Mike Tomlin '95

Mike Tomlin '95 took over the reins of the Pittsburgh Steelers officially on Jan. 22, 2007. He became the 16th coach in the franchise's 74-year history, and will guide the team through its 75th anniversary.

"It is a great honor to be a part of one of the most storied franchises in all of professional sports," said Tomlin at the press conference. "We are coming to grips with what that means, but we are having fun.

"We intend to make no bold predictions about what we are going to do. What we are going to do is promise to have a first-class blue collar work ethic in how we approach our business."

Tomlin became one of the youngest head coaches in the league at 34, and made his move to the top of the coaching ranks after toiling as an NFL and college football assistant for the past few seasons. His experience shaping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' secondary into a championship group and recently turning the Minnesota Vikings defense around made him one of the hottest young coaching commodities in the NFL.

Tomlin entered his first season as the Vikings' defensive coordinator in 2006 after being a part of one of the top defenses in the league during the past five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their defensive backs coach. Tomlin's defensive backs earned numerous honors for their play during his coaching tenure. Perennial Pro Bowl cornerback Ronde Barber earned trips to Hawaii in 2001, '04 and '05, and safety John Lynch was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2001 and '02. During Tomlin's time in Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers' defense led the league twice in overall defense and was ranked in the top five in the NFL in total defense and in pass defense in four out of five seasons. In 2002, Tomlin's top-ranked secondary recorded four of Tampa Bay's five interceptions, returning two for touchdowns, in Super Bowl XXXVII as his unit helped lead the Buccaneers to its first world championship.

In 2005, Tampa Bay led the NFL in total defense, allowing 277.8 yards per game, and finished sixth in the NFL in passing defense at 183.1 yards per game. It marked the ninth consecutive season that the Buccaneers' defense (1997-2005) has ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in total defense, the longest current streak in the league. Tomlin helped guide Barber to his third career Pro Bowl selection as he set a Tampa Bay single-season record for most tackles by a cornerback with 120, breaking his mark of 111 in 2003 and 2004.

The Tampa Bay secondary lead the defense in 2004 to final rankings of fifth in total defense (284.5 yards per game) and first in pass defense (123.3 yards per game). Barber led the secondary again as he was named to his second career Pro Bowl, leading the defensive backs and ranking fourth on the team with 111 tackles. He also led the team in tackles for loss (nine) for the second straight season and ranked second on the team with 3 interceptions, third with 12 passes defensed, and sixth with 3.0 sacks.

Despite several starters missing time to injury in 2003, Tomlin's defensive backs formed one of the NFL's top secondary units as they helped the Buccaneer defense finish fifth in the league in total defense (279.1 yards per game) and third in passing defense (169.1 yards per game). Barber was once again Tomlin's top performer in the secondary as he started all 16 games for the 4th consecutive year and led the secondary and finished second on the team with a career-high 111 tackles.

In 2002, Tomlin guided one of the most productive defensive backfields in the NFL, culminating with its performance in Super Bowl XXXVII. The secondary recorded four of Rich Gannon's five interceptions, returning two for touchdowns to help Tampa Bay capture the franchise's first Super Bowl title.

The secondary led a defensive unit that ranked first in the NFL in pass defense in '02, allowing only 155.6 yards per game through the air. The defense led the NFL with 31 interceptions and also led the NFL by limiting opposing quarterbacks to a 48.4 rating and just 10 TD passes. Under Tomlin's tutelage, Lynch earned 1st-team All-Pro honors for the 4th consecutive season and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fifth time. Lynch recorded 3 interceptions and ranked third on the team with 96 tackles. Barber was named to the All-Pro second-team as he finished second in the secondary and 4th on the team with 95 tackles.

Tomlin joined the Tampa Bay staff and made an immediate impact in 2001 as he helped the Bucs' defense to a fifth-place ranking in the NFL in pass defense and second in the NFL with 28 interceptions. Under Tomlin's direction, Barber earned his first career trip to the Pro Bowl as he tied for the NFL lead with a career-high 10 interceptions. Lynch was selected to his fourth straight Pro Bowl after passing the 100-tackle mark for the sixth straight season.

Prior to joining Tampa Bay's staff, Tomlin served two seasons as the defensive backs coach at the University of Cincinnati (1999-00). He took over a secondary unit there that ranked 111th in the nation in pass defense in 1998 and helped them improve to 16th overall in his first season in '99. Under Tomlin's direction in 2000, the Bearcats ranked eighth in the nation in interceptions as well as 4th nationally in total turnovers. Prior to joining the Cincinnati staff, Tomlin had a short stint on the coaching staff at Tennessee-Martin and then spent two seasons at Arkansas State. He coached the wide receivers there in 1997 before switching to defensive backs in 1998. Tomlin spent the 1996 season as a graduate assistant at the University of Memphis, where he worked with the Tiger defensive backs and special teams units. He began his coaching career in 1995 as wide receiver coach at Virginia Military Institute.

Tomlin was a three-year starter at wide receiver at William and Mary (1990-94) and finished his career with 101 receptions for 2,046 yards and a school-record 20 touchdown catches. A first-team All-Yankee Conference selection in 1994, he established a school record with a 20.2 yards per catch average. Tomlin was a teammate of current Viking Pro Bowl safety Darren Sharper at William and Mary. -- Source: The Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, WMAA

A Rise Through Football Ranks

Year School/Franchise Position

1991-94 College of William and Mary Wide Receiver

1995 Virginia Military Institute Wide Receivers Coach

1996 University of Memphis Graduate Assistant

1997 Arkansas State University Wide Receivers Coach

1998 Arkansas State University Defensive Backs Coach

1999-2000 University of Cincinnatti Defensive Backs Coach

2001-2005 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Secondary Coach

2006 Minnesota Vikings Defensive Coordinator

2007-present Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach

Mike Tomlin '95 is the next head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers
A Star on the Rise: Mike Tomlin '95

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