For only the third time since the Super Steelers of the seventies with Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh will start a new season with a new coach. This difference this time is Mike McCarthy is an experienced head coach.
McCarthy’s two predecessors were following in the shoes of Coach Noll, who made the jump to the Steelers head coach vacancy from defensive coordinator with the Baltimore Colts.
Coach Noll had a disastrous start to his head coaching career. In his first season, his team could only manage one win. The good thing was Dan Rooney, who was the main man behind the hiring of Noll, stood by him. Mr. Rooney could still see the potential in his choice and would give him time.
Chuck Noll had an idea to turn the Steelers into Super Bowl winners. His plan was to build a championship team through the draft. Mr. Rooney bought into that plan and gave his coach the time that was needed to finish the intent.
Coach Noll’s were big shoe to step into when he retired at the end of 1991. Dan Rooney again turned to an assistant coach and chose Bil Cowher to make the jump from the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator to replace Coach Noll. In his first season, he guided the Steelers to their tenth division title. Although they lost the divisional playoff game to the Bills, Coach Cowher had earned the respect of the fans.
Three years later, he led the Steelers to Super Bowl XXX where they would lose to the heavily favored Dallas Cowboys. But it was a glimpse of the good times and ten years later the trophy room on the South Side would make room for another Lombardi.
Super Bowl XL in snowy Detroit wasn’t a spectacular game, but it saw the Steelers set another new NFL record when they became the first team to win five. They were also the first team to win all their playoff games on the road. With the pinnacle of professional football achieved, Coach Cowher would retire after the following season.
Dan Rooney was again heavily involved in the interviewing of Cowher’s successor. “I hate to make comparisons with Bill Cowher, but there were some similarities,” Mr. Rooney said. Mike Tomlin became the 16th coach in Steelers history. Once again, they chose a defensive coordinator.
Coach Tomlin’s team lost the wildcard game in his first season. Steeler fans would only have to wait another year before Mike Tomlin took his team to Super Bowl XLIII. In one of the best and most exciting Championship games, the trophy room would have to be rearranged to accommodate a sixth Lombardi. Naturally, the Steelers were the first to win six.
Two seasons later, they would lose Super Bowl XLV to the Green Bay Packers coached by Mike McCarthy.
After nineteen seasons as the Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin retired and the search was on for his replacement with no Dan Rooney this time to advise on the selection.
The Steelers chose Mike McCarthy. He became the first coach the Steelers have selected from the offensive side of the ball for over half a century. Will this change of philosophy have an immediate impact on the team’s performance?
Steeler fans knew no better when Coach Noll was hired. They had accepted the Same Old Steelers. Noll changed that outlook with his four Super Bowl victories. Coach Cowher and Coach Tomlin both added one each with one loss in Championship games so have left their mark on the team’s history.
With Coach Noll, it was always accepted it would take time with the team he inherited. Just six years later he delivered when they became champions.
Will the new coach be given the same time? It will be interesting to see how much patience Steelers Nation will have before the boo boys raise their heads above the parapet.
I wish him well and hope the Steelers need to expand their trophy room soon to make room for more.
