Countless times, Qadree Ollison had been on the fields of UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Pittsburgh’s South Side. For five years, he spent plenty of time on them while playing for Pitt.
For Ollison’s final season with the Panthers, when he gained 1,213 rushing yards, it was Kenny Pickett handing the ball for Ollison to make that magic happen.
So when Ollison returned to the facility Pitt and the Steelers share for his first practice as a member of the Steelers on Monday, Pickett wanted to re-live some old memories.
“Out at practice, that was the first time I took a handoff from him (in five years),” Ollison said after practice. “He even said it. He was like, ‘Just for old time’s sake.’ So I went and took a handoff from him.
“It’s (neat) having somebody here that I played with that was a teammate of mine, and now he’s the face of the franchise. It’s amazing, honestly.”
A native of Niagara Falls, N.Y., Ollison on Monday called Pittsburgh “a second home.” And why wouldn’t he? The 26-year-old spent five years here, from a redshirt in 2014 to getting the ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2015 all the way through to earning second-team all-ACC recognition in 2018.
And after spending three years with the Atlanta Falcons (who drafted him in the 2019 fifth round) and last season with the Dallas Cowboys, Ollison was added to the Steelers’ practice squad Saturday.
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“I went from high school and kind of became a man (in Pittsburgh),” Ollison said. “Coming back here five years later, it’s a full-circle moment, and it just feels right, definitely.”
The 6-foot-1, 232-pound Ollison spent training camp and the preseason with the Jacksonville Jaguars before being waived last week. Over 22 career NFL regular-season games, Ollison has 44 carries for 158 yards and five touchdowns as well as five catches for 19 yards. He also has played extensively on special teams in the pros.
At Pitt, Ollison accumulated 3,234 yards from scrimmage and 32 touchdowns.
Ollison said Monday that although he had not yet gotten a chance to stop over to the other side of the building to see Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi and running backs coach Andre Powell, he planned to as soon as he got a chance.
“Pitt, we take a lot of pride in a lot of our running backs,” Ollison said. “I have been saying this since I was in college that Pitt is RBU. Everybody calls me crazy.
“But it’s good to be back (in Pittsburgh), good to be here.”
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