President Barack Obama is making history this month but there’s another significant African American story, too. Mike Tomlin, three seasons ago the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator, coached the Pittsburgh Steelers to an AFC championship win on Sunday and will lead his team against the Arizona Cardinals in next month’s Super Bowl. Tomlin is now the third African American head coach in three years to have his team in the Super Bowl and can become the second to win it.
Tomlin’s win on Sunday against Baltimore comes during a week that Obama is inaugurated as the nation’s first African American president and the country celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Tomlin will try to win a Super Bowl almost two years to the day that Lovie Smith of Chicago and Tony Dungy of Indianapolis made history. They were the first African American head coaches in the Super Bowl and Dungy was the first black coach to win it.
If Tomlin can win the Super Bowl he will do so on Sunday, February 1, becoming the second African American head coach to win pro football’s biggest prize and doing it during Black History Month. Smith and Dungy’s historic Super Bowl also came during February.
A football team’s performance, perhaps more than in any sport, is impacted by its coaching. The fact three of the last six teams to qualify for the Super Bowl have been led by African Americans will probably lessen remaining prejudices in the NFL and perhaps in college football, too, where head coaching opportunities have been far fewer.
Tomlin, 36, impressed observers here with his football knowledge and calm leadership style. His success in just two seasons in Pittsburgh, with a 22-10 regular season record and two AFC North titles, has come despite not having previous head coaching experience.
Tomlin deserves praise but so, too, do those who have helped him including the Pittsburgh organization and coaches like Dungy and the Vikings’ Brad Childress. The Steelers are part of the gold standard among NFL organizations. The Steelers make wise personnel decisions (see former No. 1 draft choice and franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger) and encourage stability within the organization, having hired just three head coaches since 1969.
Dungy, another former Vikings’ defensive coordinator, hired Tomlin for his staff when he was head coach at Tampa Bay. He saw a bright young assistant and let him coach the defensive backs. Dungy, also known for his steady approach and calm leadership, had once been the youngest assistant in the NFL at 25 coaching the Steelers’ defensive backs.
Dungy, who recently retired as Indianapolis coach, will make his home in Tampa, site of next month’s Super Bowl.