PEELER: Ex-Pack Stars Wilson, Keim at Super Bowl
1/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. Steve Keim remembers his first meeting with 17-year-old Adrian Wilson, in the NC State football weight room at the Weisiger-Brown Building.
At the time, Keim, a former All-ACC offensive guard for the Wolfpack, was working as the assistant strength and conditioning coordinator for the Wolfpack and Wilson was a true freshman from High Point, a little known recruit who had been talked out of signing with East Carolina by Keim’s former position coach, offensive line assistant Robbie Caldwell.
“We struck a bond,” Keim said. “I could tell from that moment that the kid had special qualities to him. He was only about 185 pounds, but his physical make-up, his smile, everything was sort of infectious.”
Three years later, in Keim’s second year as a college scout for the Arizona Cardinals, he remembers telling Caldwell that there was something special about Wilson, who had matured into a hard-hitting, though relatively obscure, strong safety for the Wolfpack.
Keim, a two-time All-ACC offensive lineman for the Wolfpack, was still young in his career as a college scout for the Cardinals. But he was convinced that his team was getting a steal when it selected Wilson in the third round of the 2001 NFL draft.
Wilson, a second-team All-ACC pick, slipped quietly into the NFL, leaving NC State after his junior season in 2000, after a strong performance in the Micronpc.com Bowl against Minnesota, in which he had 10 tackles and a fumble recovery. His announcement came via press release, one day after teammate Koren Robinson held a big press conference to announce his decision to go pro. Robinson was the ninth player taken, Wilson was the 68th.
Keim thought about that long history 11 days ago, as he and Wilson embraced in a long hug on the field in Phoenix, celebrating the Cardinals’ victory over Philadelphia in the NFC Championship game and earning the franchise’s first trip to the Super Bowl. And he’s sure to think about it Sunday night in Tampa, when the Cardinals face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII.
“It was kind of a surreal moment, standing there hugging him, with confetti falling down on us,” Keim said. “To see how successful he has become, after all he has been through here, has been a proud thing for me, as an NC State alum and as a friend.”
Wilson, a soft-spoken player whose play speaks for him, is one off the team’s most loyal players. He suffered through five losing seasons before last year’s 8-8 record and this year’s 9-7 season that catapulted into the playoff and on the way to history. He could have played elsewhere, but chose to sign a five-year extension in 2004 to stay in Phoenix, where his wife and two kids feel comfortable and where he has a successful business venture, High Point Shoes.
“When he was drafted, he was a third-year junior, who had some inconsistency and immaturity in his play,” Keim said. “Seeing him mature and grow over the years, not only not only as a player, but as a person and a father, it’s been a great thing to watch.”
The gregarious Keim, who has never been soft-spoken about anything, has also grown into his job. He advanced from scout to director of college scouting to the Cardinals director of player personnel, a top advisor to Arizona general manager Rod Graves. His responsibilities include handling the college and pro scouting departments.
Graves gives him plenty of credit for the development of the Cardinals’ roster, from Wilson to last year’s No. 1 pick Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from Tennessee State, and all the new guys in between, from wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin to defensive lineman Darnell Docket.
As director of player personnel, Keim has also participated in scouting and finding free agents that fit the franchise, including just-win quarterback Kurt Warner. Seeing all the pieces come together has been rewarding.
“Our team has really started to gel,” Keim said. “I knew we had talent. To see them play as a team, that has been a great sense of pride for me.”
It’s been a crazy time for Keim. Soon after the NFC Championship celebration ended, he hopped on a red-eye for Mobile, Ala., and spent a week scouting players at the Senior Bowl. Even though this year is not yet over, Keim is still looking for the Cardinals’ future.
He spends about 200 days of the year scouting the top 250-300 college football players. That leaves him about four months to spend with his wife, Kim, and their two children, Carson (3) and Sloane (11 months). They split their time in Phoenix and at their house in Raleigh.
Of course, Keim is also a little bit conflicted about playing the Steelers. He grew up in western Pennsylvania, attending Red Land High School in Lewisberry, PA. and pulling for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He came to NC State, which he came to think of as Bill Cowher’s school. One of the Rooneys, in fact, was in Keim’s wedding.
“I have some stuff tearing me a part,” Keim said. “But the best thing about me being here in Arizona is that I am still wearing red and white.”
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.