ABOUT THE FORGED IN STEEL CO-AUTHORS:

 
The late Tunch Ilkin
Damian Williams

 

TUNCH ILKIN – died at the age of 63 on Sept. 5, 2021 from the effects of Lou Gehrig's Disease. In an obituary posted on Steelers.com, team President Art Rooney II said: "We are heartbroken by the passing of Tunch Ilkin. He was a man of faith who dedicated his entire life to being a devout Christian and family man." Bob Labriola of Steelers.com added: "The world is a lesser place today... [He] showed himself to be a better man than he was a football player."

The first Turkish native to play in the NFL, he was a Steelers offensive tackle for 13 years and twice was selected to the Pro Bowl. He went on to a long career as a Steelers television and radio analyst, working with legends Bill Hillgrove and Myron Cope. He was named to the Steelers Hall of Honor in 2021 and to the All-Time Team in 2007. During his term as vice president of the NFL Players Association in 1989 to 1994, the collective bargaining agreement was put into place tying free agency to a salary cap. A convert from Islam to Christianity, he spent 16 years as Director of Men's Ministries for South Hills Bible Chapel and was a longtime ESPN Radio talk show host with his best friend Craig Wolfley and passionate board director of the Light of Life Rescue Mission.

DAMIAN W. WILLIAMS – the founder of Pittsburgh-based Leadership League, cultivating a diverse client base including NFL teams, manufacturers, non-profit groups, small to medium sized family owned enterprises and Fortune 500 companies. He loves the challenges and rewards of taking new ideas to the market and thrives on leading through the tough barriers associated with breakthrough and exponential growth. He has been the lead strategist and marketing specialist behind projects that have yielded seven-fold growth in profitability.

MARK A. MINER – a pioneering public relations and marketing advisor, he has helped craft the image of professional service firms as they became key decision-makers at the table of business and civic leadership. In 2005, he was inducted into the "Renaissance Hall of Fame" of the Public Relations Society of America, the world's largest organization for PR professionals. He spent a decade as head of media and public relations for the law firm of Buchanan Ingersoll. Today he is CEO of Mark Miner Communications, LLC and Minerd.com Publishing, LLC, publisher of Forged in Steel and Well At This Time.