In April of 2002, Pitt lost both starting safeties to knee injuries during a spring practice…. In April of 2002, Pitt lost both starting safeties to knee injuries during a spring practice. With no experienced starters, the Panthers seemed to have quite a bit of trouble in their secondary.

Up stepped then-sophomore Tyrone Gilliard into the starting strong safety position and what could have been a soft spot in the Pitt defense solidified.

Gilliard started 11 of 13 games in 2002 and registered 49 tackles, including one sack and two tackles for loss. This year, Gilliard started the season with four tackles against Kent State, including a sack. The safety followed that up with two more tackles and a pass defensed against Ball State.

This week, he prepared for Toledo by having the interview of a lifetime.

The Pitt News: Why did you decide to play football?

Tyrone Gilliard: My family did, that’s the thing I knew that was fun, basically. It was something that was fun and I was good at. Running, tackling, trying to catch the person, that’s all it’s about – having fun – and I loved it. My family, that’s all they did was football.

TPN: What would you say is your favorite part of the game?

TG: There’s so much stuff. My favorite part about it is the look on the opponent’s face, you know, when they know they got beat, whether it’s the offense, if you’re a running back or receiver, and you score a touchdown and you look at the defensive player’s face, or if you’re a defensive player and you knock that ball down. The receiver thinks he’s got the ball and the defensive back knocks the pass down, or a running back gets hit by a linebacker and you see his face. That’s what I like.

TPN: What’s the hardest part of being a safety?

TG: The hardest part is knowing all the stuff you have to do. As a strong safety, there’s so much stuff you have to know, that you have to check on, and things like that. The strong safety, in one call, he could be doing two or three things.

TPN: Of all the guys you’ve had to tackle, who would you say hits the hardest?

TG: It was [Derrick] Knight from Boston College. I underestimated him. I hit him and hurt my neck a little bit, but I didn’t tell him that.

TPN: Did you get a chance to get him back?

TG: I think so. I didn’t get him back real well, not like I wanted. He didn’t hit me head on; I hit him from the side and I underestimated his strength.

TPN: What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you while playing?

TG: My freshman year, we’re playing South Florida and I’m coming down on the kickoff and I didn’t even see the dude coming. He just nailed me. I don’t even know who hit me, to tell you the truth. I got over to the sideline a little dazed. I got up all slow and stuff and looked to see if people saw me. [laughs] That was kind of embarrassing.

TPN: What’s your favorite sport other than football?

TG: Basketball. If I wasn’t short, if I was my father’s height, I’d be playing basketball. I love it. There’s contact, but it’s not football. Basketball is the next best thing.

TPN: What is something that people would be surprised to know about you?

TG: I don’t know. They shouldn’t be surprised. That’s the thing about me, there’s nothing [surprising]. Everybody, especially my teammates, if I’m doing something, they’re not surprised I’m doing it.

TPN: What kind of music do you listen to?

TG: I listen to hip-hop, rap and R’B. I’m a big R’B fan, I love it. On Friday [before a game], it’s my R’B night. I listen to it to just calm my self down and relax. And on game day, I listen to rap to get me motivated. You can’t listen to too much R’B to get me going.

TPN: If we were to take a peak into your refrigerator, what would we find?

TG: [laughs] You’d find apple juice, probably some left over pizza, some chicken – and cheese, a lot of cheese.

TPN: If you could date any celebrity, who would it be and why?

TG: Any celebrity? [laughs] I’m glad my girl goes to West Virginia [laughs] Megan Goode. That’s my girl right there. She’s pretty, and I read an article about her attitude towards people. You know how celebrities have that stuck-up attitude. She doesn’t; she said she doesn’t want to marry a celebrity. She just wants to marry an average Joe. I’m not trying to say I want to. [laughs] I have a girlfriend, but if I had to choose, Megan Goode, oh yeah. Man, this is one of the best interviews I’ve ever done.

TPN: Stop that, you’re making me blush.