I’m kind of bummed out today upon hearing the news that Bill Cowher has resigned as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. “Cahr” (as he is fondly called in “Pittsburghese”) has been their head coach since 1992, when he took over the reigns from Chuck Noll. He led them to the playoffs 10 times in his 15 years coaching, with 8 division titles, and finally that elusive 5th Super Bowl last season.
The Steelers had a tough season this year, finishing 8-8 only after rallying in the last half of the season with a 6-2 record. They’ll have mostly the same team next year, but now they’ll all be playing for a new head coach. I hope they can get either Ken Whisenhunt (their current Offensive Coordinator) or Russ Grimm (OL Coach/Asst. Head Coach) to fill the void. I’m not sure who else is “out there” that I’d want to replace Bill.
I can respect his decision to leave – that he wants to be with his family. On a much much smaller scale, I did the same thing last year when I quit praise band so that I could spend some more time with my family. Bill Cowher seems like a guy that has his priorities firmly in order. He’s the kind of coach that I’ll hate seeing on another team’s sideline sometime in the future, but I’m glad the Steelers had him when they did. I’m also very proud of how the Steelers organization is handling all this – that shows that they respect his decision as well. That’s why I continue to be a Steelers fan.
So, Bill, sit back, relax and enjoy your family during this time off. You’ve earned it!
