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It was on January 22nd, 2007, when the Pittsburgh Steelers named Mike Tomlin their head coach. This came as a shock to Steelers fans across the country. Many believed that Ken Wisenhunt, who was offense coordinator for the Steelers at the time, was going to be Bill Cohwer’s predecessor, and be offered the head coaching position. This would not be the case as the Rooney family chose to go in another direction, and made 34-year-old Mike Tomlin, the 16th head coach in the franchise’s history. How could this unknown coach ever fill the shoes of Steelers’ coaching legends, Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll? In only two short seasons Mike Tomlin has answered that question by doing one thing, winning a Super Bowl.
Mike Tomlin’s coaching career in the National Football League began learning from Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay. Mike Tomlin was the defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2001 to 2005 where he learned the famous “Tampa 2” defense. The shining moment for Tomlin during that time was when the Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII and the defense forced five interceptions. In 2006, Tomlin was hired as the defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings. That season the Vikings finished with the eighth overall defense in the NFL.
In 2007, expectations were high for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were coming off a disappointing 8-8 season. Ben Roethlisberger was back healthy from an injury-plagued season, while rookie head coach, Mike Tomlin, had to prove to the doubters that he was the right man for the job. Tomlin did just that, leading the Steelers to a 10-6 record and their first division title in three years. Not a bad debut for the new coach. Tomlin’s first year as head coach ended in heartbreaking fashion, losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Wildcard Game 31-29.
The Pittsburgh Steelers came in to the 2008 season with the hardest schedule in the National Football League. Mike Tomlin’s Steelers would gain victories over some of the NFL’s most elite teams like the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Steelers finished the 2008 regular season with an outstanding 12-4 record, as Mike Tomlin would capture his second division title in as many years. With it once again being playoff time in the NFL, Tomlin would make sure the Steelers would be prepared this time around. The Steelers would go on and defeat the San Diego Chargers, and the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game to advance to Super Bowl XLIII. In an ironic twist, it was the Pittsburgh Steelers, led by Mike Tomlin, against the Arizona Cardinals, led by head coach, Ken Wisenhunt. Mike Tomlin would once again achieve what Wisenhunt could only strive for, this time it was not for a coaching position, but instead a Lombardi Trophy. The Steelers were victorious over the Arizona Cardinals, 27-23, to win Super Bowl XLIII.
It took Chuck Noll six years before the Steelers won a championship. Bill Cowher had to wait 14 years before he lifted the Lombardi Trophy over his head in Super Bowl XL. It has only taken head coach, Mike Tomlin, two seasons. Tomlin has become the youngest head coach to ever win a Super Bowl, and is the second African American head coach to win a Super Bowl. Although we cannot see the future, it sure seems positive for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Mike Tomlin. One thing is certain when it comes to Mike Tomlin; he is already a legend in Pittsburgh.
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