Steelers History Points to Three Top HC Candidates

Pittsburgh's History of Defensive HCs

The Steelers have employed just three different head coaches since 1969, which is a byproduct of the organization's loyalty and patience, as well as its ability to conduct thorough and successful searches over that span.

First up was Chuck Noll, who was the Baltimore Colts' defensive coordinator and backfield coach before becoming top dog in Pittsburgh ahead of the 1969 campaign.

Noll ended up remaining with the Steelers through his retirement in 1991. Over that stretch, he won four Super Bowls with a 193-148-1 record en route to making the Hall of Fame.

Bill Cowher followed him up and was hired away from his post as the Kansas City Chiefs' defensive coordinator leading into the 1992 campaign.

In his 15 years with the Steelers, Cowher went 149-90-1 and won Super Bowl XL, which was enough to earn him a spot in Canton as well.

Tomlin was hired by Pittsburgh ahead of the 2007 campaign after spending just a single year as the Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator.

He finished off his Steelers tenure with a 193-114-2 record while logging 19-straight non-losing seasons and a victory in Super Bowl XLIII over the Arizona Cardinals.

Tomlin lost his final seven playoff contests with Pittsburgh, though he made it to the postseason a whopping 13 times. It remains to be seen if he'll coach again in the near future, but even if he never patrols another sideline, he's a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame.

Leading Candidates to Replace Tomlin

The Steelers and defense are practically synonymous, and for a historic franchise who's prospered while putting a premium on that side of the ball, it comes as no surprise that they're focusing on honoring that heritage in their head coaching search.

Outside of Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase and San Francisco 49ers OC Klay Kubiak, Pittsburgh's only interview requests thus far have come with defensive coordinators. That list features Ejiro Evero of the Carolina Panthers, Jeff Hafley of the Green Bay Packers, Brian Flores of the Minnesota Vikings and the Miami Dolphins' Anthony Weaver as well as Jesse Minter and Chris Shula of the Los Angeles Chargers and Rams, respectively.

Shula (39) and Minter (42) being the youngest points to what the Steelers did the last time they hired a coach, hired someone still early in their coaching career. Tomlin was just 34 years old when Pittsburgh hired him.

Flores may have the upper hand because of history.

Flores spent the 2022 campaign as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the Steelers after Miami fired him as its head coach, so he may have an inside track for the job given his familiarity with the organization and impressive work in Minnesota over the past three seasons.

Shula is the son of former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Dave Shula and the grandson of Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, who went 17-0 with Miami in 1972. He could be the family's next head coach, and there's some thought that he's among the leaders in the clubhouse for Pittsburgh in the midst of his second season as the Rams' DC.

Minter is also an intriguing candidate, as he was Jim Harbaugh's DC during the University of Michigan's national title run in 2023 before following him to the Chargers in that same role ahead of the 2024 campaign. He's thrived in Los Angeles thus far, and it seems certain he'll fill a head coaching vacancy somewhere around the league this cycle, even if it's not in Pittsburgh.

There's plenty of time left in Pittsburgh's search, but for a team that's always been predicated on defense, it sure seems like its next head coach will have some expertise in that facet of the game at this juncture.