Michael Pettaway Tomlin (born March 15, 1972) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL). Since joining the Steelers in 2007, he has led the team to 12 playoff appearances, seven division titles, three AFC Championship Games, two Super Bowl appearances, and a title in Super Bowl XLIII. At age 36, Tomlin became the youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl, a record which was later broken by Sean McVay in Super Bowl LVI. Tomlin holds the record for most consecutive non-losing seasons to begin a coaching career with 18 and has never had a losing season. Only Tom Landry (21) and Bill Belichick (19) have had longer such streaks at any point in their coaching careers. Upon Belichick's departure from the New England Patriots following the 2023 season, Tomlin became the NFL's longest-tenured active head coach.
Tomlin was born in Hampton, Virginia,[1] the younger of two sons; his brother, Eddie, is three and a half years older. His father, Ed Tomlin, played football at Hampton Institute in the 1960s, was drafted by the Baltimore Colts, and later played for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League. The elder Tomlin died in January 2012 from an apparent heart attack in Ocala, Florida, at the age of 63. However, Tomlin hardly knew his birth father and was raised by his mother and stepfather, Julia and Leslie Copeland, who married when Tomlin was six years old.
Tomlin was hired as the defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2001 under head coach Tony Dungy, where Tomlin first learned the Tampa 2 defense that he would use in later coaching jobs.[3]
Tomlin was retained under new head coach Jon Gruden, and in 2002 and 2005, the Buccaneers led the NFL in total defense (fewest yards allowed per game). During Tomlin's tenure, the defense never ranked worse than sixth overall. When the Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII in January 2003, the team recorded a Super Bowl-record five interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns.[4]
Defensive coordinator
Tomlin was selected by Vikings' head coach Brad Childress to be his defensive coordinator in 2006.[5][6]
Two of the players on the Vikings roster were older than Tomlin, and Tomlin had been a teammate of Vikings' safety Darren Sharper while at William and Mary. The 2006 Vikings finished with the NFL's eighth-best overall defense, but had the unusual distinction of finishing as the top-ranked defense against the run[7] and the worst-ranked defense against the pass.[8]
Head coach
After spending 2006 as the Vikings' defensive coordinator, Tomlin was selected to interview for the vacant head coaching position with the 2005 Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. With only a year of experience as a defensive coordinator, Tomlin was hired on January 27, 2007, to become the 16th head coach in franchise history, replacing Bill Cowher, who retired after spending 15 years with the team. Tomlin had also interviewed for the head coaching vacancy with the Miami Dolphins, a job that eventually went to former Indiana head coach Cam Cameron. With Tomlin, the Steelers continued a trend of hiring head coaches in their 30s. The others were Cowher (age 34 in 1992), Chuck Noll (38 in 1969), Bill Austin (38 in 1966), John Michelosen (32 in 1948), Jim Leonard (35 in 1945), Aldo Donelli (33 in 1941), Walt Kiesling (35 in 1939), Johnny "Blood" McNally (33 in 1937), and Joe Bach (34 in 1935).
Tomlin in 2007
Tomlin is the 10th African-American head coach in NFL history and the first for the Steelers franchise. Steelers owner Dan Rooney has served as the head of the NFL's diversity committee and proposed the Rooney Rule, requiring that teams interview at least one minority candidate when hiring a new head coach. Although Tomlin's ascension to an NFL head coaching job has been cited as evidence of the rule working as intended,[9] Rooney himself disputed this, as he had already interviewed a minority candidate prior to interviewing Tomlin.[10]
The Rooney Rule dictates that for all head-coaching openings, each team must interview at least one minority candidate. But here's what's interesting: The coach who might be the Rooney Rule's greatest advertisement didn't benefit from it. "Let me say this: Mike Tomlin was not part of the Rooney Rule," Rooney said. "We had already interviewed Ron Rivera [then the Bears' defensive coordinator], and so that fulfilled the obligation," Rooney said. "We went on, had heard about Mike, called him in and talked to him. He was very impressive."
