Former Steelers Coach Bill Cowher Reacts to Mike Tomlin Stepping Down in Pittsburgh

If anyone knows what it’s like to be the head coach of the Steelers, it’s Bill Cowher. The now-68-year-old coached in Pittsburgh for 14 seasons before his current, longstanding stint as an NFL analyst at CBS—winning Super Bowl XL with the club in 2005 while amassing an impressive 149–90–1 record.

Cowher stepped down following the 2006 season, and in turn, the franchise passed the torch to Mike Tomlin, who ended his 19-year run as Steelers coach by stepping down on Tuesday.

The franchise has enjoyed a remarkable run of coaching stability throughout its history, as evidenced by its employment of just three head coaches—Chuck Noll, Cowher, and Tomlin—since 1969. They’ll now look to continue that impressive trend, but not before Cowher offered his thoughts on Tomlin’s decision to step aside.

"I wish him nothing but the best," Cowher said during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday. "He’s been a tremendous head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the way he represented that organization. It’s a special place."

"He's been a tremendous Head Coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the way he represented that organization..."

Steelers HOF Head Coach Bill Cowher reacts to the news of Mike Tomlin stepping down.

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“I think it speaks volumes about his resiliency and his ability to—you back him into a corner and he thrives on that opportunity there," Cowher continued when asked about the fact that Tomlin never endured a losing season during his tenure in Pittsburgh. "... And I think the biggest thing it speaks to is the way his players have responded to him ... When you don’t win [that] many games, you don't have a season like that without going through [the] periodic ups and downs that it entails. And [the] ability to relate to your players, and more importantly for your players to respond to you, speaks volumes. And being able to do that for 19 consecutive years. So as you sit there and say, 'The message getting stale.' No, it's not getting stale, I think you find different ways of probably saying the same things, but he always had a pulse for his football team and an ability to relate to his football team, and more importantly, for 19 years his team responded to him."

Tomlin finished his tenure with the Steelers as the ninth-winningest coach in league history, posting a 193–114–2 record while making two Super Bowl appearances—which included a victory over the Cardinals to capture the Lombardi Trophy at the conclusion of the 2008 season.

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