Lessons learned from Big Nate

TIFFIN - It didn't matter that Nate Washington played his college ball at Tiffin. He still made a great first impression on the Steelers.

"First off, he ran fast, and he had a great smile," said Pittsburgh receivers coach Randy Fichtner before he played a round of golf at Tiffin's athletic fundraiser on Monday.

But it was more than the smile that helped Nate stay in the NFL. Last year, he set a career high in catches and yards. That helped the former Scott Bulldog win his second Super Bowl ring and for Fichtner, his first.

"I think he's got unique talent, because he has really gifted ability to run fast, ability to jump, ability to catch the ball."

That ability didn't go unnoticed. Tennessee signed Nate away from Pittsburgh with a big-money deal.

Says Fichtner: "It's hard to replace because his experience now. Now all of a sudden, he's been a 2-and-3 year player for us. He's played an awful lot of football."

All this coming from Tiffin which, Fichtner says, has always been on the Steelers' radar, but he admits there is some organizational pride in discovering Nate.

"Phil Kreidler is the actual scout who stood on the table and said, Nate Washington's the guy and I think we should sign him," says Fichtner. "And so Phil is proud because he knows he stood up on a table and said here's a guy that we should get, and thank goodness we did."

It's a lesson for other scouts that big-time talent can be found at small schools too.

"They want to find the next Nate Washington," said Tiffin head coach Dave Walkosky. "Just like us in recruiting, we're trying to find the next Nate Washington. Our players know him. The high school coaches and kids know him and he's known across the country."

"Everyone knows Nate Washington, which means they know Tiffin University."