While Westmoreland County has produced more than a dozen WPIAL championship football teams and a bevy of Division I players, very few from the county have made it to the NFL. Scott McKillop is among those on the short list, as the former Kiski Area standout reached the pinnacle with the San Francisco 49ers. Injuries prematurely ended his career on the gridiron, and a career in coaching wasn’t the long-term answer for McKillop. Now, he’s a part of Stryker, a renowned medical technologies company. McKillop is under the microscope in this installment of Westmoreland Where Are They Now?

McKillop, a native of Export, was a key part of the resurgence of Kiski Area football in the early 2000s. Along with his older brother, Chris, Adam Gunn, and Greg Hutcherson, the quartet formed the foundation of the Cavaliers roster for multiple seasons. Despite those Division I talents leading the way, however, the Cavs failed to achieve postseason success in the WPIAL Class Quad-A.

“What stands out in my mind is a lot of expectations, a lot of potential, but if you look at who we had on our team, we really didn’t produce. We didn’t win a playoff game whenever I was at Kiski,” McKillop recalled. “We had no offensive and defensive line. It was all skill players.”

McKillop, who played linebacker, fullback, and tailback at Kiski Area, did have some fond memories during his high school career, however. In his sophomore season, Kiski Area upset neighboring Plum, and also staged an incredible comeback against Seneca Valley in which the Cavs scored 14 points in the final 10 seconds to prevail.

More notable than the victories, though, was the opportunity for Scott to play alongside Chris, who unfortunately suffered an injury that cut short his senior campaign.

“You don’t really think about things when it’s going on, but when you get a little bit older like I am right now, it’s pretty special,” Scott noted.

While Scott ultimately decided to join Chris on the gridiron at the University of Pittsburgh, there was some thought that he could follow in the path of his oldest brother, Robert, who wrestled collegiately at Slippery Rock University.

“I was probably better coming out of high school in wrestling than I was football, but understanding that the potential to continue to climb to a higher level in the NFL is a lot more promising,” he stated. “Wrestling helped me tremendously. Wrestling is one of the best sports to teach mental toughness.”

That mental toughness was tested as he elected to pursue football. After struggling at the Nike Camp, McKillop’s lone DI offer was from the hometown Panthers.

McKillop, who was recruited by Walt Harris, joined the Panthers as a linebacker in 2004, redshirting his first season.

With new coach Dave Wannstedt at the helm, McKillop primarily saw snaps on special teams in 2005, playing in nine games and recording 27 tackles. The Panthers struggled, finishing at 5-6 overall, including 4-3 in the Big East Conference.

As a redshirt sophomore, McKillop filled a similar role in 2006, notching 29 tackles and a sack in a dozen contests. The Panthers again sputtered, however, going 6-6 overall, and just 2-5 in the Big East.

“I’ll be honest with you, I sucked. I was not ready to play,” McKillop bluntly said of his first three years on campus.

That changed drastically in 2007, though, as McKillop earned a starting spot and quickly became one of the top players on the team. Once again playing in all 12 games, McKillop registered 151 tackles, including nine for loss, three sacks, and one interception. He paced the entire NCAA in tackles per game.

“Things just clicked,” he said of his sudden emergence. “I don’t know what it is, I think sometimes you just gotta have that ‘it.’”

While the Panthers went just 5-7 again, the season ended with one of the biggest wins in program history, as Pitt stunned previously-undefeated West Virginia 13-9.

“Going into that game, I thought we were going to get killed,” laughed McKillop.

McKillop was paramount in that upset, as he tackled Mountaineers running back Steve Slaton on a crucial fourth down.

“It was an all-out blitz. Every gap was accounted for. The center blocked my way, I disengaged, made the tackle on Steve Slaton,” he detailed. “The only play in my whole entire career that I celebrated. It was probably the worst celebration in the world, but it’s the one people caught me in a picture with.”

McKillop continued to thrive in his final season at Pitt, as he appeared in 13 games, amassing 137 tackles, including 17.5 for loss, four sacks, and two interceptions. For his outstanding play, he was recognized as the Big East Defensive Player of the Year, and he was named to the prestigious Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) All-America Team.

“When I got my scholarship offer to Pitt, I was hoping that I would start and play, but I never thought that I’d amount to what I ended up becoming,” McKillop revealed. “To reach what I reached, in a million years I never, ever, ever thought I would accomplish what I accomplished.”

Collectively, Pitt took a big step forward in 2008, as the Panthers went 9-4, including 5-2 in the conference, and played in the Sun Bowl.

