Born in Scottdale, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Grimm is a true western Pennsylvanian. He attended nearby Southmoreland High School before heading down the road to attend college at The University of Pittsburgh.
Grimm became one of the best at his position in both college and the pros. An All-American at Pitt, he was also a three-time AP First Team All-Pro in the NFL with the Washington Redskins. Despite the individual honors, Grimm would be perhaps most pleased with being known as a winner. He was a key part of an astounding four Super Bowl winning teams during his career, and while he didn’t win a National Championship at Pitt, he was a member of two of the most successful teams in school history. In 1979 and 1980, the Panthers went 22-2, barely missing out on titles in each season.
After college, Grimm went on to an 11-year NFL career as one of the best offensive linemen of the 1980s. Upon retiring in 1991, Grimm became a coach with the Redskins until 2000. His amazing career came full-circle when he returned to the place where it all began – Pittsburgh. From 2000 – 2006, Grimm served as a coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Following Bill Cowher’s retirement, it was believed that Grimm would take over as head coach as reported in a Pittsburgh newspaper. However, confusion struck when Mike Tomlin was named as coach and Grimm headed with fellow Steeler coach, Ken Whisenhunt, out to the Arizona Cardinals to serve on his staff. Through it all, Grimm has remained a winner.
In his first season with the Cardinals, he helped mold an offensive line that protected one of the league’s most lethal passing games that included QB Kurt Warner and former Pitt product, Larry Fitzgerald. He helped that team reach the Super Bowl, where they lost to, you guessed it – Pittsburgh.
It’s easy to believe that ill feelings may exist between Grimm and the Steelers, but one thing is certain – he’s a Pittsburgher.