James Farrior James beast Farrior ( born January 6 , 1975 ) is a former American football linebacker who played fourteen seasons in the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for the University of Virginia . He played with the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers , and earned two Super Bowl rings with the Steelers ( XL and XLIII ) . Early years . Farrior was born in Ettrick , Virginia . He was a " Parade " All - America selection and named Virginia ' s Group AA Co - Offensive Player of the Year as senior at Matoaca High School in his hometown and birthplace of Ettrick , Va . also selected first - team All - Conference at both FB and LB , also earned All - Metro and All - State honors , he was The Richmond Times - Dispatch ' s co - Player of the Year after posting 78 tackles , 11 sacks , five blocked kicks , four forced fumbles and two interceptions , he rushed the ball 105 times for 1 , 006 ( 9 . 6 avg . ) and 22 TD and had 19 receptions for 340 yards ( 17 . 9 avg . ) and 4 TDs receiving as a senior fullback . He earned All - Metro , district and region honors as a junior , lettered three times in football , track and wrestling . College career . Farrior played college football at the University of Virginia . During his career there , he racked up 381 tackles , ranking him third on the school ' s all time list . In 1996 season , Farrior earned All - Atlantic Coast Conference first - team honors as a senior while registering 107 tackles , 13 tackles for a loss , 7 passes defensed , and 6 . 5 sacks . He even played against his future head coach , Mike Tomlin , while Tomlin was a wide receiver at William & Mary . In 1995 season as a junior he earned All - ACC second - team honors after he started every game at LOLB and led the team in tackles ( 122 stops ) and also had half sack , nine passes defensed and an interception . In 1994 he earned all - ACC honorable mention as a sophomore when he started every game at LOLB and finished second on the team in tackles with 100 , 1 sack , a blocked punt , 4 interceptions and 6 passes defensed . During 1993 , as a freshman he appreared in 10 games and had 52 tackles , placing him seventh on the team , despite not starting any games , he earned ACC Newcomer of the Week honors when he came off the bench to register 18 tackles vs . Ohio . He had seven tackles and a fumble recovery vs . Boston College in the Carquest Bowl . He majored in Psychology . Professional career . New York Jets . Farrior began his pro career in 1997 as the 8th overall pick for the New York Jets . Until 2001 , Farrior played sparingly as a reserve outside linebacker , playing in only 27 games from 1997 through 2000 . In 2001 . After the 2001 season , seen as somewhat of a " bust , " the Jets allowed Farrior to leave via free agency . Pittsburgh Steelers . In his first year with the Pittsburgh Steelers , Farrior recorded 82 tackles throughout 14 games . In 2003 , he recorded 141 tackles and one interception . During the 2004 season , his third with the franchise , Farrior made 94 tackles , three sacks , and a career - high four interceptions . He also finished second behind Ed Reed for NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors . During the Pittsburgh Steelers 2005 campaign Farrior missed 2 games due to injury , but performed well in the 14 regular season games and 4 post - season games in which he appeared . His best regular season performance came in a week 3 loss to the New England Patriots , in which he recorded 9 tackles and 1 sack . Farrior ' s best performance in the post - season came in the AFC Divisional playoffs against the Indianapolis Colts , where Farrior recorded 10 tackles and 2 . 5 sacks . He finished the season with 119 tackles and a Super Bowl ring . In 2006 , he played in all 16 games and recorded 126 tackles , four sacks and one interception . Farrior finished the 2007 season with 94 tackles and 6 . 5 sacks , a career - high , along with one interception . Entering the 2008 season , Farrior stated that he wished to remain a Steeler for the remainder of his career . In August 2008 , Farrior signed a five - year , US $ 18 . 25 million contract with the Steelers . The deal included a $ 5 million signing bonus . He was released on March 2 , 2012 . Personal . He is nicknamed " Potsie " by his parents , Rebecca and James Farrior , because he had a pot - belly as a child and because of the popularity of the sit - com " Happy Days " . Farrior has garnered several nicknames among fans , too ; one being " The Ultimate Farrior " , a play on words in reference to explosive WWF wrestler The Ultimate Warrior . He is the older brother of former NFL linebacker , Matt Farrior . Tackling Everyday Life . James and his brother Matt Farrior have been recognized for their charitable contributions and actions and have created their own foundation - The James Farrior Foundation . The foundation runs a variety of programs to assist those in need through all stages of life . The Impact 51 program provides guidance and mentoring for students , the Farrior Scholarship Fund provides college financial assistance to eligible students and the Families in Crisis program provides assistance in many forms to families in need . In addition to their own organization , James and Matt work with the National Bone Marrow Registry . For these and other contributions to those less fortunate , the Farrior Foundation was given the " Key to the City " of Richmond , VA by Richmond ' s Mayor Dwight C . Jones in June 2009 . James Farrior is also a recipient of the Bravo award given by the Chesterfield Public Education Foundation which recognizes Extraordinary Alumni of the Chesterfield County Public Schools .