The NFL Scouting Combine is kicking into full gear at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis this week, which means that numerous head coaches and general managers will be speaking with the media the first couple of days.
During his media availability Tuesday morning, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was asked if he ever believed that Mike Tomlin would move on from the Steelers and if he could imagine not seeing him on the opposing sideline for one of the NFL’s best rivalries.
“No and no,” Harbaugh said chuckling.
Expanding on the question, he shared a story of his early coaching days at the University of Pittsburgh where he coached Cam Heyward’s father, Craig “Ironhead” Heyward.
“I was in Pittsburgh as a young coach, graduate assistant coach with his dad as the running back there, Ironhead Heyward. I saw him, first guy ever, 300-plus pounds leap a BYU defensive back down the sideline and run another 40 yards for a touchdown,” Harbaugh told reporters. “And I think he kind of epitomizes them now as well, their tradition.”
Harbaugh coached at Pitt for the 1987 season, Ironhead’s final year in college. It was also his best, finishing with over 1,600 yards and 12 total touchdowns, his yards second in college football behind UNLV’s Ickey Woods. Both men would go on to make their mark in the NFL.
And because we’re nothing if not thorough, here’s the play from Heyward in the 1987 opener, a win over the Cougars. It wasn’t a touchdown but otherwise a sharp memory from Harbaugh. Heyward would do it all that day, rushing 33 times for 144 yards, catching two passes for 66 yards, and even throwing a 17-yard TD pass in a 27-17 victory.
Cam Heyward is entering his 14th NFL season, all with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he’ll turn 35 years in May. Despite coming off another significant surgery, Heyward made it clear that he expects to return to form next year and keep proving what he’s capable of as a six-time Pro Bowler.
Tomlin’s status was questioned last December after the Steelers bottomed out to 7-7. But in typical fashion, the team rallied to make the playoffs before being quickly bounced in an AFC Wild Card Round game.
Harbaugh’s developed a mutual respect for Tomlin and Steelers legends such as Cam Heyward over the past few decades. Many critics – including former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger – have questioned if the “Steeler Way” has died out the last few years after legends like Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu, and James Harrison retired. Earlier this season, Heyward was quick to refute these claims, saying that “the Steeler Way is about grinding it out and it doesn’t matter what’s going on.”
Harbaugh certainly agrees. He acknowledged Heyward as the epitome of the Steelers’ football tradition, built on hard-nosed, smash-mouth football led by the defense.
Heyward is only under contract for the 2024 season, and there’s been speculation as to how much time he has left in the league, though an extension to reduce his cap charge is likely. Regardless of how long he continues to don the Black and Gold, fans are lucky to have witnessed a player who cares so deeply about the Steelers’ tradition, and he’s embraced it — on and off the field — throughout his career.
