LATROBE, PA (93.7 The Fan) – Joey Porter was introduced as one of three members of the new class for the Steelers Hall of Honor on Saturday, July 26. The day he became a father 25 years ago to his son Joey, the Steelers starting cornerback.
"It's an exciting day for the Porter family," Porter said Saturday at the Rogers Center at St. Vincent College. "To get announced today is even more crazy because it's my son's birthday. To get to share that with him because it was 25 years ago I left training camp for him to be born in California. So it's full circle thinking of everything now."
"It was a great feeling," said Joey Porter, Junior. "It was something we always wanted for him. The fact that he's finally getting in there with his old teammates, it's a blessed feeling."
Porter, Junior said he heard a lot of stories about his father's playing career. He added with a smile he couldn't really share anything specific in a news conference setting.
"He had a lot of off the field stuff I really enjoyed," Porter, Junior said. "I feel like the best one for me is when he got the pick vs. Ben with the Dolphins. I thought that was a good get-back moment for him. I know he enjoyed that."
An outspoken player with the Steelers, Porter said he never wanted to leave the city, going on to play for the Dolphins and Cardinals for five years. He said his role was to lead the team. He didn't care what the outside thought was, he knew what his teammates believed. Porter said he would put the pressure on himself to where he had to play 110 mph because of things he said. That included his feud with Seattle's Jerame Stephens at Super Bowl 40.
Porter also confirmed that Steelers great Greg Lloyd wanted to give him his number 95 as a sign of respect for Porter, but Joey refused it because he wanted to create his own brand. When he made plays he wanted people to know it was him, not the jersey.
Porter's son is ok following his dad's example and taking it forward.
"I'm trying to follow the exact steps, but even better," Porter, Junior said. "We don't keep it competitive to compare careers, but I definitely want to do everything he did plus one. That's what I'm chasing and he knows that."
