LATROBE, Pa. — Long before a quarterback competition took center stage at Saint Vincent College, new Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback coach Tom Arth found himself in a competition of his own.
Well, if you can even call it that.
At Cleveland’s high-powered Saint Ignatius High, Arth was ranked about 11th among freshmen quarterbacks. While others before him gave up and quit, Arth was undeterred. Slowly but surely, he worked his way up the league. Finally, in the middle of his final season in 1998, he got the chance he was denied and led the Wildcats to the Ohio State semifinals.
“I really think this game is a lot about the ability to persevere and just hang in there,” Arth said as he stood on the practice field, reflecting on the distant high school memory. “I never lost faith in myself. I never lost confidence in myself, and I think that’s such an important part of success.”
Now in his first season in Pittsburgh, the 43-year-old quarterbacks coach is tasked with leading a group that can match his experience in some ways. To put it bluntly, both quarterbacks at the top of the Steelers roster were pushed aside and told they were out of the question as QB1 in their teams’ futures.
Russell Wilson – after 10 successful seasons in Seattle, including nine Pro Bowl appearances and a Lombardi Trophy – endured two rocky seasons in Denver. That second chapter of his career ended when the Broncos decided to pay him nearly $38 million to go elsewhere rather than keep him. Behind him in the rankings, Justin Fields’ once-promising career hit a major roadblock when the Chicago Bears decided to trade the former No. 11 pick for a fourth-round pick.
Arth’s challenge in Pittsburgh will be to instill confidence in both quarterbacks and help them regain their starting lineup quality.
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GO FORWARD
As the Steelers’ quarterback competition continues, meet the man who coaches Russell Wilson and Justin Fields
