May 10, 2023 Turtle Creek Firefighter Mike McAllister said his firehouse family is happy he got the call he’s been dreaming about.
Source Firehouse.com News
A Turtle Creek volunteer firefighter will be wearing a different helmet later this week — that of the Los Angeles Rams.
Mike McAllister, an undrafted free agent with the Rams, is headed to rookie camp in California on May 12, WTAE reported.
“Since I was 9 years old, I told people I was going to play in the NFL,” McAllister said, adding that he got the call he dreamed about at 8 p.m. last Saturday. “These months of hard work finally paid off, and I’m under contract to play in the NFL.”
He joined the fire department as a teen. “I fell in love with it at a young age, and I’ve always made time for this place. It’s like a second home to me, I just like the idea of volunteering the free time that I had.”
His free time was limited though because of another passion — football. But you’d find him hanging out at the firehouse during the summer and on other school breaks. As he joined others responding to emergencies, he did his best to avoid injury.
Fire Chief Jack Osman has been cheering McAllister on since his time as a Woodland Hills High School Wolverine, then as a center offensive lineman for Youngstown State University.
“You’re trying to guess who he might go to, and it was like, OK, anything but Cleveland. Cleveland, we don’t want to hear,” Osman said.
“To hold him back, it’s kind of hard to get in front of him to stop him. And you know that’s why he’s going to the NFL. He still has to make the team, but he’s a hard worker. He doesn’t do anything halfway.”
McAllister said his fellow firefighters couldn’t be happier for him.
“It’s a big family down here, and one of their family members just saw his life’s dream come true.”