Perspective Of An Average Steelers Fan: History Of Pittsburgh’s Coaches And Coordinators

Current Situation

The Steelers are fighting for a playoff spot as the end of the 2023 season approaches. Earlier, Matt Canada was fired as offensive coordinator following record-setting poor offensive output — the first time a Steelers offensive coordinator was fired midseason and the first time a head coach or coordinator was removed during the regular season since 1941.

Mike Tomlin’s contract expires at the end of the 2024 season. A growing vocal portion of the fan base, egged on by segments of local sports media, is urging Art Rooney II to make a change.

Here are lists of all the former Steelers head coaches, offensive and defensive coordinators. I’ve included their age when hired and their jobs immediately before and after their tenure.

Steelers Head Coaches

*Joe Bach and Walt Kiesling multiple tenures

**Greasy Neale and Phil Handler co-coached with Kiesling

18 Coaches in 91 Seasons

In 91 seasons of play, the Steelers have had 18 head coaches if you include Greasy Neale co-coach of the 1943 Steagles and Phil Handler co-coach of the 1945 Card-Pits. Forrest Douds, the first head coach, was also the youngest at just 28 years old when hired. The first four Pittsburgh head coaches got their first NFL coaching job as head coach of the Black and Gold. Walt Kiesling had three separate stints as Steelers head coach, including Pittsburgh’s first winning season. Plus, he co-coached two combined teams during World War II. Joe Bach had a 16-year hiatus between two separate stints as head coach.

Jock Sutherland was the oldest at 57 years old when hired. His sudden death on a scouting trip stunned the team. Perhaps, that is why Pittsburgh tends to hire coaches in their 30s. The median age of head coaches when hired is 36. Five coaches either quit or were fired in the preseason or during the regular season. Aldo Donelli attempted to coach both Duquesne University and the Steelers until the NFL forced him to choose one. He chose the college gig. Chuck Noll was the longest serving head coach with 23 seasons. Co-owner Bert Bell had the shortest stint with just two games.

Three Head Coaches Since 1969

There have only been three Steelers head coaches since 1969. Chuck Noll has the most wins with 193 plus four Lombardi Trophies. Bill Cowher took the Steelers to the playoffs in 10 of 15 seasons as head coach. He captured the Steelers’ fifth Lombardi in his 14th season. Mike Tomlin has the best winning percentage (.631) of the three with 170 wins and 99 losses as of this writing. He won the Steelers’ sixth Lombardi Trophy in his second season.

The last two head coaches retired from the NFL as Pittsburgh Steelers head coaches.

Tomlin is in his 17th season. Will Tomlin continue the trend and eventually retire from the NFL as Steelers head coach? Or will he coach another NFL team after his journey in Pittsburgh is complete?

Offensive Coordinators

*Interim Coordinator

Terry Bradshaw called his own plays during his career from 1970-83. Head Coach Chuck Noll took over play-calling when rookie Mike Kruczek started six games in 1976 due to Bradshaw injuries. So, not surprising that the Steelers’ first offensive coordinator did not show up until 1983. Tom Moore’s seven-year run is the longest among the 12 Steelers coordinators. Bill Cowher began a trend of hiring coordinators from within by promoting Mike Mularkey and then Ken Whisenhunt into the role.

Unusual Trend

Mike Tomlin tapped Bruce Arians from the Steelers staff to be his first offensive coordinator. Then he went outside to bring in Todd Haley, who has the second-longest reign as a Steelers offensive coordinator. Unusual, but Tomlin then promoted two coordinators whose very first NFL coaching experience was with the Steelers. That trend will be broken unless he promotes interim coordinator Eddie Faulkner. If that it is case, it would be three coordinators in a row who lack coaching experience with any other NFL team.

Defensive Coordinators

The Steelers’ first defensive coordinator was Buster Ramsey. Buddy Parker hired him in 1962. Then there is a gap until Chuck Noll’s fourth season. That’s when Bud Carson helped build the Steel Curtain defense, winning two Super Bowl rings before moving to the Rams where he coached their defense against Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XIV. Tony Dungy was just 29 when Chuck Noll promoted him to defensive coordinator. But following a 5-11 season in 1988, Dan Rooney ordered Noll to make changes to the coaching staff. That led to a demotion leading Dungy to lateral move to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Mike Tomlin retained 71-year-old Dick LeBeau after he was hired in 2007. Longtime Steelers linebacker coach Keith Butler, an internal hire, replaced the legendary LeBeau in 2015. Teryl Austin was another internal hire, but a relative newcomer as he joined the Steelers staff in 2019. He had prior defensive coordinator experience with the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals.

Conclusion

The Steelers have hired a mix of internal and external candidates for the coordinator positions. The Steelers will hire a new offensive coordinator in 2024. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is under contract through the 2024 season.

But the big question is the future of head coach Mike Tomlin. He is completing his 17th season. And he is under contract through 2024. The team has not won a playoff game since 2016. Only nine teams have a longer dry spell. Prior to this season, Art Rooney II indicated that Tomlin’s contract would be extended. Perhaps his plans change depending on how the team fares in its last four games.

Your Song Selection

I always like to include a song selection. We’ll soon know if Mike Tomlin’s time is up in Pittsburgh. But in the meantime, we’ll just keep on using him. Until we use him up. Here is Use Me Up performed by Bill Withers.