In a league where coaches rarely last more than a couple of years with a team before being let go, Mike Tomlin has been a symbol of consistency, stability, and reliability for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Entering his 17th season as the team’s head coach, he knows how to win and expects exactly that from his players.
While he never played in the NFL, he was a three-year starting wide receiver/tight end at the College of William and Mary – he was teammates with Buffalo Bills’ head coach, Sean McDermott, for two years. Tomlin finished his college football career with 101 receptions for 2,054 yards and 20 touchdowns.
He began his coaching career after graduating from college and was a positions coach for VMI, Memphis, Arkansas State, and Cincinnati before landing a job as defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers between 2001 and 2005. In 2006, he served as the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator.
RELATED: Can You Name the 15 NFL Head Coaches With At Least 170 Wins in Their Career?
A Look Back at Mike Tomlin and His Pittsburgh Steelers’ Career
After one season as defensive coordinator of the Vikings, Mike Tomlin was hired to be the next head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers – replacing Bill Cowher, who was the team’s head coach for 15 years between 1992 and 2006. Tomlin was inheriting a team that had won the Super Bowl just two years prior.
He had some pretty big shoes to fill, but it’s safe to say he has filled those shoes fairly well. Not only did Mike Tomlin lead the Steelers to a Super Bowl in just his second season as head coach – becoming the second black head coach to win a Super Bowl – but he is now entering his 17th season with the team.
And talk about being a model of consistency – Mike Tomlin has never had a losing record as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. While there have been some .500 seasons in the mix, they’ve never dipped below that mark – for reference, Bill Cowher had three losing seasons in his 15 years as head coach.
Here’s a look back at Mike Tomlin and his 16 consecutive seasons at or above the .500 mark!
1. 2007 Season – 10-6-0
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2007 season in first place in the AFC North with a 10-6-0 record before losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars 29-31 in the Wild Card round. They finished the season ranked 17th in yards for, 9th in points for, 1st in yards against, and 2nd in points against.
They were led by Ben Roethlisberger (3,154 yards, 32 touchdowns, 11 interceptions), Willie Parker (1,316 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns), Santonio Holmes (942 receiving yards, 8 touchdowns), James Harrison (8.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss), and Ike Taylor (3 interceptions, 16 passes defensed).
2. 2008 Season – 12-4-0
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2008 season in first place in the AFC North with a 12-4-0 record and beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 en route to their sixth Super Bowl win in franchise history. They were ranked 22nd in yards for, 20th in points for, 1st in yards against, and 1st in yards for.
They were led by Ben Roethlisberger (3,301 yards, 17 touchdowns, 15 interceptions), Willie Parker (791 yards, 5 touchdowns), Hines Ward (81 catches, 1,043 yards, 7 touchdowns), James Harrison (16.0 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, 7 forced fumbles), and Troy Polamalu (7 interceptions, 17 passes defensed).
3. 2009 Season – 9-7-0
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2009 season in third place in the AFC North with a 9-7-0 record – missing out on the playoffs for the first time since Tomlin became head coach of the team. They were ranked 7th in yards for, 12th in points for, 5th in yards against, and 12th in points against.
They were led by Ben Roethlisberger (4,328 yards, 26 TDs, 12 interceptions), Rashard Mendenhall (1,108 rushing yards, 8 TDs), Santonio Holmes (1,248 yards, 5 TDs), Hines Ward (1,167 yards, 6 TDs), LaMarr Woodley (13.5 sacks, 20 tackles for loss), and James Harrison (10.0 sacks, 14 tackles for loss).
4. 2010 Season – 12-4-0
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2010 season in first place in the AFC North with a 12-4-0 record and made it back to the Super Bowl, but lost to the Green Bay Packers. They finished the season ranked 14th in yards for, 12th in points for, 2nd in yards against, and 1st in points against.
They were led by Ben Roethlisberger (3,200 yards, 17 TDs, 5 interceptions), Rashard Mendenhall (1,273 rushing yards, 13 TDs), Mike Wallace (60 catches, 1,257 receiving yards, 10 TDs), James Harrison (10.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 6 forced fumbles), and Troy Polamalu (7 interceptions, 11 passes defensed).
5. 2011 Season – 12-4-0
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2011 season in second place in the AFC North with a 12-4-0 record, but ended up losing to the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. They finished the year ranked 12th in yards for, 21st in points for, 1st in yards against, and 1st in points against.
