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.”

James Harrison

James Harrison, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ All-Pro linebacker, had just intercepted a Kurt Warner pass and rumbled 100 yards for a touchdown that was heart-stopping not just for a worldwide audience, but, it appeared for a few minutes, perhaps Harrison himself. Exhausted from the longest play in Super Bowl history, Harrison lay supine on the side of the end zone all but motionless, trying to catch his breath.

Steelers defenders turned into blockers while Arizona’s offensive players desperately ran after Harrison. This season’s Associated Press defensive player of the year after making 16 sacks and forcing seven fumbles, the 242-pound Harrison began looking less like a linebacker and more like Earl Campbell.

Running the length of the field at full speed himself, the 316-pound Cardinals tackle Mike Gandy tried to shoestring-tackle Harrison at the 10 but missed. Just before the goal line, Arizona’s Steve Breaston smacked into Harrison from behind while Larry Fitzgerald tried to wrestle him down, but Harrison’s momentum was too great. He slumped to the ground helmet-first just beyond the goal line.

Santonio Holmes

Santonio Holmes looked like a dancer in a ballet, a tightrope walker in a circus, a gymnast on a balance beam He was cornered. He caught a pass from Ben Roethlisberger on the back side of the end zone, with three Arizona Cardinals bearing down on him while he balanced on the tips of his toes.

Holmes was voted the game’s most valuable player. He caught nine passes for 131 yards. He had four catches for 73 yards on the winning drive, after the Cardinals had gone ahead with quarterback Kurt Warner and receiver Larry Fitzgerald leading the way. If Arizona had won, either could have won what Holmes did.

The Cardinals’ offense may have gotten hot late in the game, but many of the key plays Sunday night were made by the Steelers’ defense, as was the case in the 1970s, when the Steel Curtain began an era of titles. A defensive player, linebacker James Harrison, scored on a 100-yard interception runback at the end of the first half.