.
Miller wasn’t in the Big Apple, instead opting to spend the life-altering day at his college apartment in Charlottesville.
“The Steelers called me while the pick before was on the clock,” Miller recalled in a telephone interview on Wednesday. “I was real excited. I met with them at the NFL Combine and then I went back for a visit. Both times went really well, spending time with Coach [Bill] Cowher and the other coaches. When they drafted me, they were 15-1 the year before. I knew I was going to a great team with a lot of great players and a great city that fit me perfectly.”
It’s been 20 years since the Honaker High School graduate had his name called by a storied franchise for which he’d spend his entire 11-season pro career.