Did Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin ever play football himself? What level did he achieve – and did he reach the NFL?
Mike Tomlin is currently the third-longest serving coach in the NFL -having been in charge of the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2007.
Only Bill Belichick (2000) at the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints boss Sean Payton (2006) have been in post longer.
Tomlin holds a strong record during his time in charge of the Steelers.
He’s picked up one Super Bowl, two AFC championships, seven AFC North titles and been in the playoffs 10 times out of 16.
But did Mike Tomlin ever play football himself? Did he ever play in the NFL?
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Did Mike Tomlin play football?
Yes, is the straight answer – Mike Tomlin did play football – although he never made it to the NFL.
As a young wide receiver, Virginia native Tomlin played for Denbigh High School, moving onto the College of William and Mary.
In 1994, he was a member of the second team All-Yankee Conference.
By 1995, he had ended his playing career, instead transitioning across into coaching.
Tomlin’s father, Ed was drafted by the Baltimore Colts – before going onto play in the Canadian Football League.
What’s his coaching history?
Before reaching the Steelers in 2007 – Tomlin worked his way up through the ranks of coaching.
His record is listed below:
- Virginia Military Institute – WR coach – 1995
- Memphis – Graduate Assistant – 1996
- Arkansas State – WR coach – 1997
- Arkansas State – Defensive backs coach – 1998
- Cincinnati – DB coach – 1999-2000
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – DB coach – 2001-2005
- Minnesota Vikings – Defensive coordinator – 2006
- Pittsburgh Steelers – Head coach – 2007 – present
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After his transition from playing football, becoming head coach, Tomlin has carved himself out as one of the best coaches in the league.
He is the youngest coach to ever win the Super Bowl (aged 36 in 2009), and holds the record for the most consecutive non-losing seasons to begin his coaching career.
In all 15 full seasons in charge of the Steelers, Tomlin has never recorded a losing regular season.
The closest he came was in 2012, 2013, and 2019 when the Steelers recorded 8-8 in the regular season, respectively.
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