Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has been named the 2024 Professional Coach of the Year by the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches (NCMFC).
As explained by Steelers.com’s Teresa Varley, the award is given to “honor a minority coach who has excelled on the field and had an exemplary season, or a coach who has used his position to advance diversity in the professional ranks. The honoree has to demonstrate integrity, character and excellence both on and off the field.”
“It’s an honor to be recognized by the coalition,” Tomlin said via Varley and the team website.
The coalition and award were started by Maryland head football coach Mike Locksley where Tomlin is one of the group’s Board of Directors. Previous winners of the award include Bruce Arians in 2021, Leslie Frazier in 2022, and DeMeco Ryans in 2023.
In 2023, Tomlin’s Steelers rallied from a three-game losing streak that jeopardized the team’s playoff chances to win their final three regular-season games, finishing the year 10-7 and squeaking into the playoffs on the final day. Tomlin continued his career streak of never having a losing season while the team adjusted to three different starting quarterbacks and weathered a slew of defensive injuries, especially at inside linebacker and safety.
Hired in 2007, Tomlin is now the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL following the New England Patriots parting ways with Bill Belichick, who will not be a head coach in 2024. Tomlin holds a career regular-season record of 173-100-2. He’s been to a pair of Super Bowls, winning one, though Pittsburgh is looking for its first postseason win since 2016, losing its last five contests.
The NCMFC also recognizes minority college and high school coaches. Recent college winners include Deion Sanders for his work at Jackson State during the 2022 season while Ted Grinn Sr. was the 2023 high school coach honoree. The father of former NFL wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr., the elder Ginn serves as the head coach at Glenville High School in Ohio.
