Unbelievable 17-Year Streak Highlights Steelers Head Coach’s Greatness

If there’s anyone who has rewritten the model of consistency book in the Steel City, it’s Mike Tomlin.

The Pittsburgh Steelers head coach was first hired to replace Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Cowher. At the time, Tomlin was considered an outside hire given his lack of previous ties to the Steelers organization. Seventeen years later, though, Tomlin remains at his post, and he has cultivated greatness in his run as head coach.

Mike Tomlin Holds Rare NFL Title That Past Steelers Greats Don’t Have

Tomlin is the only head coach in league history to produce non-losing seasons in each of his first 17 years of coaching.

He faced a tall order in succeeding the 15-year coaching veteran before his own streak began. Not only was Tomlin tasked to keep the Steelers’ winning ways created by Cowher, but he also had to continue the winning tradition manifested by Cowher’s predecessor, the legendary Chuck Noll — the same coach who guided the Steelers to their first four Super Bowl championships.

Tomlin now holds this rare title that even the past Steeler coaching legends don’t have — he’s never fallen below .500, including settling for a nine-loss regular season.

By comparison, Noll had five sub .500 marks, including his disappointing 1-13 debut in 1969 and the 7-9 mark he settled for in his final season of 1991. Cowher ended up with three losing season records. His worst were two 6-10 marks in 1999 and 2003.

Tomlin’s worst seasons were 8-8, which he experienced three times in his coaching career in 2012, 2013, and 2019.

Outside of Steel City, no other legendary NFL head coach can say they stayed at .500 or above in their first 17 years at the helm.

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That includes the winningest head coach of all time, Don Shula, who endured two losing seasons in his illustrious 33 seasons of coaching. Even six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Belichick has experienced losing marks — eight total, including the 2023 season.

Not only has Tomlin won over the Terrible Towel wavers, but he’s also won over a two-time Super Bowl-winning, All-Pro tight end.

Travis Kelce Blasts Tomlin Critics

Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce has spent his career dealing with Tomlin’s defenses before becoming a Super Bowl winner. Still, the admiration for Tomlin has been there on Kelce’s end.

It took an NSFW turn on the Wednesday edition of his New Heights Podcast alongside his brother, Philadelphia Eagles OL Jason Kelce.

“The media’s so dumb,” Kelce began. “Why do we do the media? It’s just a bunch of jack—– talking nonsense. He’s one of the best head coaches the NFL has ever seen.”

Kelce also reminded the listeners that Tomlin started his NFL coaching career when his older brother was still in college at the University of Cincinnati. But Tomlin, again, has a strong backer in a player he has to game plan for on occasion.

How Tomlin Has Beaten Current NFL Coaching Trend

The average NFL head coaching tenure is between two to three seasons. Thirty-one NFL teams have either fired a head coach by season three or dismissed them during their first season — a la the Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina Panthers, and Los Angeles Chargers in 2023.

Tomlin and the Steelers, however, have had their working relationship intact for 17 seasons. He has pulled off longevity through a simple formula — winning.

But it’s one thing to win Week 1 or Week 8 in the NFL. Tomlin has kept his job by beating his rivals in the AFC North while also stepping up to challenge the likes of the Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and the New England Patriots during the era of Belichick and QB Tom Brady.

Tomlin has masterfully avoided following the current NFL coaching trend of head coaches only getting an expectancy of less than four years. Through criticism and periods of mediocre midseason play, Tomlin has, time and time again, produced a winning product on the field.

Now, with one more win, he’ll surpass two-time Super Bowl champion Bill Parcells on the league’s all-time winning record list with 173 career wins.

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