Pittsburgh Steelers hire former player Carnell Lake as defensive backs coach
The Pittsburgh Steelers have hired Carnell Lake, a former cornerback and safety for the team as their defensive backs coach, the team announced on Monday.
Lake had been safety and cornerback for the Steelers for nine years, from 1989 to 1998. He also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens before retiring in 2001. Lake went to the Pro Bowl four times and had 16 interceptions and 16 fumble
recoveries when he was with the Steelers, with one Pro Bowl with the Jags. His fumble recoveries rank as the fourth most in the history of the franchise.
This is Lake’s first job as an assistant coach in the National Football League after starting his coaching career as an intern for the Philadelphia Eagles. He and another former Steeler, Greg Lloyd was with the Eagles during their 2009 training camp at Lehigh
University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania before moving to the University of California, Los Angeles where he tutored defensive backs. UCLA is his alma mater and he spent only one year with them, in 2009.
Lake was a member of the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team and played for the UCLA Bruins during his college career. He still holds the record for the most tackles for a loss in UCLA history with 45.5 and ranks fourth in most sacks with 25.5. He played in the NFL
for 12 seasons and started in 15 of 16 games in his rookie year. He had the most fumble recoveries that year with five. The five-time Pro Bowler recorded 25 quarterback sacks, 16 interceptions, 17 fumbles and five defensive touchdowns.
He even received a vote for the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1997 along with Brett Favre and Barry Sanders.
In his rookie year, the Steelers were trying out a new team with many young players. In their first game, they lost at home to their archrivals Cleveland Browns 51-0, which is still the worst defeat in Steelers history. They did not play much better the
next week either, losing to the Cincinnati Bengals, 41-10.
However, the team bounced back in a big way and made it to the playoffs with a 9-7 record. Their head coach, Chuck Noll, was named the NFL Coach of the Year for turning a young team into a playoff-calibre one. Lake was strong safety on the defensive line
along with free safety Thomas Everett, linebackers Lloyd, Hardy Nickerson, David Little, Bryan Hinkle, cornerbacks Dwayne Woodruff and Rod Woodson, defensive ends Tim Johnson & Keith Willis and nose tackle Gerald Williams.
Lake’s great performance during the season earned him the Steelers Rookie of the Year award, which is a great honour considering that the entire Steelers team was filled with rookies.
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