31 Facts About Mike Tomlin

Michael Pettaway Tomlin was born on March 15,1972 and is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League.

At age 36, Mike Tomlin became the youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl, a record which was later broken by Sean McVay in Super Bowl LVI.

Mike Tomlin holds the record for most consecutive non-losing seasons to begin a coaching career with 18 and has never had a losing season.

Mike Tomlin was born in Hampton, Virginia, the younger of two sons; his brother, Eddie, is three and a half years older.

The elder Mike Tomlin died in January 2012 from an apparent heart attack in Ocala, Florida, at the age of 63.

However, Mike Tomlin hardly knew his birth father and was raised by his mother and stepfather, Julia and Leslie Copeland, who married when Mike Tomlin was six years old.

Mike Tomlin graduated in 1990 from Denbigh High School in Newport News, Virginia.

Mike Tomlin graduated from the College of William and Mary with a sociology degree in 1995, becoming a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

Mike Tomlin's coaching career began in 1995 as the wide receiver coach at Virginia Military Institute under head coach Bill Stewart.

Mike Tomlin spent the 1996 season as a graduate assistant at the University of Memphis, where he worked with the defensive backs and special teams.

Mike Tomlin stayed there for two seasons, before being hired as defensive backs coach by the University of Cincinnati.

Mike Tomlin was hired as the defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2001 under head coach Tony Dungy, where Mike Tomlin first learned the Tampa 2 defense that he would use in later coaching jobs.

Mike Tomlin was retained under new head coach Jon Gruden, and in 2002 and 2005, the Buccaneers led the NFL in total defense.

Mike Tomlin was selected by Vikings' head coach Brad Childress to be his defensive coordinator in 2006.

Mike Tomlin had interviewed for the head coaching vacancy with the Miami Dolphins, a job that eventually went to former Indiana head coach Cam Cameron.

Mike Tomlin is the 10th African-American head coach in NFL history and the first for the Steelers franchise.

Mike Tomlin became the third African-American to coach a team to the Super Bowl, following Chicago's Lovie Smith and Indianapolis's Tony Dungy, the two opposing coaches in Super Bowl XLI.

On January 29,2009, Mike Tomlin was named the 2008 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year.

Coincidentally, Mike Tomlin was the defensive backs coach under Gruden when the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl and was a key component in their success that year.

Mike Tomlin's record was eclipsed by Sean McVay, who was 303 days younger when winning Super Bowl LVI.

On July 13,2010, Mike Tomlin signed a three-year contract extension with the Steelers.

On July 24,2012, Mike Tomlin received a three-year contract extension through the 2016 season.

Several Ravens players claimed Mike Tomlin had intentionally interfered with Jones; if officials had agreed, a touchdown could have been awarded to the Ravens based on the palpably unfair act.

Whether it was intentional or not, Mike Tomlin was widely criticized in the media.

On February 17,2020, Mike Tomlin appeared on ESPN to be interviewed by Stephen A Smith to defend Rudolph against the accusations.

On November 6,2020, Mike Tomlin was fined by the NFL for not properly wearing a face mask, as required for coaches during the COVID-19 pandemic, during a Week 8 game in the 2020 NFL season.

On June 10,2024, Mike Tomlin signed a three-year contract extension to remain the Steelers' head coach through the 2027 season, making him the second longest tenured Steelers head coach of all time, only behind Chuck Noll by three seasons.

Mike Tomlin has invited multiple players to spend holidays with him and his family.

Mike Tomlin acknowledged Porter's potential, stating, "You're gonna be great, but you ain't gonna be great today," emphasizing the importance of growth and learning from mistakes.

Mike Tomlin's approach has drawn criticism at times, notably when former Steelers quarterback and Hall of Fame member Terry Bradshaw referred to him as "more of a cheerleader guy" than coach during a 2016 interview.

Mike Tomlin is a Christian who attends a Christian and Missionary Alliance church.