Former Pine-Richland Quarterback Plays for Pittsburgh Power

Kevin McCabe is “living the dream.”

The 2003 graduate of Pine-Richland High School is the backup quarterback for the new Pittsburgh Power arena football team. The former star quarterback at Pine-Richland played last Saturday night, scoring on his second pass, as the Power won 58-28 against the Iowa Barnstormers.

“I’m lucky. I’m still playing football and living the dream,” said McCabe, 26. Currently, McCabe and his new wife are living in Pine with family while they look for a home of their own. McCabe recently married his high school sweetheart, the former Stephanie Plutko, also a Pine-Richland graduate.

By many accounts, McCabe came to football late. While many young men start playing football at age 7 or 8, McCabe didn’t play until he transferred to Pine-Richland as a freshman.

“My family had always gone to Catholic schools, but we decided I would go to Pine-Richland,” he said. It wasn’t as if he had never played sports before – McCabe had played and loved basketball and other sports.

He began his freshman year playing quarterback for the ninth-grade team under the direction of Clair Altemus, head football coach and athletic director at PRHS.

“He was an outstanding player from the start. Kevin was the first player to receive a full scholarship to a Division I school under my watch,” said Altemus.

It was the start of a friendship that is still strong today. Altemus attended McCabe’s recent wedding, and McCabe has helped Altemus coach quarterbacks at PRHS.

“He will come back and talk to the boys and give them tips,” said Altemus.

McCabe was teammates at PRHS with another professional athlete, Pittsburgh Pirate Neil Walker.

“Other coaches would ask us, ‘Does Walker make McCabe or does McCabe make Walker?’” said Altemus.

Both former players make their coach and friend proud, said Altemus.

“They both know how to be humble. They come back and talk to our younger kids, give them advice and are just great,” he said. “They are both role models that the younger kids can look up to.”

After graduating from PRHS, McCabe attended the University of Virginia and earned a bachelor of arts degree in sociology and anthropology. Because he had one year of eligibility left, he played for a year at California State University after graduating from Virginia.

“I was an undrafted rookie for the Steelers, but I was released right before training camp,” he explained.

As disappointing as the release was to McCabe, it allowed him to coach with his mentor, Altemus, that fall season at Pine-Richland. In 2010, he played arena football for the  Cleveland Gladiators. This year was the move to Pittsburgh.

“We heard some speculation last year that Pittsburgh might have a team. I had a previous relationship with Coach, so when he asked me to play for him, I was happy to come back home,” said McCabe.

Arena football is a bit different from field football. According to McCabe, it moves much faster and the quarterback throws a lot more. But playing football is playing football and McCabe is happy to be playing -- back home in Pittsburgh, no less.

While the salaries in arena football don’t match up to their NFL counterparts, the players take it very seriously and treat it as such.

“First and foremost we come to work every day and do our jobs. We practice hard and we play hard,” he said.

McCabe hopes that his playing days in Pittsburgh last a long time.

“I hope to keep moving up," he said. "I have goals, of course.  But right now, I just want to do my best and keep playing.”