PITTSBURGH – Those who knew Justin Strzelczyk as an offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers saw him as a competitive, dead-serious player. Those who knew him off the field described him as a generous, fun-loving guy.

But no one would call the burly, bearded man dangerous. Strzelczyk – known as “Jugs” to his friends – was out for a good time, one friend said, not out to cause trouble.

That’s what made Strzelczyk’s death Thursday in a fiery head-on crash following a dramatic highway chase with New York state police shocking as well as sad, his friends, former teammates and a former coach said Friday.

“I’m trying to think what could have snapped in him – what could have made him run away from the cops, going the wrong way, without realizing that this was going to end all wrong,” said Bill Hurley, who was drafted by the Steelers in 1980 and played with Strzelczyk on the Pittsburgh Celebrity Hockey Team.

Hurley and others described Strzelczyk as a gentle giant, the recently divorced father of a school-aged son and daughter. A native of the Buffalo area now living in McCandless, he gave his time to charities, played the banjo, rode motorcycles, tried his hand at a new business and even took up acting.

Their descriptions seemed far removed from the actions described by police, who said Strzelczyk led troopers on a chase on the New York State Thruway after fleeing an accident early Thursday morning just west of Syracuse, N.Y.

Strzelczyk eventually swerved across a median into the westbound lanes after an eastbound trucker cut him off, and then traveled for miles in the wrong direction before colliding with a tanker truck near Herkimer, N.Y., police said.

Strzelczyk was thrown from his truck as both vehicles burst into flames. He died at the scene.

Former Steelers guard Brenden Stai, who played with Strzelczyk from 1995 to 2000 – the year Strzelczyk was released – said he saw his former teammate about a month ago, and it seemed as if he was trying to find a new path for his life.

“He was going through some trying times. It’s tough for athletes, when they’re done, to find their way,” Stai said.

The 6-foot-3, 309-pound Strzelczyk was an 11th-round pick in the 1990 NFL draft out of the University of Maine, where he was an All-Yankee Conference defensive tackle. He spent nine years with the Steelers and played in the 1995 Super Bowl.

Kent Stephenson, Pittsburgh’s former offensive line coach, said Strzelczyk was a “tenderhearted giant,” although he didn’t want many people to know it, and was also very bright and could play any position.

But Steelers running back Jerome Bettis said there were times that Strzelczyk threw up and spit on the field.

“Half of it was to throw defensive guys off, but half of it, I think he kind of liked it,” Bettis said.

Off the field, Strzelczyk had friends that ranged from football players to motorcycle enthusiasts, Hurley said.

But some said his choice of friends got him into trouble. In November 2000, Strzelczyk was arrested for illegal possession of a gun after authorities said he slammed a loaded handgun onto a bar in Pittsburgh. It was unclear Friday how the charges were resolved.