When it was reported that Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin wouldn’t be at the team’s annual Friday Night Lights practice, many wondered what occasion would pull him away from one of the biggest events for the Steelers during the preseason.
Tomlin had a good excuse as he was chosen by Pro Football Hall of Fame DB Ronde Barber to present him with his gold jacket in Canton, Ohio, on Friday. Tomlin coached Barber as Tampa Bay’s defensive backs coach from 2001 to 2005, crediting Tomlin for making him the player who would one day have his bust in Canton.
Tomlin was back in Latrobe Saturday for training camp and talked about missing Friday Night Lights, being on hand to support his former player and dear friend.
“Missed last night, I was in Canton, Ohio,” Tomlin said told the media after practice via video from ESPN’s Brooke Pryor’s Twitter page. “I had the unbelievable honor of putting a gold jacket on Ronde Barber, a former player and really close friend of mine. And just a really great environment in Canton. A special place man, special weekend. It was great to spend some time with some Steeler representatives. Just a beautiful week.”
Tomlin mentioned that he wasn’t only there to support Barber, but also had a good time catching up with other Steelers greats like HC Bill Cowher, who was on-hand for the gold jacket ceremony. Tomlin was able to step away from his duties as head coach for a day and take part in the honoring of a player with whom he had a significant impact on during his football life. For Tomlin, this has become the norm as he not only is a great coach, but a better leader of men who impacts people off and on the football field.
As a coach with two Super Bowl appearances, one Super Bowl victory, and with a career regular season record of 163-93-2 with no losing seasons during his tenure in Pittsburgh, Tomlin is well on his way to earning a place in Canton himself when his coaching career is done.
