Mike Tomlin stepped down as the Steelers’ head coach on Tuesday following 19 seasons in Pittsburgh. All 19 of those seasons resulted in non-losing records (three .500 seasons), and Tomlin led the franchise to its sixth Super Bowl title to cap off the 2008 season. This is a legacy that will be difficult to follow in Pittsburgh.
Tomlin’s replacement will have some big shoes to fill, that’s for sure, and some high expectations placed on them. They'll be just the fourth person to coach the franchise since the merger.
The Steelers franchise isn’t used to change, especially at the head coach position. All three of their head coaches in the modern era remained in Pittsburgh for at least 15 seasons, remarkable durability in a league largely obsessed with leadership turnover. Will that pattern remain the same moving forward?
Here’s a look at the Steelers’ coaching history since 1969.
Steelers head coaches since 1969
| Coach | Years | Seasons | Accomplishments | Overall Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chuck Noll | 1969-91 | 23 | Four Super Bowl titles, Pro Football Hall of Famer | 209–156–1 |
| Bill Cowher | 1992-2006 | 15 | One Super Bowl title, 1992 Coach of the Year, Pro Football Hall of Famer | 161–99–1 |
| Mike Tomlin | 2007-2025 | 19 | One Super Bowl title, Most consecutive non-losing seasons to begin a coaching career | 201–126–2 |
NFL teams to have multiple coaches during Tomlin’s 19 seasons in Pittsburgh
Coaching for 19 consecutive seasons is a huge accomplishment. Here are some examples of other NFL teams that have had the most coaching turnover since Tomlin took over the Steelers in 2007.
| Team | Number of Coaches Since ‘07 | Current Coaching Situation |
|---|---|---|
| Raiders | 11 | HC role open after Pete Carroll’s firing |
| Broncos | 10 | Sean Payton finishing out third season |
| Browns | 9 | HC role open after Kevin Stefanski’s firing |
| Jaguars | 9 | Liam Coen heading into second season |
| Panthers | 8 | Dave Canales heading into third season |
| Dolphins | 8 | HC role open after Mike McDaniel’s firing |
| Giants | 7 | HC role open after Brian Daboll’s mid-season firing |
| Falcons | 7 | HC role open after Raheem Morris’s firing |
| Jets | 7 | Aaron Glenn heading into second season |
| Bears | 7 | Ben Johnson finishing out first season |
| 49ers | 7 | Kyle Shanahan finishing out ninth season |
| Bills | 7 | Sean McDermott finishing out ninth season |
| Texans | 7 | DeMeco Ryans finishing out third season |
| Lions | 7 | Dan Campbell heading into sixth season |
| Buccaneers | 7 | Todd Bowles heading into fifth season |
| Titans | 7 | HC role open after Brian Callahan’s firing |
| Rams | 6 | Sean McVay finishing out ninth season |
| Chargers | 6 | Jim Harbaugh heading into third season |
| Colts | 6 | Shane Steichen heading into fourth season |
So, there’s 19 NFL teams that have had at least six head coaching changes in the past 19 seasons, all while Tomlin was coaching in Pittsburgh. It’s likely we won’t see a tenure like this in the NFL for quite some time, if ever.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Steelers’ Wild History of Head Coaches Since 1969: Mike Tomlin, Two Other Big Names.