Terms of Tomlin's contract were not officially released. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported a four-year deal paying $2.5 million per year, with an option for a fifth year. He is the team's third consecutive head coach to win his first game, and the first in team history to win his first game against the rival Cleveland Browns.[citation needed]
In contrast to Bill Cowher, who retained only longtime running backs coach Dick Hoak from Chuck Noll's staff (Hoak himself retired just before Cowher's resignation), Tomlin did retain many of Cowher's assistants, most notably defensive coordinatorDick LeBeau, whose defensive philosophy contrasted with Tomlin's. This was done in order to keep team chemistry with the players, since the team was only one year removed from a Super Bowl win at the time of Tomlin's hiring. In 2007, the Steelers finished with the top-ranked defense in the NFL.[11] Tomlin led the Steelers to the 2007 AFC North Division championship and a 10–6 record in his first year as head coach.[12] The Steelers lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 31–29. Tomlin began his career with a 15–7 record in regular season play—as did his predecessor Cowher and all-time win-leader Don Shula.[13] Tomlin set a Steelers record for most wins, after winning 22games in his first two seasons as head coach; in addition he became the first Steelers coach to win division titles in his first two seasons.[14]
When the Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the 2008 AFC Championship Game,[15] Tomlin became the youngest NFL head coach to lead his team to a Super Bowl.[16] He also became the third African-American to coach a team to the Super Bowl, following Chicago's Lovie Smith and Indianapolis's Tony Dungy, the two opposing coaches in Super Bowl XLI. On January 29, 2009, Tomlin was named the 2008 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year.[17] Three days later, at age 36, he became the youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl when the Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII by a score of 27–23.[18] The previous record was held by Jon Gruden, who was 39 when he won Super Bowl XXXVII with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Coincidentally, Tomlin was the defensive backs coach under Gruden when the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl and was a key component in their success that year.[19] Tomlin's record was eclipsed by Sean McVay, who was 303 days younger when winning Super Bowl LVI.[20]
Tomlin in 2009 at Steelers training camp.
On July 13, 2010, Tomlin signed a three-year contract extension with the Steelers.[21] That season, he coached the Steelers to a 12–4 record and led them to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years.[22] In Super Bowl XLV, the Steelers lost to the Green Bay Packers by a score of 31–25.[23]
On November 13, 2011, Tomlin won his 50th game as the Steelers' head coach with a 24–17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Of the Steelers' 16 head coaches in franchise history, Tomlin was the fourth to reach this milestone. The Steelers recorded another 12–4 regular season mark in the 2011 season.[24] The Steelers' season ended in the Wild Card Round with a 29–23 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos.[25]
On July 24, 2012, Tomlin received a three-year contract extension through the 2016 season.[26] The financial terms were not disclosed. In the 2012 season, the Steelers finished with an 8–8 record after struggling with injuries to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the offensive line and adjusting to the system of new offensive coordinator Todd Haley.[27][28] It was the second time the Steelers failed to make the playoffs under Tomlin's tenure as head coach.
