Kurt Hinish embodies his gritty Pittsburgh roots.
Growing up in a hard-nosed town built through the steel industry, Hinish learned the importance of a blue-collar work ethic and toughness from his parents.
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His father, Kurt, is a construction worker who’s a seven-time colon cancer survivor. His mother, Tawnie, is a career school teacher who specializes in computers.
The example his parents set, including the occasional salty words from his father, all stuck with Hinish.
From earning a scholarship to Notre Dame after convincing a Pittsburgh Central Catholic teammate to pass on his highlight tape to the Fighting Irish recruiting coordinator to making the Texans’ roster as an undrafted rookie free agent, Hinish keeps battled and winning.
“I come from a place where it’s all about hard work and toughness,” Hinish said during an interview at NRG Stadium. “That’s what I’m all about. That’s what my parents taught me. They taught me to fight for what you want in life. You never give up.”
The example of his father resonates strongly with Hinish. He watched his father never relent in his decade-long fight with cancer, and soaked up wisdom about life. Hinish’s father had him Kurt Hinish and his younger brother, Donovan Hinish, a Notre Dame freshman defensive tackle, doing lunges with 100-pound blocks. Hinish’s father would frequently lift weights after working a construction shift while undergoing cancer treatment.
“It’s incredible,” Hinish said. “The mental fortitude, I will never give up. That’s what he’s instilled in me from a young age.”
At Notre Dame, Hinish became known for his determination and resourceful nature in the trenches.
He smeared eye black on his face, creating a brand as an intimidating character on the field. It became his trademark.
All of that hard work paid dividends for Hinish, who made the Texans’ roster on the same day former second-round defensive tackle Ross Blacklock was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. Hinish recorded seven tackles, four for losses and two sacks in three preseason games, including a sack of San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Trey Lance. Hinish plays the game with relentless hustle.
“I know I’m undersized for my position but I’m going to show up and punch you in the face every single snap from start to finish,” Hinish said. “That’s the way I am, that’s the way I’ve always been and how I’m going to be. Just manning the middle, we always joke around and call it the jungle. If you’re going to be in the jungle, you’ve got to be a bad dude. You’ve got to show up and bring it every single snap. Every snap could be your last and you’ve got to treat it as such.”
When Hinish learned that he made the team, he ran into fullback Troy Hairston, a fellow undrafted free agent who made the Texans’ initial 53-man roster along with linebacker Jake Hansen.
“I saw Troy and he saw me, and we both just smiled and gave each other a big hug,” Hinish said. “We both knew we were both undrafted dudes and we both made it, so we were just happy. It was a cool moment.”
Hinish kept pushing and shoving in his first NFL preseason game, driving his legs until he got free from a block and chased down his former college teammate for a sack.
Hinish tackled former Fighting Irish quarterback Ian Book for an 11-yard loss during a 17-13 victory at NRG Stadium.
The push from Hinish was emblematic of how the 6-foot-2, 300-pounder performed throughout training camp as he learned from defensive line coach and former NFL defensive lineman Jacques Cesaire.
There was still some anxiety during the final major roster cutdown. Hinish took nothing for granted.
“I was nervous because you never know,” he said. “Stuff happens. You could be cut and picked up to another team. My biggest worry was that I was going to get cut and go to another team and not be we these guys because my coach (Cesaire) has been one of the best coaches I’ve ever been around. And the way he’s developed my game, specifically in the pass rush and being relentless, has been second to none.
“He’s incredible. I was taking to my dad and was like ‘If I get cut and get picked up somewhere else, I’ll be more upset because I’m leaving the guys in this room.’ The older dudes that have helped me out so much, I want to be in this environment. This is the environment I want to be in. I want to be on this team. I believe in this team. I believe in this mission. I believe in our front office. I believe in all our support staff. I believe in everything and I want to be a part of this.”
No one played in more career games in Notre Dame history than Hinish, appearing in 61 games with 35 starts and recording 81 tackles, 20 for losses, 7 1/2 sacks and a forced fumble. A former All-Atlantic Coast Conference honorable-mention selection, Hinish ran the 40-yard dash in 4.96 seconds and bench pressed 225 pounds 31 times at the NFL scouting combine.
At Notre Dame, Hinish became known for his high-octane style and for painting his face for games. The avid hunter and fisherman had 10 tackles, one sack and two tackles for losses in a win over Navy last season.
“He was a pretty instinctive player,” Texans general manager Nick Caserio said. “I’d say he’s not the tallest, he’s not the strongest, but he knows how to play football. We’re in the business of acquiring good football players, regardless of what they look like or how big or small they might be.
“He does a good job using his hands, playing with leverage, and he was on the field. So those are some of the qualities that we liked, and again, he was undrafted, so it was about giving him an opportunity, but he had done enough.”
Hinish, who received $85,000 guaranteed from the Texans on his rookie deal, was overlooked by all 32 teams during the seven-round draft.
The Texans installed defensive tackle Roy Lopez as a rookie starter last year with a lot of success after drafting him in the sixth round.
“I think he was a three-year starter, so I’d say different than Lopez, but I’d say some of the same conversations we kind of had about Roy even going back a year ago,” Caserio said. " Roy got here, he was whatever he was, a sixth-round pick, and I’m not sure anybody was sure what we really had.
“I think Roy has probably exceeded that. We’ll see how it goes with Kurt. Nothing is guaranteed, but he’s got a good attitude. He works hard. Kurt has done a nice job, and we’ll see what happens here as we move forward.”
Lopez emerged as a role model for Hinish. He’s the blueprint for what Hinish is aiming for.
“Roy is a bad dude,” Hinish said. “Kind of the same as me, an undersized guy. We’re going to show up, punch you in the mouth every play.”
Hinish listened closely to older players, including defensive tackle Maliek Collins. He absorbed knowledge from them and Cesaire about technique and the importance of finishing plays.
It’s a brotherhood on the defensive line
“I attribute most of my success to them,” Hinish said. “The way they’ve pushed me, the way they’ve helped me out is nothing that I have ever seen before, and it’s incredible the way they have taken me under their wing, supported me and not only that but believed in me.
“Coming in as an undrafted guy everyone kind of thinks this is going to be a camp body. They took me under their wing, they believed in me, they believed that I could make this team and make this team better. I’m still an undrafted free agent. I’m still making this team every single day. I don’t show up to the facility thinking I can relax. I’m here to work every single day.”
Aaron Wilson is a Pro Football Network reporter and a contributor to KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.