Heath Miller is one of the most popular players in Pittsburgh Steelers history. A first-round pick out of Virginia in the 2005 NFL Draft, Miller helped the Steelers win Super Bowl XL as a rookie, catching 39 passes and six touchdowns. Throughout his career, fans latched onto No. 83, and audibly reminded defenses who just caught a pass with the synonymous chant of “HEEAATHH.”
With the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh this past weekend, the two-time Pro Bowler sat down with Behind The Steel Curtain for a wide-ranging conversation on his career, and his partnership with Novartis to promote men’s health.
JB: I know you’re partnering with Novartis as part of its national prostate cancer screening awareness campaign, what can you tell everyone about that?
HM: Yes, I’m happy to partner with Novartis to promote their “It’s Just a Blood Test” campaign. Prostate cancer is the leading cancer among men in the United States and I’m just trying to spread, spread information and educate men and encourage them to check out relaxtitsabloodtest.com. It’’s a PSA test that you can take with your healthcare provider as part of your normal blood work panel. And it’s kind of a pre screening for prostate cancer. And early detection with prostate cancer is yields a very high success rate in the treatment. So just trying to make it okay to talk about your health, guys.
JB: The draft being in Pittsburgh, Heath – A. Are you in Pittsburgh for the festivities? And B. Just knowing that it’s here and seeing all the fanfare about it, what’s it say about the city and the turnout?
HM: I am here for the draft. It’s awesome to see the city alive and buzzing around today. Pittsburgh ia such a football city, so I think the fact that they’re hosting the NFL draft, and they’re hosting this big event on the NFL calendar, is awesome for the city. And you know, it’s a beautiful, sunny day here in the Burgh, and the city is showing very well.
JB: What did you do for your draft party? Did you go to the draft when you were drafted? Or were you at home?
HM: No, I decided to stay home. I was at my college apartment. It was kind of a low key my parents and close family were there. We grilled some burgers and kind of waited out the draft. So it was the perfect day.
JB: Did you have an inkling on how early you’d go, or was it kind of up in the air?
HM: I had an idea of, like, a range that I would go to, that I was hoping to go. I also had an injury. I didn’t work out. So there was a big question mark as to how that would affect my draft status, and how teams truly felt about it. But there are a few teams I had kind of marked in my mind that potentially needed tight ends. And, you know, luckily, the Steelers were the one that selected me.
JB: Was Pittsburgh one of those teams that you kind of had circled. I was like, all right, yeah, this could be one of those landing spots?
HM: I had met with them a couple times, so I knew there was interest. They had me back up to Pittsburgh after the combine to do a recheck on my medical situation. And, you know, I just had good vibes every time I met with the coaches and the front office. So I did. I was like, well, if Pittsburgh doesn’t draft me, I don’t know where I’ll go after that. So fortunately, that’s where I ended up.
JB: So Bill Cowher drafts you. You spent a long time with Mike Tomlin throughout your time in Pittsburgh. He obviously stepped down this past January. Did you have any thoughts on that, on coach Tomlin and your time with him?
HM: Well, I feel very fortunate. I started my career with a Hall of Fame coach, and then the back end of my career, the last nine years, was with a future Hall of Fame coach. So I mean, I’m just filled with gratitude to be able to play for those two guys. Coach Tomlin, great coach in the league. I was kind of as surprised as anyone else that he stepped down because he’s been such a fixture and a face of the franchise for so many years. So it’s going to be a little different not seeing him on the sidelines. But congrats to him on a remarkable career.
JB: Yeah, and you know your quarterback throughout that time, I feel like every time I see Ben do any sort of media or his podcast, anytime he’s asked about receivers or anything like that, he finds a way to bring you up. Just take me through your relationship with Ben and the decade plus that you guys spent together on the field.
HM: Yeah, well, he came to the team the year before me, so just by nature, we were close in age, were both high picks. So there were some expectations tagged along with both of us. Then we knew we were going to be in it for the long haul. And, it was a great I mean, how lucky am I as a tight end to be to be able to play with a Hall of Fame quarterback my entire career? Not everyone can say that. So I didn’t take it for granted when I was playing, and certainly appreciate it now, because he’ll go down as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play, and certainly one of the best to ever play for the city of Pittsburgh.
JB: Do you take pride in knowing the fact that it doesn’t matter who the tight end is anytime they catch a ball, everybody chants your name?
HM: Yeah, I kind of get a chuckle out of it. I’m not sure how the current tight ends may feel about it. But yeah, I enjoyed the chant while I was playing, but I think I truly appreciated it [more] toward the end of my career because it was the city of Pittsburgh’s way of showing their appreciation and their love for the way I approached the game and the sacrifices that I made for the team.
JB: Do you keep up with the team now? Do you follow along closely, or, you know, keep an eye on what they’re doing.
HM: Yeah, I keep an eye on what they’re doing. I don’t know how deep your next question is going to be, so we’ll see [laughs].