Facing the Baltimore Ravens on November 28, 2013, in a primetime Thanksgiving Day game with major playoff implications, Tomlin became the subject of controversy when video replay showed him interfering with a kick return. With the Steelers trailing 13–7 in the third quarter, Tomlin stood just off the field along the visiting team's sideline as Baltimore's Jacoby Jones broke free on a kickoff return for a potential game-breaking touchdown.[29] Tomlin, with his back to the approaching play, appeared to glance over his shoulder then place his foot briefly onto the field as he jumped out of the way, causing Jones to veer inside where he was tackled. Several Ravens players claimed Tomlin had intentionally interfered with Jones; if officials had agreed, a touchdown could have been awarded to the Ravens based on the palpably unfair act. However, no penalty was called for interference or for standing in the white border area reserved for the officiating crew. Whether it was intentional or not, Tomlin was widely criticized in the media. Following the game, Tomlin defended himself, stating he had simply wandered too close to the field while watching the play on the stadium's Jumbotron, a mistake he said coaches often make.[30] The league subsequently announced it was investigating the matter, with the potential of a heavy fine and forfeited draft picks.[29] On December 4, 2013, the NFL announced that they had fined Tomlin $100,000, and hinted it was considering stripping the Steelers of one or more draft picks because his actions affected the play on the field.[31] The $100,000 fine was tied for the second-highest for a coach in NFL history and was also tied for the highest for a coach who does not also have the powers of general manager. Then-Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Tice was fined $100,000 in 2005 for scalping Super Bowl tickets.[32] Tomlin led the Steelers to another 8–8 record in the 2013 season, missing the postseason.[33]
Tomlin led the Steelers to improvement in the 2014 season, going 11–5 and winning the AFC North.[34] The team saw their season end in the Wild Card Round to the Baltimore Ravens in a 30–17 loss.[35] In the 2015 season, Tomlin and the Steelers recorded a 10–6 mark, which qualified the team for the postseason.[36] The Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals on the road by a score of 18–16 in the Wild Card Round before falling to the Denver Broncos on the road by a score of 23–16 in the Divisional Round.[37][38]
Tomlin during a game in 2016
The 2016 season marked significant improvement for the Steelers. Tomlin led the team to a 11–5 record as the Steelers won seven straight games to finish the season.[39] The Steelers finished atop the AFC North and defeated the Miami Dolphins 30–12 in the Wild Card Round and the Kansas City Chiefs 18–16 in the Divisional Round.[40][41] In the Steelers' first AFC Championship Game since the 2010 season, they fell to the New England Patriots 36–17.[42] The following season, Tomlin and the Steelers went 13–3 and won the AFC North.[43] Despite the successful regular season, the team went one-and-done in the playoffs, losing 45–42 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional Round.[44]
Tomlin before challenging a play
In 2019, the Steelers lost starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger after a narrow Week 2 28–26 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.[45] Although the Steelers had started the season 0–3, they got their first win in a Week 4 27–3 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football.[46] The Steelers lost their next game to the division-winning Baltimore Ravens in a 26–23 overtime loss. After the 1–4 start, the Steelers would go on a winning streak, winning their next four games straight going 5–4. After losing a game on the road to the Cleveland Browns by a score of 21–14, the Steelers won three more straight and were 8–5 and fighting for a playoff spot with the loss of Roethlisberger and multiple injuries on the offense. The Steelers would lose their final three games and finish the season with an 8–8 record in spite of multiple quarterback changes and an 0–3 start.[47]
Following an incident in November 2019 where Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett struck quarterback Mason Rudolph with a helmet in the closing minutes of the game, he initially refused all media questions related to the scuffle.[48] In the months following the incident, Garrett accused Rudolph of using a racial slur as an explanation for the fight.[49] On February 17, 2020, Tomlin appeared on ESPN to be interviewed by Stephen A Smith to defend Rudolph against the accusations.[50]
On November 6, 2020, Tomlin was fined US$100,000 by the NFL for not properly wearing a face mask, as required for coaches during the COVID-19 pandemic, during a Week 8 game in the 2020 NFL season.[51] After Week 9 of the 2020 season, Tomlin recorded his 14th consecutive non-losing season since becoming a head coach, tying him with Marty Schottenheimer for the longest streak of all time.[52] The Steelers finished the 2020 season with a 12–4 record but lost in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs to the Cleveland Browns. With the conclusion of the 2020 season, Tomlin was tied with Pete Carroll for 21st place on the NFL's all-time regular-season wins list with 145.[53]
