Tomlin Has Nothing to Prove Now

September 12, 2007

Mike Tomlin understands his job. The owners at his favorite restaurants frequently remind him. So do the grocery store clerks, the airline representatives who put him on planes, the strangers he meets.

He isn’t just a football coach, he’s the coach of the Steelers. In Pittsburgh, where the fan base might be the most passionate and knowledgeable in the NFL, this isn’t a job comparable to that of mayor or county executive, it’s more visible. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Allegheny County chief executive Dan Onorato only wish they got the TV exposure Tomlin does.

Tomlin learned that the opening day of training camp when, disdaining the shorts and straw hat that predecessor Bill Cowher wore, he put on a long black-sleeved shirt and long black pants on an 80-degree plus day. Kept them on most of camp, too.

Within hours, many in Pittsburgh were talking about this new man in black, how he was showing his players that the temperature, humidity and steamy conditions didn’t bother him, so how could they possibly bother them? Right there, he won over many of these fans.

Full Story: Steelers’ Tomlin has nothing to prove now - [USA Today]