SPRING – Standing in front of a large group of football players, Ramon Chinyoung reminded them about what’s possible when you dream big and work hard.
Chinyoung is rising on the NFL coaching ladder. His roots are in Houston, though, at the high school football level as the head coach at Willow ridge.
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Now, Chinyoung is the Pittsburgh Steelers running backs coach after previous stints as the Dallas Cowboys’ assistant offensive line coach and the Denver Broncos’ quality control coach.
Chinyoung imparted knowledge about the game and life lessons at his first annual Country Coachin’ youth football camp Tuesday morning at Planet Ford Stadium.
“It’s been fantastic, it’s been great,” Chinyoung told KPRC 2. “Just the opportunity to give back to the community, a community that served me and my wife and has been great in my monumental growth. It’s just an amazing blessing to be able to give back and to bring the first camp of its kind like this to Spring.”
A former Southern University all-conference football player, Chinyoung coached at Westfield for eight seasons. As assistant head coach, Chinyoung helped the team win 47 games and go undefeated in district play in each of his final four seasons. At Willowridge, he led the Eagles to the playoffs before heading to the NFL.
“When I was a high school ball player, I wanted to make it to the National Football League, like all high school players,” Chinyoung said. “And when that didn’t happen for me, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do in life.
#Steelers @steelers running backs coach Ramon Chinyoung @RChinyoung a former coach at Willowridge @Willowridge_HS and previously Westfield held his first annual Country Coachin" free youth football camp at Planet Ford Stadium in Spring, passing on his knowledge of the game and… pic.twitter.com/iwziXmDGdn
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) June 30, 2026
“It actually took my father-in-law and my wife to talk me into going back to my high school and volunteering. I did that for a year, coached there for the next eight years, and I just fell in love with giving back and seeing that joy in so many of the young athletes that I had the opportunity to serve, not just in football, right? There’s no greater feeling.”
The campers were joined by former Denver Broncos wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland, a Westfield graduate who has also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts and in the Canadian Football League with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Being back in Texas was meaningful to Chinyoung.
“I love it, I miss it,” he said. “They’re doing a great job of being resilient in this heat and having fun and competing and keeping a positive attitude. You never know how you may one day be impacted by somebody that you come in contact with on a daily basis. So treat everybody with respect. Do right by everybody.”
Chinyoung is coaching running backs Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle in Pittsburgh as part of coach Mike McCarthy’s staff.
“We had a great spring, but, most importantly, the backfield has been awesome,” Chinyuong said. “The experience has been awesome, right? For me, going from the offensive line room to the running back room has been just a breath of fresh air from a standpoint of now you see why those combinations, the communication upfront, the intricacies of the offensive line play is so valuable, not just for them, but for the ball carriers.
“I get to bridge that gap and to build that bridge between the two positions with my experience from offensive line now taking it to the running back room, man. So ,it’s been a breath of fresh air. I got so many great guys in the room, and it’s been a blessing.”
Going with McCarthy to Pittsburgh after working with him in Dallas has been a rewarding experience.
“He’s just a great man,” Chinyoung said. “He’s a great leader. He’s a servant leader, and he’s somebody that’s dear to my heart, not just because he hired me, but because he’s someone who believed in me.
“I’m so thankful for coach McCarthy, man. He is a phenomenal leader, phenomenal person, and he’s been monumental in my life.”
Of course, the Steelers got a boost when legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers agreed to play a final season for the AFC North franchise.
“We’re excited to have him back,” Chinyoung said. “Just his leadership, just the charisma and the detail that he brings to the table and the way he runs the room and owns that room is just such a blessing to be able to see. I’m definitely looking forward to getting to work with him, and I can’t wait to see what happens this year.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com