On April 20, 2021, Tomlin signed a three-year contract extension to remain the Steelers' head coach through 2024.[54] Tomlin led the Steelers to a 9–7–1 mark in the 2021 season.[55] The Steelers made the playoffs but saw their season end in the Wild Card Round to the Kansas City Chiefs in a 42–21 road loss.[56]
The 2022 season was Tomlin's 16th with the team, passing predecessor Bill Cowher for the second-longest tenure as head coach of the Steelers.[57] December 11, 2022, marked the 32nd matchup between Tomlin and Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, surpassing Curly Lambeau and Steve Owen for the second-most head-to-head matchups between head coaches in NFL history (the current record is held by Lambeau and George Halas with 49).[58] Tomlin coached the Steelers to a 9–8 record in 2022, missing the playoffs.[59] The 2023 season was Tomlin's 17th with the team, finishing 10–7, and losing to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round, 31–17.[60][61] On June 10, 2024, Tomlin signed a three-year contract extension to remain the Steelers' head coach through the 2027 season, making him the second longest tenured Steelers head coach of all time, only behind Chuck Noll by three seasons.[62]
On December 1, 2024, Tomlin achieved his 18th consecutive non-losing season with a 44–38 victory over the Bengals that brought the Steelers to a 9–3 record.[63] During the 2024 season, Tomlin and the Steelers, along with the rest of the AFC North, had their season documented for the HBO Max series Hard Knocks.[64]
Tomlinisms
Throughout his tenure with the Steelers, Tomlin became known for creating memorable motivational quotes, often referred to as "Tomlinisms".[65][66][67] These phrases are typically concise, metaphorical, and aimed at reinforcing a specific mindset or message about the team and give insight into Tomlin's coaching philosophy. Over time, these phrases became part of Steelers culture, with players adopting them as guiding principles and fans celebrating them as reflections of Tomlin's personality.[68]
One of his most iconic phrases, "The standard is the standard," is an early example of a Tomlinism. This mantra became particularly notable during the 2010 season when the Steelers reached Super Bowl XLV following multiple early season struggles. This quote became so widely used to represent the Steelers organization that the team had it engraved on the locker room walls at Heinz Field in 2013.[69] Some of Tomlin's quotes are meant to inspire his team and fans such as "Don’t blink, if you’re a blinker, cut your eyelids off.",[70] "We don’t live in our fears,"[71] and "If our team doesn't face enough adversity early on in a season, I create it. Nothing builds a team like adversity."[72]
Some Tomlinisms are more eccentric than others. After a December 2020 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Tomlin stated "It's a fine line between drinking wine and squashing grapes."[73] After 2024's 13–6 victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 2, when asked about whether or not former Broncos quarterback and then current Steelers starter Russell Wilson was given the game ball from the victory, Tomlin replied "I can't give you all the ingredients to the hot dog, you might not like it."[74]
Coaching style
Tomlin with kicker Chris Boswell during a 2018 preseason game.
Tomlin is recognized for fostering strong relationships with his players, often being described as a "player's coach." This term reflects his ability to connect with athletes on a personal level, understanding their perspectives and motivations. Running back Najee Harris highlighted Tomlin's rapport with the team in a 2024 interview, noting, "It's not like that in other places."[75] Tomlin's approach involves open communication with the team and granting players autonomy while maintaining discipline.[76] He has invited multiple players to spend holidays with him and his family.[77] In 2023, George Pickens and Broderick Jones celebrated Thanksgiving with Tomlin.[78]
In the 2024 season of HBO's Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North, a candid interaction between Tomlin and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was captured in the debut episode. Following a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in which Porter accumulated six penalties, Tomlin addressed his performance. He acknowledged Porter's potential, stating, "You're gonna be great, but you ain't gonna be great today," emphasizing the importance of growth and learning from mistakes.[79]
His approach has drawn criticism at times, notably when former Steelers quarterback and Hall of Fame member Terry Bradshaw referred to him as "more of a cheerleader guy" than coach during a 2016 interview.[80] The 2018 season was plagued by locker room conflicts involving wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le’Veon Bell, highlighting discipline challenges under Tomlin's leadership. Bell's season-long holdout over a contract dispute created a major distraction and drew frustration from teammates.[81] Meanwhile, Brown's issues, including disputes with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and skipping practices, culminated in his benching for the season finale and eventual off-season trade to the Oakland Raiders.[82] Critics argued these incidents reflected a lack of accountability in Tomlin's player-friendly approach, despite his strengths in fostering camaraderie.
Head coaching record
The Steelers' Super Bowl XLIII ring, the sixth won in franchise history.
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