They were led by Ben Roethlisberger (4,077 yards, 21 TDs, 14 interceptions), Rashard Mendenhall (928 rushing yards, 9 TDs), Mike Wallace (1,193 receiving yards, 8 TDs), Antonio Brown (1,108 receiving yards, 2 TDs), James Harrison (9.0 sacks, 13 tackles for loss), and LaMarr Woodley (9.0 sacks).
6. 2012 Season – 8-8-0
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2012 season in 3rd place in the AFC North with an 8-8-0 record and missed out on the playoffs for the second time since Mike Tomlin became head coach. They were ranked 21st in yards for, 22nd in points for, 1st in yards against, and 6th in points against.
They were led by Ben Roethlisberger (3,265 yards, 26 TDs, 8 interceptions), Jonathan Dwyer (623 rushing yards, 2 TDs), Mike Wallace (836 receiving yards, 8 TDs), Heath Miller (816 receiving yards, 8 TDs), and Lawrence Timmons (106 combined tackles, 3 interceptions, 6.0 sacks, 10 tackles for loss).
7. 2013 Season – 8-8-0
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2013 season in second place in the AFC North with an 8-8-0 record, but they missed out on the playoffs for the second consecutive season. They finished the season ranked 20th in yards for, 16th in points for, 13th in yards against, and 14th in points against.
They were led by Ben Roethlisberger (4,261 yards, 28 TDs, 14 interceptions), Le’Veon Bell (1,259 total yards, 8 TDs), Antonio Brown (110 catches, 1,499 receiving yards, 8 TDs), Jason Worilds (8.0 sacks, 10 tackles for loss), and Lawrence Timmons (126 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, 2 interceptions).
8. 2014 Season – 11-5-0
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2014 season in first place in the AFC North with an 11-5-0 record, but couldn’t make it past the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. They were ranked 2nd in yards for, 7th in points for, 18th in yards against, and 18th in points against.
They were led by Ben Roethlisberger (4,952 yards, 32 TDs, 9 interceptions), Le’Veon Bell (2,215 total yards, 11 TDs), Antonio Brown (129 catches, 1,711 total yards, 13 TDs), Jason Worilds (7.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss), Cameron Heyward (7.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss), and Lawrence Timmons (132 tackles).
9. 2015 Season – 10-6-0
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2015 season in second place in the AFC North with a 10-6-0 record, but couldn’t make it past the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. They were ranked 3rd in yards for, 4th in points for, 21st in yards against, and 11th in points against.
They were led by Ben Roethlisberger (3,938 yards, 21 TDs, 16 interceptions), DeAngelo Williams (1,274 total yards, 11 TDs), Antonio Brown (136 catches, 1,834 yards, 10 TDs), Cameron Heyward (7.0 sacks, 15 tackles for loss), Mike Mitchell (3 interceptions, 9 passes defensed), and Lawrence Timmons (119 tackles).
10. 2016 Season – 11-5-0
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2016 season in first place in the AFC North with an 11-5-0 record, but couldn’t make it past the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game. The team was ranked 7th in yards for, 10th in points for, 12th in yards against, and 10th in points against.
They were led by Ben Roethlisberger (3,819 yards, 29 TDs, 13 interceptions), Le’Veon Bell (1,884 total yards, 9 TDs), Antonio Brown (106 catches, 1,293 total yards, 12 TDs), James Harrison (5.0 sacks, 9 tackles for loss), Artie Burns (3 interceptions, 13 passes defensed), and Lawrence Timmons (114 tackles).
11. 2017 Season – 13-3-0
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2017 season in first place in the AFC North with a 13-3-0 record and had a first-round bye in the playoffs, but lost to the Jaguars in the Divisional Round. They were ranked 3rd in yards for, 8th in points for, 5th in yards against, and 7th in points against.
They were led by Ben Roethlisberger (4,251 yards, 28 TDs, 14 interceptions), Le’Veon Bell (1,946 total yards, 11 TDs), Antonio Brown (101 catches, 1,533 yards, 9 TDs), Cameron Heyward (12.0 sacks, 16 tackles for loss), Ryan Shazier (3 interceptions, 11 passes defensed), and Sean Davis (92 tackles).
12. 2018 Season – 9-6-1
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2018 season in second place in the AFC North with a 9-6-1 record, but failed to make it to the playoffs for the fourth time since Tomlin became head coach. They were ranked 4th in yards for, 6th in points for, 6th in yards against, and 16th in points against.
