According to Bob Labriola on Twitter, the Pittsburgh Steelers have hired Richard Mann to be their next wide receivers coach.
Mann, an Aliquippa native, last coached in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where Tomlin was the defensive backs coach from 2001–2005.
The 65 year old Mann hasn’t coached since the 2009 season after his contract wasn’t renewed by coach then-Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris.
Mann is regarded as a coach that is a stickler for details and a good teacher of technique. Prior to coaching with the Buccaneers he coached on the staffs of the Washington Redskins, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and the old Baltimore Colts. In total he has spent 28 years in the NFL.
Mann will replace Scottie Montgomery, who returned to coach at his alma mater of Duke University late last week.
Below is a reprint of a bio on Mann from the Buccaneers 2009 media guide:
Richard Mann enters his eighth season leading Tampa Bay’s wide receivers and his first as assistant head coach/wide receivers. Possessing more than 30 years of coaching experience at the collegiate and professional levels, Mann has had the opportunity to coach some of the game’s top receivers, including Tim Brown, Antonio Bryant, Mark Clayton, Joey Galloway, Ike Hilliard, Keyshawn Johnson, Keenan McCardell, Rob Moore, Andre Rison, Webster Slaughter and Pro Football Hall of Fame TE Ozzie Newsome.
Under Mann’s direction, the Buccaneers have produced a 1,000-yard receiver in every one of his seven seasons on the Tampa Bay sideline, easily the longest stretch in franchise history. Mann’s 1,000-yard pupil in 2008 was Bryant, who joined the Buccaneers as a free agent prior to the season. He finished the year leading the team with 83 receptions for 1,248 yards and seven touchdowns while earning The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year award.
In 2007, Galloway became the first player in franchise history to eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving plateau for the third consecutive season, leading Mann’s unit with 1,014 yards and six touchdowns on 57 receptions. Hilliard led the receiving corps with 62 receptions, his highest single-season output since his 72 receptions in 1999 as a member of the N.Y. Giants, for 722 yards and one touchdown.
In 2006, Mann coached Galloway to a team-leading 62 receptions for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns. Defying age and maintaining his reputation as the league’s best breakway threat, Galloway’s 17.0-yard average per catch led all NFL receivers with at least 50 receptions. It also marked his second consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season under Mann, making him just the second player in team history to accomplish the feat. Additionally, it was his first back-to-back 1,000-yard performance since 1997-1998.
The 2005 season saw Mann coach Galloway to his best season as a professional. The veteran pass catcher enjoyed a Pro Bowl-caliber season while setting career highs in receptions and receiving yards in 2005. His 83 receptions ranked seventh in the NFC and were the fifth-highest total in team history while his 1,287 receiving yards ranked sixth in the NFL and second in team history. Galloway surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving plateau in 11 games, fastest in team history. Additionally, Mann’s pupil set a new team record with 10 touchdown receptions in 2005, tying him for fifth in the NFL.
In his third season with Tampa Bay in 2004, Mann oversaw the development of first-round selection WR Michael Clayton, the highest wide receiver (15th overall) ever taken by the Buccaneers in the NFL Draft. Under the instruction of Mann, Clayton became one of the most productive rookie wide receivers in NFL history. Named one of the five finalists for the PEPSI Rookie of the Year award and selected to ESPN.com’s All-Rookie team, he posted 80 receptions for 1,193 yards (14.9 avg.) with seven touchdowns.
Clayton’s 80 receptions and 1,193 yards led the team and all NFL rookie wide receivers in 2004 and ranked fifth all-time in NFL history among rookie pass catchers. His season totals also established him as the top rookie receiver in team history. Additionally, Clayton led or tied for the team lead in receptions in eight games while leading the team in receiving yards in 10 contests.
Despite losing two of his top performers in 2003, Mann’s unit provided a consistent threat as the Buccaneers offense finished in the top 10 in the NFL in total offense for the second time in team history. Utilizing seven different members of Mann’s wide receivers corps, former QB Brad Johnson set numerous team records in 2003, including touchdown passes (26), passing yards (3,811) and completions (354). Led by McCardell, the receiving unit posted 188 receptions for 2,503 yards and 16 touchdowns. McCardell led all Buccaneers with 84 receptions for 1,174 yards (14.0 avg.) and nine touchdowns (eight receiving touchdowns and one fumble return for a touchdown) while earning his second career Pro Bowl appearance.