McKillop, who earned his degree in business marketing, entered the NFL draft after the conclusion of his career with the Panthers. He was selected in the fifth round, 146th overall, by the San Francisco 49ers in 2009.

“Once you get the call, the stress is off,” he said of the anxiousness that came with the draft. “Now, it’s put up or shut up.”

Long before he played in his first NFL game, however, McKillop discovered how challenging the transition would be to the highest level. The 49ers head coach, Mike Singletary, put him and his fellow rookies through the ringer at minicamp.

“I’ve never been to boot camp, but it might’ve been just exactly like it,” McKillop noted. “It was honestly one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life. It was eye-opening.”

Playing as a reserve among a group of linebackers that included Patrick Willis and Takeo Spikes, McKillop assumed a valuable role on special teams with San Francisco. He played in every game, recording 29 tackles and a fumble recovery, and even scored a touchdown.

The 49ers compiled a record of 8-8 that season, finishing second in the NFC West but failing to qualify for the playoffs.

After a promising rookie year, McKillop’s career was derailed by a serious knee injury that cost him the 2010 season. Simultaneously, the 49ers continued to add talent to their linebackers, snagging Penn State standout NaVorro Bowman and first-round selection Aldon Smith over the next two drafts.

With a new coach in Jim Harbaugh at the helm and his spot on the roster in jeopardy, McKillop attempted to fast track his recovery for the 2011 campaign, but his ailment still lingered.

“Looking back on it, I probably should’ve started on the PUP list and came back slower. My knee kind of shut down,” he said. “I knew I was just fast enough to play at that level, and when (I) got injured, I was too slow.”

Thus, the 49ers cut ties with McKillop, and his attempts to catch on with the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles proved futile. After another knee injury set him back further, McKillop realized his career was done when he attended a camp for a CFL team.

“I tried to hang on a little bit longer than I should,” he revealed.

McKillop quickly transitioned to the other side of the game, as he returned to Pitt as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2014 season. With Paul Chryst at the helm, the Panthers went 6-7 overall, including 4-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

The following year, McKillop served as a defensive graduate assistant under new coach Pat Narduzzi. The Panthers improved to 8-5, including 6-2 in ACC play.

“It was a great learning experience,” he commented. “You don’t truly know what goes on behind the scenes, as far as game planning and scheming.”

After two years coaching at his alma mater, McKillop went to Concord University in Athens, West Virginia, where he was the special teams coordinator and coached linebackers. The Mountain Lions went just 2-9 during that campaign, including 2-8 in the Mountain East Conference (MEC).

The following year, McKillop returned back to Westmoreland County, as he joined Seton Hill University as the safeties coach. The Griffins endured a winless season, however, finishing 0-11.

“I took a risk on myself and I bet to go get some actual position coaching experience, and things didn’t work out,” McKillop revealed.

Throughout that season with Seton Hill, McKillop stayed with his parents in Export. Meanwhile, his wife, Lauren, and young daughter, Harper, remained in West Virginia.

“Family has always been important to me, but until you have a son or a daughter and you’re not there and you’re missing out on a lot of times you’ll never get back – I made the decision to stop coaching,” he explained.

With football no longer in his plans for the first time in his adult life, McKillop sought a new start. Gunn, his former teammate and longtime friend, introduced him to Stryker Corporation, a medical technologies company. The competitive atmosphere, as well as the chance to help others, appealed to McKillop.

“It’s sales, so you’re always going to have a number to hit,” he said. “Indirectly, having a patient get better from when they go on the table to when they get off.”

Now living in Hurricane, West Virginia, McKillop remains at Stryker. He’s also grown his family, as he has a 4-year-old son, Weston.

His hobbies include thrift shopping and golfing, while football has remained on the backburner in recent years. He talked to the nearby high school football coach about helping out, although it wasn’t a fit for his current schedule.

“The level of commitment that they are asking is something that I am not willing to commit to,” he noted.

Even if Weston opts to pursue football himself, McKillop is hesitant to get heavily involved from a coaching perspective.

“I don’t want to be that coach that tries to live vicariously through his son and is constantly contradicting what he’s being told by his current coaches,” he said.

McKillop still has some ties to his playing days, however. He maintains contact with former 49ers All-Pro offensive tackle Joe Staley and linebacker Jeff Ulbrich, among others.

Additionally, he has season tickets for Pitt, and with a wife who’s a native of West Virginia, he’s anticipating the Panthers season opener in Morgantown against the Mountaineers.

“That Pitt West Virginia game this year is definitely going to be heavily contested - hopefully, a victorious game for Pitt,” he said.