Longtime NFL outside linebacker Joey Porter will assist the Colorado State coaching staff in 2013 as he works to finish his undergraduate degree in liberal arts with a focus in social studies, the school announced Wednesday.
“I’m extremely happy to have opportunity to work with the CSU football team as an undergraduate student assistant,” Porter said in a statement issued by the school. “It’s an honor for me to come back and be a part of the CSU family, and I’m extremely excited to see what happens with the 2013 season.”
Porter, 36, had 14 sacks in his final season with Colorado State in 1998. The Steelers drafted him in the third round of the 1999 draft. He played eight seasons with Pittsburgh before moving on to Miami (2007-2009), then Arizona (2010-2011).
Porter told Matt L. Stephens of the Fort Collins Coloradoan that a “hectic” last semester as he prepared for the NFL Draft was a factor in him not finishing his coursework the first time around, but the former NFL standout indicated he wants to finish the job this time. Porter called his coaching work an “extra gift” from Colorado State head coach Jim McElwain.
“Getting my degree is the biggest thing. It’s good for me to have, it’s good for me to stress to my kids,” Porter said, according to the Coloradoan. “I went to college, but didn’t graduate. Now I can finish my whole story.”