For Ariko Iso, a stint with one of the NFL's perennial powerhouses may have only been a path to achieve her ultimate goal.
Iso, who worked for the six-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers as an assistant athletic trainer for the past nine seasons, became head trainer for the Oregon State University football program over the summer.
She had no hesitation whatsoever to apply for the vacancy when the school's athletic director, Bob De Carolis, phoned her in mid-May.