The Mike Tomlin Standard

Mike Tomlin, the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach, stepped away from the Pittsburgh Steelers after 19 years.

The 53-year-old Tomlin was a successful leader as the Steelers’ head coach, winning the Super Bowl in 2008, eight AFC North division titles, and the AFC championship in 2010. In 19 years, he led Pittsburgh to the playoffs 13 times and never had a losing season.

Leading One of the NFL’s Most Storied Franchises

Yet rattling off statistics or reciting Tomlin’s résumé could never do him justice; numbers alone can’t capture his true impact. Tomlin is one of just three men to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers—one of the league’s most storied franchises—since 1969, succeeding Bill Cowher in 2007 after Cowher himself had replaced Chuck Noll in 1992.

Even a casual sports fan can see that Tomlin—a Black head coach at the helm of one of the NFL’s most high-profile teams for 19 straight seasons—had to be exceptional to survive nearly two decades of relentless scrutiny in a cut-throat, “what have you done for me lately” league.

Tomlin had a rare ability to inspire players to run through walls for him while still maintaining firm discipline. He earned the label of a players’ coach yet ran a tight ship and never allowed any one individual to rise above the team.

Tomlin was known for his fiery speeches and his straightforward, no-nonsense demeanor with the press. I remember one moment, when rumors swirled that he was on the hot seat, and a reporter asked whether he had any interest in coaching college football. Tomlin fired back, making it clear he already had the best job in the world, his disgust barely concealed: “Never say never, but never. OK? Anybody else got questions about any college jobs? There’s not a booster in the world with a big enough blank check. Anybody asking Sean Payton about that? Anybody asking Andy Reid about stuff like that?”

The Unspoken Rules for Black Coaches

Tomlin understood that even as a Super Bowl–winning head coach, he was still a Black man who was never afforded the same respect as many of his white coaching peers. His coaching acumen and leadership were still, at times, quietly undermined.

As a Black man myself, what I always admired about Tomlin was his unapologetic leadership style. He never made himself meek, nor did he soften his voice to appear less threatening to those carrying unconscious biases about what a Black head coach is supposed to be in America’s most popular sports league. Most importantly, Tomlin never made excuses. If I had a dollar for every time Coach Tomlin pointed the finger back at himself or his staff—every time he said “we” had to get better, every time he took accountability for a loss or the Steelers’ struggles—I’d be filthy rich.

Walking Away on His Own Terms

Tomlin may not go down as the greatest head coach in Steelers history—that distinction likely belongs to Chuck Noll—, but it’s hard to argue that the franchise has ever had a coach more beloved and cherished by his players. Of the 24 Black head coaches in NFL history, Mike Tomlin has more wins than any of them.

You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who wouldn’t consider Tomlin among the most well-known and respected Black coaches to ever walk an NFL sideline. And he did it his way. He never danced when there was no music, and he never laughed when the joke wasn’t funny. He demanded accountability, hard work, and ownership—without excuses.

And in the end, he walked away on his own terms. Respect.