Under Mann’s guidance in 2002, the Buccaneers’ wide receivers hauled in 184 receptions for 2,281 yards and 16 touchdowns while helping Tampa Bay earn its first Super Bowl title. Mann was reunited with Keyshawn Johnson in 2002, who hauled in 63 receptions for 844 yards and eight touchdowns during his rookie season with the N.Y. Jets under Mann. Johnson’s success continued in 2002 as he recorded 76 receptions for 1,088 yards and five touchdowns, making him the first player in Bucs’ history to record consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Upon arriving in Tampa from Jacksonville in the offseason, McCardell made an immediate impact. McCardell led all Buccaneers receivers and tied a then career-high with six touchdown receptions in 2002 — as well as a pair of touchdowns in the Super Bowl XXXVII win over the Oakland Raiders — and added 61 receptions for 670 yards. Signed as a free agent in the offseason, WR Joe Jurevicius flourished under Mann as he hauled in 37 receptions for 423 yards and a then career-high four touchdowns as the Buccaneers’ third receiver in 2002. Jurevicius caught a touchdown in the divisional playoff win against San Francisco and set up the go-ahead score in the NFC Championship Game at Philadelphia with a 71-yard reception. He added four catches for a game-high 78 yards in Super Bowl XXXVII.
Mann spent the 2001 season with the Washington Redskins as wide receivers coach, tutoring Michael Westbrook and rookie Rod Gardner, who combined for 103 receptions, 1,405 yards and eight touchdowns in 2001. Prior to working with the Redskins, Mann served as the receivers coach for Kansas City in 1999 and 2000. Under Mann, the Chiefs’ passing attack produced a club-record 4,388 passing yards and 28 touchdowns in 2000. Mann tutored standout receivers Derrick Alexander and Rison during his time in Kansas City, with Alexander producing four 100-yard games in 1999 and Rison becoming just the 12th player in NFL history to break the 700-catch barrier. Mann also tutored Joe Horn in his final campaign with the Chiefs in 1999, a breakout season in which Horn totaled 35 receptions for 586 yards and six touchdowns. Horn went on to become the New Orleans Saints all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns after his time with Mann.
Mann spent the 1997 and 1998 seasons as the Baltimore Ravens wide receivers coach. Under his guidance, Alexander grabbed 65 catches for 1,009 yards and nine touchdowns in 1997, while Michael Jackson snagged 69 passes for 918 yards and four scores.
Mann also coached on the N.Y. Jets staff, coaching both wide receivers and tight ends during his three seasons (1994-1996). While in New York, he worked with Johnson and also mentored Wayne Chrebet, who set a Jets rookie record in 1995 with 66 catches for 726 yards and four touchdowns. In 1994, Mann helped Rob Moore make his first Pro Bowl appearance after catching 78 passes for 1,010 yards and six touchdowns, becoming the first Jets Pro Bowl wideout since Al Toon in 1988. In addition to working with the New York receiving corps, he also handled Jets tight end coaching duties in 1995, where he tutored first-round draft choice Kyle Brady.
From 1985-1993, Mann served as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Browns, where he coached Hall of Famer Newsome. Newsome finished his stellar career with 662 catches for 7,980 yards and 47 touchdowns. In addition, Webster Slaughter hauled in 305 passes for 4,834 yards and 27 touchdowns in six seasons (1986-1991) under Mann’s tutelage and was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 1990.
He originally began his NFL coaching career as a receivers coach with the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts from 1982-1984. With the Colts, he worked under Frank Kush, his college head coach at Arizona State. Mann also coached on the collegiate level at the University of Louisville from 1980-1981 and Arizona State from 1974-1979 as wide receivers coach. During that time, he helped nurture a pair of receivers who enjoyed considerable success in the NFL , Clayton at Louisville and John Jefferson at Arizona State. Clayton went on to produce 582 catches for 8,974 yards and 84 touchdowns in his 11-year career with Miami (1983-1992) and Green Bay (1993), while Jefferson totaled 315 receptions for 5,714 yards and 47 scores with San Diego (1978-1980), Green Bay (1981-1984) and Cleveland (1985).
Mann, a native of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, was a three-year starter at flanker and tight end for the Sun Devils from 1966-1968. He began his coaching career at his prep alma mater of Aliquippa High School from 1970-1073. A member of the Aliquippa Hall of Fame since 1982, Mann is also a member of the Beaver County (PA PA ) Hall of Fame.
Mann joined several other Buccaneers coaches to host the High School Coaching Academy during the 2004 offseason in conjunction with the National Football Foundation. The academy is a one day, hands-on clinic designed to elevate the quality of football coaching at the high school level.
