Many believe the Steelers won’t fire Mike Tomlin because they don’t fire coaches. This habit has transformed into mythology in recent days.
Some insisted the Steelers had never fired a head coach. On Saturday, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter made this claim: “The organization hasn’t fired a head coach since 1941“.
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Here are the facts. The Steelers went through nine coaching changes after 1941 and before the hiring of Chuck Noll in 1968. Several of those coaches were actually fired.
Bill Austin, who preceded Noll, was fired after the 1968 season.
Mike Nixon, who preceded Austin, was fired after the 1965 season.
Walt Kiesling, the man who said “no thanks” to local product John Unitas, was fired after the 1956 season.
John Michelosen, who held this position for four years, was fired after the 1951 season.
Jim Leonard, who coached the team in 1945, publicly resigned before he could be fired.
That’s four layoffs and one “you can’t fire me, I’ll quit” from 1945 to 1968.
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Then there’s Noll, who “retired” at the age of 59 after 23 years with the team. It’s unclear what would have happened if he had insisted on remaining a 24th year, but it was clearly getting closer to an unintended end for Noll in Pittsburgh.
Before Noll, the Steelers’ revolving door spun as quickly as everyone else’s. They have enjoyed incredible stability for 56 years. But let’s not make this into something that isn’t the case, as some sort of proof positive that owner Art Rooney II will never fire a coach.
Before Noll, the Steelers fired numerous coaches. And if Rooney resists what he sees as a necessary change for both the team and coach Mike Tomlin so the Steelers don’t lose their “never fire coaches” vibe, it would make the organization just as dysfunctional as teams that seemingly fire their coaches every two years.
