‘Something special’: Steelers’ Ratliff has roots in the Valley

By Joe Scalzo

Some future NFL players develop over time and some announce themselves early, like when a 7-year-old named Keiwan Ratliff would challenge the older kids in the neighborhood to a race — and, of course, make them look silly.

“You could just tell he was something special, even back then,” said Mike Cefalde, who coached Ratliff in the Austintown Little Colts.

Ratiff, who later played for the East Side Broncos before moving to Columbus, recently signed a one-year contract to play cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But while Ratliff still considers Youngstown home — “Youngstown will always be home,” he said — it’s mere coincidence that he’ll be playing for one of the city’s two favorite NFL teams.

“It just worked out that way,” said Ratliff, a former All-American at the University of Florida. “And it couldn’t have worked out any better, to be that close to my family.

“This is the first time I’ve been on a defensive team since college. It’s great to be playing on a defense as well-respected as the Steelers’ defense.”

The former second round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals will help replace former starter Bryant McFadden, who signed with the Arizona Cardinals in the offseason, but said he’s going into the season with one thing on his mind: get on the field.

“First and foremost, that’s always my goal,” he said. “I rarely set personal goals. I just want to get on the field.

“I just try to put my best foot forward.”

Most of Ratliff’s family still lives in the Valley, including his uncle on his mother’s side, Greg “The Flea” Richardson, the former WBC bantamweight champion. Interestingly, Ratliff played with future WBC middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik on the Austintown Colts. Later, in the Volney Rogers league, he got to know former Steelers safety Anthony Smith, a Hubbard High graduate who signed with the Green Bay Packers in the offseason.

“Most of the guys in Volney Rogers remember each other,” said Ratliff.

Ratliff and his mother, Rosalind, moved to Columbus at 13 and Ratliff was All-America in football and basketball at Whitehall-Yearling. He then signed with Florida — he remembers some Columbus-area reporters packing up their equipment on signing day when he said he wasn’t going to be a Buckeye — and emerged as one of the best players in the nation.

He set school records for punt return yards (86), interceptions in a season (nine) and interceptions in a game (three) and was named SEC defensive player of the year in 2003. He also earned first team All-America that season.

Ratliff was the 49th overall pick in the 2004 draft by the Bengals and played three seasons before getting released in September of 2007. After a brief stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ratliff signed with the Indianapolis Colts, eventually helping to replace cornerback Marlin Jackson, a Sharon High graduate who was on injured reserve. Jackson was born in Youngstown and still has a lot of family in the city.

Need more connections? Ratliff’s father, Charles, was an All-Steel Valley Conference football player at Cardinal Mooney in the late 1970s. Ratliff’s younger brother, Dre, scored the game-winning touchdown for Whitehall-Yearling in a playoff game against Chaney in 2003.

Because of his Valley ties, Ratliff held his first youth football camp as an NFL player in Youngstown, before shifting to Columbus over the past few years.

“It was important to me to have that first one in Youngstown,” he said. “I know growing up, if I had seen someone who made it from here, it would have given me a little more drive.”

Ratliff is hoping to come back this summer to hold a camp to benefit the Austintown Colts. In the meantime, he’s preparing for his first season with the Super Bowl champs.

“Honestly, I don’t really know what to expect,” he said. “Anytime you can go from a team like the Colts, where you always have an opportunity to win with Peyton [Manning] in the game, to a team that just won a Super Bowl, it’s a great opportunity. That’s everybody’s goal — to win a Super Bowl.

“I’m just going to go in there and work hard and show my talent and ability and hope everything works out.”

scalzo@vindy.com