Meet the Hoo’s Hoo of Football Alumni Helping Heath Miller in His New Career

Joe Hall, a second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference defensive tackle in 1990; Chris Luzar, a tight end from 1998 to 2001 and fourth-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars; Austin Pasztor, a second-team All-America offensive guard in 2011; and Joe Reed, a first-team All-America kick returner in 2019, have joined Peace, himself a third-team All-ACC performer in 2018.

“When the school asked me to take over the program,” said Miller, a longtime Charlottesville resident with four children in the STAB school system, “I knew I needed a lot of really good help and be surrounded by a good group of guys.

“To their credit, it just took a call, and they were eager to help out.”

Reed, a 2020 fifth-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Chargers who spent parts of four seasons in the NFL, was done with his playing career when Miller contacted him.

The 2024 STAB football stuff includes former Wahoos, from left to right, Chris Luzar, Chris Peace, Miller, Austin Pasztor and Joe Reed. Not pictured is fellow UVA alumnus and assistant coach Joe Hall. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

Adding this responsibility to his busy new life in Central Virginia – Reed is also co-owner of Pro Re Nata Brewery in Crozet and a loan officer for Alcova Mortgage – was a “no-brainer,” Reed said.

“I knew I had the time,” Reed said. “I had some other coaches ask me and I was like, ‘No,’ but to be around Heath, a Virginia Hall-of-Famer, it was an honor to get that call. It was something I couldn’t pass up.”

Miller, in the eyes of Reed and Peace, comes with an aura. He’s one of the greatest players in UVA history – the program retired his No. 89 jersey in 2012 – who made two Pro Bowls with the Steelers and twice helped the franchise win a Super Bowl. He still holds Pittsburgh records for most receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns by a tight end.

We’re 89 days from #UVA football! 

Pictured: Heath “Big Money” Miller (2002-2004) was a 3-year starter, 2x 1st Team All-ACC selection, and 2x All-American who shattered the UVA records for receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown receptions by a tight end. As a senior, Miller… pic.twitter.com/pct7NAEMfW

— Hoos Football (@HoosFootball) June 3, 2024

Peace would often play with Miller and the Steelers on the Madden football video game. “I don’t think he knows how much of a fan I really am,” he said.

The perspective of Miller, though, is different from someone like Luzar, who is four years Miller’s elder and knew him when he was 18.

“Many people don’t get to say Heath was their backup,” Luzar said with a laugh, “but Heath was my backup (at UVA).”

Luzar recently moved back to the area from Florida and was eager to again be sharing a football field with an old friend. When it comes to coaching high schoolers, something he did for years in the Sunshine State, he and Miller’s visions align.

“At this level, you can really develop them as people and have an impact on their lives both on and off the field,” Luzar said. “I love that.”

St. Anne’s-Belfield is a private school on Charlottesville’s west side that counts another former UVA star, Chris Long, among its prominent football alumni. The 2024 version of the Saints has around 40 young men on the roster, some playing the sport for the first time.

On Tuesday, a few days after STAB dropped their season-opening game, they ended practice with a series of conditioning runs, crossing the width of the field.

Reed, a prominent member of UVA’s 2019 ACC Coastal Division championship team, is back in Charlottesville and coaching the receivers and kick and punt return units for STAB. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

Miller, with his navy UVA hat turned backward, completed each one alongside Reed, Peace and Hall. This is a regular occurrence, said senior receiver and safety Wes Martin.

“It just shows how committed they are to the team,” Martin said. “It pushes the guys. It lets us try to talk to the coaches, saying that we’re going to beat them in the race, but it really just shows their commitment and why they do this.”

Martin, who was born in 2006, admits he’s too young to recall Miller’s prime playing days. YouTube highlights, however, help tell another side of his coach’s story.

Pasztor, left, and Luzar, right, are among the former UVA football players by Miller's side as he coaches St. Anne's-Belfield. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

“He’s just a really gritty player,” Martin said. “He seems like he’s a totally different person on the field. Off the field, he’s such a kindhearted guy. He just treats you like a human being, which is awesome.” 

Miller sets the example. A cast of Hoos follow his lead.

“What we all have in common is a passion to share what we’ve learned throughout our careers to a younger generation,” Miller said, “and just be there as mentors and coaches for them.”