GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman football's Philip Kreidler '88 has retired following a highly successful career as a scout with the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the National Football League's most storied and successful organizations.

Kreidler, who served as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Cincinnati before joining the Steelers in 1991, was promoted to the position of college scouting coordinator in 2013.  In 33 years with Pittsburgh he played a key role in the franchise winning 349 games, including two Super Bowls (2005 & '08), making four Super Bowl appearances, claiming 15 division championships (Central & North), and capturing four AFC titles.

He worked with NFL Hall of Fame coaches Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher, and during his time was part of a Steeler scouting operation that signed 41 Pro Bowlers.  Among the most notable were Jerome Bettis, Antonio Brown, James Harrison, Cameron Heyward, Troy Polamalu, Joey Porter, Maurkice Pouncey, Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, and T.J. Watt.

Kreidler, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, was a four-year member of Furman's football program as a defensive back, whose Paladin tenure included one of the greatest seasons in school history — a 1985 campaign that saw the Paladins go 12-2, defeat N.C. State, 42-20, claim a Southern Conference championship, and finish as NCAA I-AA (FCS) national runnerup under College Football Hall of Fame head coach Dick Sheridan. He graduated with a degree in history.

"I don't know if you could have done it much better than Phil Kreidler did it at Pittsburgh," said Furman head coach Clay Hendrix, Kreidler's former Paladin teammate and longtime friend.  "The success and career he had with the Steelers is quite remarkable.  The Furman family is incredibly proud of his accomplishments.   He was a terrific teammate and friend to so many during his time as a student-athlete, and that friendship continued during his time with the Steelers."