Bill Cowher led the Steelers to their first Super Bowl title in 26 years by capturing the team’s fifth Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Seattle Seahawks, 21-10, in Super Bowl XL.
The longest-tenured head coach in the NFL, Cowher is in his 15th season as coach of his hometown Steelers after being hired by the team on Jan. 21, 1992. His 15 seasons with the Steelers ranks ninth in NFL history for longest head-coaching service with one team.
Cowher has been consistently successful throughout his career, leading the Steelers to a league-leading .632 winning percentage in the regular season since 1992 and missing the playoffs just four times.
In the first 14 seasons under Cowher, the Steelers have earned 10 postseason berths, captured eight division titles, advanced to six AFC Championship games, made two Super Bowl appearances and won one Super Bowl title. He is one of only six coaches in NFL history to claim at least eight division titles.
Cowher, 49, has 26 years of NFL experience, including five as a player, seven as an assistant coach and 14 as a head coach. Cowher ascended the coaching ranks from a special teams coach to defensive coordinator to become one of the youngest head coaches in NFL history.
Cowher, joined the legendary Paul Brown as the only coach in NFL history to lead a team to six consecutive trips to the playoffs in his first six seasons. He became only the ninth NFL head coach to win 140 games with one team when the Steelers defeated the Cleveland Browns, 41-0, on Dec. 24, 2005. Cowher has compiled a 153-91-1 (.627) overall record, including 141-82-1 (.632) in the regular season. His .627 career winning percentage is the highest in Steelers history.
Cowher earned his 50th regular-season win Nov. 3, 1996, in his 73rd game to become the eighth-fastest coach in NFL history to reach that mark. He claimed his 100th regular-season coaching victory in a 16-13 overtime win versus Cleveland (Sept. 29, 2002). His 100th win overall – including postseason – came Dec. 21, 2001, vs. Minnesota.
Cowher has won 153 games as a head coach and ranks second in team victories behind Chuck Noll (209 wins) during his fifth season when he recorded his 52nd win. His 245 games coached as the Steelers head coach rank second in team history, trailing only Noll (366 games).
During Cowher’s tenure, the Steelers have featured a trademark running attack and a solid, aggressive defense. In 14 years, the team has averaged a league-leading 135 rushing yards a game and has rushed for more yards (30,311) than any team in the NFL during the period, the only club to rush for more than 30,000 yards. In that same period, the offense has churned out a league-high 96 100-yard rushing games—followed by Dallas’ 82.
Cowher has built a defense that mirrors his fiery attitude. In the 224 regular-season games since becoming head coach, the defense has allowed an average of 94.1 rushing yards a game and 193.3 yards passing.
In 2005, the Steelers posted an 11-5 regular-season record and earned a wild card berth in the AFC playoffs. Cowher then led the Steelers on an unprecedented postseason run in which they became the NFL’s first sixth-seeded team to win the Super Bowl.
With a 7-5 record after 12 games, Cowher led the Steelers on an eight-game winning streak that ended with a 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. In the process, the Steelers became the first team in NFL history to win nine road games in a single season, including the playoffs, and also became the first NFL team to win four games away from home in a single postseason.
The 2005 season was not without adversity, as starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger missed four games due to injury. In the postseason, they faced four of the NFL’s top six offenses and emerged victorious while holding each team to less than 20 points.
The 2004 season was also regarded as one of Cowher’s finest head-coaching performances as he was named The Sporting News’ Coach of the Year in a vote by the NFL Head Coaches. Despite numerous injuries—to many key positions such as quarterback, nose tackle and running back—the Steelers established a club-record 15-1 season, the most regular-season wins in NFL history for an AFC team. Additionally, Cowher captured his eighth divisional title in 13 years and advanced to the AFC Championship for the fifth time as the Steelers’ head coach, clinching home field advantage throughout the playoffs for the fourth time.