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Mike Tomlin’s Wife Kiya Turns Heads With Passionate Message About Pittsburgh

Mike Tomlin's wife Kiya shared a powerful message about Pittsburgh after winning an award alongside her husband.
Grant Young|
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers fans are still reckoning with the fact that Mike Tomlin is no longer their team's head coach.

Tomlin left the franchise after 19 seasons as their head coach back in January. He will already go down as an all-time great head coach, and the fact that he remained with one franchise for so long speaks volumes about the mutual admiration Tomlin and the city of Pittsburgh had for each other.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Mike wasn't alone, as his wife, Kiya, was by his side all throughout his Steelers tenure. And the two did great things in the Pittsburgh community, which they were recognized for on March 12 by receiving the Patricia R. Rooney Community Impact Award.

This prestigious award honors their significant contributions to the community of Pittsburgh.

Mike Tomlin and Kiya Winston
Mike Tomlin and Kiya Winston | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Mike Tomlin’s Wife Kiya Turns Heads With Passionate Message Amid Steelers Talk

Both Kiya and Mike addressed the crowd in the wake of winning this award. Kiya went first and shared a powerful message.

"We never did it for the recognition, but I just want to thank you. More importantly, I want to thank all the many communities in Pittsburgh that really welcomed us with open arms. It has truly been an honor to serve Pittsburgh for 19 years. Thank you," Kiya said, per an Instagram post from @steelersireland.

Then Mike took the podium and said, "You know, it’s often said that we’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time. Like you have to choose. I think our experience here in Pittsburgh, with the great Steeler organization, exemplifies that. We’ve been here for a long and really good time.”

The crowd then applauded while Tomlin paused. He then added, "It has been an honor to serve the greatest organization in sports. It has been an honor to be a part of this great community, to call it home, for our kids to call it home. We're in somewhat of a nomadic business, and so we don't take that for granted, that our kids get an opportunity to call Pittsburgh home.

"It has been an honor to serve the community in which we live. There are values that we hold, and it will continue. We appreciate the recognition, but as my wife said, we certainly don't do it for that. We've been extremely blessed, man, and we'd just like to share those blessings. We thank you," Tomlin concluded.

This emotional speech from Tomlin is sure to get Steelers fans in their feelings all over again.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the Athlete Lifestyle, Women’s Basketball, the New York Mets, the Baltimore Orioles, the Chicago Cubs, and boxing for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years.

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