Steelers invite Mt. Lebanon’s Tęcza to minicamp
Alex Tęcza of Mt. Lebanon will join his long-time teammate Eli Heidenreich at the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie minicamp being held May 8-10.
Tecza was invited as an undrafted free agent while Heidenreich was selected in the seventh round of the NFL Draft held last week in Pittsburgh.
“What a story,” said Bruce Fronk. He was recently hired as Mt. Lebanon head football coach. He was an assistant when Tecza and Heidenreich, both 2022 Lebo graduates, helped the Blue Devils capture a WPIAL championship and a PIAA title before shipping out to Annapolis to compete at the United States Naval Academy. “Guys that have been teammates since youth have an opportunity to be teammates a little longer in the NFL.”
Tęcza had a standout career for the Midshipmen, earning second-team all-conference honors as a senior. He was also named first-team all-East as both a junior and senior.
Tecza made 33 career starts and recorded four touchdown runs of 60 yards or more.
He rushed for 2,236 yards and 23 touchdowns in his career, including 902 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior. He also caught 41 passes for 451 yards and three touchdowns.
Tecza topped 100 rushing yards in a game six times, including a 163-yard, one-touchdown performance on just 15 carries in his first career start as a sophomore at Memphis. He also rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries and caught a touchdown pass in Navy’s upset of USF this past fall.
In high school, Tecza was a three-sport athlete. He earned three letters and three all-conference laurels in both football and lacrosse. During his senior year, he was named the Class 6A WPIAL as well as PIAA Player of the Year. He also was an All-State selection and was picked to play in the prestigious Big 33 Football Classic. Additionally, he was a finalist for Mr. Pennsylvania Football his senior season.
Tecza rushed for 2,085 yards and scored 26 touchdowns his senior year. He scored three touchdowns in the state finals where the Blue Devils defeated the St. Joseph’s Prep Hawks, 35-17, on Dec. 11, 2021, at Hersheypark Stadium.
“Alex is a great player and an awesome person,” Fronk said. “He has done everything the right way and this opportunity is a result of hard work. It was not given to him. He has great potential and has risen to every challenge presented to him throughout his career.”
The son of Randy and Dana Tecza majored in cyber operations at the Naval Academy, where he will graduate on May 22.
Due to provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act, a limited number of cadets and midshipmen from military service academies are allowed to go pro in sports and defer active-duty service.
So should Tecza, like Heidenreich, make the Steelers roster in the fall, the players can defer active duty while being commissioned in the reserves. Obligations will resume when pro careers end.
Fronk predicts success for Tecza.
“Alex just needed a shot,” he said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he does great things with it.”