Mike Tomlin
Mike Tomlin (born March 15, 1972 in Hampton, Virginia), is the head coach of the National Football League's Pittsburgh Steelers.
Prior to being named the Steelers' head coach, Tomlin served the 2006 season as the Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator. Tomlin was a college assistant for six seasons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defensive backs coach from 2001 through 2005.
Early life
Tomlin attended Denbigh High School in Newport News, VA. He was a three-year starter at wide receiver for the College of William and Mary and finished his career with 101 receptions for 2,046 yards and a school-record 20 touchdown catches. He was a first-team All-Yankee Conference selection his senior season, 1994. He also is a Spring 1991 initiate and a Charter Member of the Xi Theta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, at The College of William and Mary. Despite his college success, Tomlin was not an NFL prospect.
College coaching experience
Tomlin's coaching career began in 1995 as the wide receiver coach at Virginia Military Institute. He spent the 1996 season as a graduate assistant at the University of Memphis, where he worked with the defensive backs and special teams.
Following a brief stint on the University of Tennessee at Martin's coaching staff, Tomlin was hired by Arkansas State University in 1997 to coach its defensive backs. Tomlin stayed there for two seasons, before being hired as defensive backs coach by the University of Cincinnati.
Professional assistant coach
After just two seasons at the University of Cincinnati, Tomlin was hired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as its defensive backs coach. At Tampa Bay, Tomlin coached alongside Tony Dungy, Monte Kiffin, and Rod Marinelli, learning the Cover 2 defense that many people refer to as the "Tampa 2" system (a refinement of the Cover 2 system first implemented by Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive coach Bud Carson during the Steel Curtain's heyday of the 1970's).
In 2002 and 2005, the Buccaneers led the NFL in total defense (fewest yards allowed per game). In the other three seasons Tomlin was on the Buccaneers' staff, the team's defense never ranked worse than sixth overall in the NFL. In January 2003, following the 2002 season, the Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII. Tomlin's defensive backs starred with five interceptions, three of which were run back for touchdowns.
On January 10, 2006, Tomlin was selected by Vikings' head coach Brad Childress to be his defensive coordinator. Just 33 years old, Tomlin became the youngest defensive coordinator in the NFL. Two of the players on the Vikings were actually older than Tomlin, and Tomlin was a teammate of Vikings' safety Darren Sharper at William and Mary.
At Minnesota, Tomlin installed the Cover 2 system, but blitzed much more than is typical of the system in order to pressure the quarterback.[1][2]
The Vikings finished 2006 with the NFL's eighth-best overall defense, but had the unusual distinction of finishing as the top-ranked defense against the run,[3] and the worst-ranked defense against the pass.[4]
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach
Following the 2006 season, Tomlin interviewed for head coaching positions with the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers.
On Sunday, January 21, 2007, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Tomlin's hiring as the head coach of the Steelers. The Steelers officially announced Tomlin as the new head coach at an afternoon press conference on Monday, January 22, 2007. Tomlin, who is 34 years old, became the second-youngest head coach in any of the four major North American professional sports, including the NFL, NHL, MLB, and NBA (to the recently-hired Oakland Raiders' head coach Lane Kiffin) at the time. The previous two head coaches hired by the Steelers were also in their 30s. Bill Cowher was hired at age 34 in 1992. Chuck Noll was 37 when hired in 1969.
Tomlin is the tenth African-American head coach in NFL history and the first in Steelers franchise history. Terms of his contract have not been released officially. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports a four-year deal ($2.5M each year) with an option for a fifth year.
References and notes
- ^ Sean Jensen (2006-10-29). "Men on fire". St. Paul Pioneer Press.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Kevin Seifert (2006-10-29). "There's a head coach position out there waiting for Tomlin". Minneapolis Star Tribune.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "2006 regular season defensive rushing stats". NFL.com. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "2006 regular season defensive passing stats". NFL.com. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
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