They were led by Ben Roethlisberger (5,129 yards, 34 TDs, 16 interceptions), James Conner (1,470 total yards, 13 TDs), Juju Smith-Schuster (111 catches, 1,439 yards, 7 TDs), Antonio Brown (104 catches, 1,297 yards, 15 TDs), and T.J. Watt (13.0 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, 6 forced fumbles, 21 quarterback hits).
13. 2019 Season – 8-8-0
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2019 season in second place in the AFC North with an 8-8-0 record, but failed to make it to the playoffs for the fifth time (second straight) since Tomlin was named head coach. They ranked 30th in yards for, 27th in points for, 5th in yards against, and 5th in points against.
They were led by Mason Rudolph (1,765 yards, 13 TDs, 9 interceptions), James Conner (715 total yards, 7 TDs), James Washington (735 yards, 3 TDs), Diontae Johnson (721 yards, 5 TDs), T.J. Watt (14.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, 8 forced fumbles), Bud Dupree (11.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss), and Joe Haden and Minkah Fitzpatrick (5 interceptions each).
14. 2020 Season – 12-4-0
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2020 season in first place in the AFC North with a 12-4-0 record, but couldn’t make it past the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. They were ranked 24th in yards for, 12th in points for, 3rd in yards against, and 3rd in points against.
They were led by Ben Roethlisberger (3,803 yards, 33 TDs, 10 interceptions), James Conner (936 total yards, 6 TDs), Diontae Johnson (88 catches, 938 yards, 7 TDs), Chase Claypool (889 yards, 11 TDs), T.J. Watt (15.0 sacks, 23 tackles for loss), Stephon Tuitt (11.0 sacks), and Minkah Fitzpatrick (4 interceptions).
15. 2021 Season – 9-7-1
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2021 season in second place in the AFC North with a 9-7-1 record, but failed to make it past the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. They were ranked 23rd in yards for, 21st in points for, 24th in yards against, and 20th in points against.
They were led by Ben Roethlisberger (3,740 yards, 22 TDs, 10 interceptions), Najee Harris (1,667 total yards, 10 TDs), Diontae Johnson (107 catches, 1,214 yards, 8 TDs), T.J. Watt (22.5 sacks, 21 tackles for loss, 5 forced fumbles), Cameron Heyward (10.0 sacks, 15 tackles for loss), and Minkah Fitzpatrick (124 tackles, 2 interceptions).
16. 2022 Season – 9-8-0
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2022 season in third place in the AFC North with a 9-8-0 record, but failed to make it to the playoffs for the sixth time since Tomlin became head coach. They were ranked 23rd in yards for, 26th in points for, 13th in yards against, and 10th in points against.
They were led by Kenny Pickett (2,404 yards, 7 TDs, 9 interceptions), Najee Harris (1,263 total yards, 10 TDs), Diontae Johnson (86 catches, 907 yards), George Pickens (825 yards, 5 TDs), Alex Highsmith (14.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, 5 forced fumbles), Cameron Heyward (10.5 sacks), and Minkah Fitzpatrick (6 interceptions, 11 passes defensed).
What’s Next for Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Mike Tomlin is entering his 17th season as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers and will start the season with a 163-93-2 record since 2007 – a win percentage of .636, which is better than his predecessor’s .623 in 15 seasons. There’s no doubt that Mike Tomlin is one of the best head coaches of his generation.
After two consecutive seasons with nine wins, one has to wonder if he can get the Steelers back to the double-digit win mark in 2023. They last did it in 2020 when they finished 12-4-0 and have done it a total of nine times since Tomlin arrived – that’s more than half of the time. It’s possible, but it won’t come easy.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Jeff Saturday Wins First Game as Indianapolis Colts’ Interim Head Coach, Here Are 20 Other Notable NFL Players Turned Coaches
His defense has been in the top half of the league (if not in the top-10) most of his career, but the offense has been the main source of concern these past four seasons. If Kenny Pickett and Najee Harris can turn things around, then a 10-win season is certainly possible for Tomlin – especially with that defense.
Contents
What to Read Next...
At The Buzzer, or ATB is the place for those who love sports, life, family, community, and so much more. We are far from the run-of-the-mill 24/7 sports news websites. We not only bring you what’s happening in the world of sports in terms of trades and breaking news, but we also bring you the news that goes on behind the scenes, like big life moments, and so much more. So take a minute and read one of our articles, we promise you won't regret it.