*On the Sidelines with Limas Sweed *
Steelers.com will bring you a regular feature throughout the season titled On the Sidelines where Teresa Varley will sit down with players and help you get to know them away from the game.
Rookie wide receiver Limas Sweed, the Steelers number two draft pick this year, ranked sixth all-time at Texas with 124 receptions and was fifth on the school's list with 1,915 receiving yards. He also finished second in touchdown receptions with 20.
Sweed arrived at Texas from Brenham High School where he was a wide receiver and free safety. He also lettered in basketball, a sport he loved playing.
Sweed talks about his start in sports, playing baseball and other topics in this installment of On the Sidelines.
When did you first start to play organized sports?
I was five-years old. I started playing tee-ball. That's when I fell in love with playing baseball. I then started playing basketball and soccer. I didn't play organized football until the seventh grade.
When did you realize playing professional sports could be a reality for you?
Probably after my sophomore year in college. We won the national championship and I thought I might have a chance to play in the National Football League.
Who has been the biggest influence on you?
My family has been. My mother and father have always been there for me pushing me. I would always compete against my dad when I was younger. After basketball games my mother would show me the errors I made. We would play one-on-one at night. The two of them being there and pushing me in different areas has been the biggest influence in my life.
What is the best advice you ever received?
It would be to always keep faith and believe. That covers every area of anyone's life, whether it's football, basketball, track or off the field. You always have to believe in yourself and your teammates and believe you can do things. That came from my mother and father.
What kind of advice would you give to kids starting out in sports? *Just have fun. Don't try to put too much into it or try to figure out what your specialty is going to be at a young age. Everybody thought I was going to play basketball, including myself. I always kept the doors opened. Just have fun, enjoy it and be kids. Once you are grown, you are grown.
*Do you enjoy doing things in the community?
I like to do things with kids in the community. I like to give back. It's always good to do that. We are blessed to be in the NFL so to give back is a great thing.
