Former Auburn, 49ers offensive tackle Steve Wallace discusses concussions before speaking at high school awards luncheon

At 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, Steve Wallace stood out even in the NFL.

Add in the extra inch of foam padding he began wearing atop his helmet after his ninth concussion and the former Auburn offensive tackle was even more difficult to miss.

Wallace, a former Auburn player who won three Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers, was at the Hilton Garden Inn on Tuesday to speak at the Columbus Valley Area High School Football Awards Luncheon. Before he talked to the dozens of local athletes and coaches in attendance, Wallace took a few minutes to give his thoughts on concussion education, equipment and his experience giving a speech to the Auburn football team in the fall.

What are your thoughts on the direction states and high school athletic associations are headed with their efforts to educate coaches and athletes about concussions?

I think the key is educating individuals. Once you dig into that, you can start making other folks more aware of them. I was a guy who had nine concussions -- four from playing in games, five being from practices. I just wanted to become more aware. That’s why I ended up wearing a thing called a Pro Cap. It was a double cushion that was about a half-inch of rubber foam, and it helped me. I never had another concussion after that. The main thing nowadays is there are a lot of complaints about the game and changing the game, but they’re just trying to make it more safe for kids so they can live healthy lives afterwards. That’s the main thing. That’s where the knowledge and trying to get educated about it becomes a vital part of the whole thing. With that, people can live longer and healthier lives.

There are several equipment companies, such as Xenith, developing their new helmets around new concussion research. What are your thoughts on what role equipment does or will play in preventing concussions?

I think it was (Penn State football coach) Joe Paterno I heard say we should come back without face masks. Yeah, come back, get kicked in the face and lose all your teeth? I don’t think that’s wise. In the same way you want to guard your face, you should want to guard your brain. Technology is starting to get better every day out there. It’s been neat to watch the whole thing. Hopefully, the next five or 10 years you’ll see a helmet created that will play a big part in saving a lot of lives.

How have the attitudes of athletes regarding concussions and head injuries changed since you were a player?

It’s changed, but the group that is currently playing is the one that’s making the most major adjustment. They’ve been playing 20 years and always told to hit through with the top of your head and hit using the front part of your face mask. When you can see what you hit, you make a tremendous impact. But now, they’re being told to slide your head to the side. They have to make adjustments. The guys in the old days didn’t have helmets at all, and they made adjustments. They’ll find a way to adjust now, too. They have just played the same way for 20 years, and it’s tough to make a change. They say they’ve been hitting like that since they were kids and now you’re asking them to change? They don’t want change.

As a former Auburn player, what has it been like watching the Tigers reach the BCS championship game and seeing Cam Newton win the Heisman Trophy?

I’m elated. I feel so fortunate that I got a chance to go talk to the Tigers. Early on, they were winning some games by two or three points. Coach Gene Chizik asked me to come speak to the team about wanting more leadership. At the time, he didn’t think they had the leadership they needed to be a good team. After that, the leadership qualities started picking up, they took one play at a time, one game at a time, and, lo and behold, we’re sitting here looking at a possible national championship. It’s been very exciting for me this year.

Chris White, 706-571-8571; follow Chris online at twitter.com/le_chriswhite and at facebook.com/lechriswhite.

This story was originally published December 15, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Former Auburn, 49ers offensive tackle Steve Wallace discusses concussions before speaking at high school awards luncheon."