Mike Tomlin

Mike Tomlin’s age is a far bigger story than his race In coaching years, Pittsburgh’s boss is a baby, just 36, the youngest man to lead a team to America’s most prestigious sporting event Doogie Tomlin is a coaching wunderkind Tomlin rewarded the Rooneys with consistent effort and maturity.

We all have reason to be proud. America created opportunity for all of its citizens, and Tomlin was wise enough to go pursue it. He ditched the idea of going to law school, chased his dream of being a football coach and rose to the top of his profession the same way Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher did before him. Noll and Cowher were in their mid 30s when they were tabbed to pilot the Steelers. It took them more than two years to qualify for the NFL’s showcase.

“I feel extremely blessed,” Tomlin said Friday when questioned about his age. “I haven’t spent a bunch of time dwelling on that, truth be known. Those things are nice things to talk about, but I imagine that won’t be a topic of discussion for long. Maybe next year at this time, there will be guys like Josh McDaniels or Raheem Morris standing up here, and you won’t be talking about me. That’s football.”