It’s been quite a long time since Mike Tomlin didn’t serve as the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach.
Tomlin stepped down on Tuesday, ending a 19-year tenure that included one Super Bowl victory and a 192-114 record. He ranks behind legendary head coach Chuck Noll in games coached (309) and wins (193) in franchise history, but holds the record for the best win percentage of a Steelers head coach (62.8).
Pittsburgh hired Tomlin in January 2007, making him the first Black head coach in the team’s history. He had spent the previous season as the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator. Since then, it’s been a mark of stability for the Steelers, who never recorded a losing season with Tomlin at the helm.
Here’s a look back at what the sports world looked like the last time Pittsburgh had a different head coach in a game — Dec. 31, 2006.
Steelers storm back for victory
Pittsburgh won in Bill Cowher’s final game as its head coach, but it didn’t come easy. The Cincinnati Bengals took a 17-14 lead with 2:47 remaining in the game and needed one stop for the win. The Steelers answered back with an eight-play, 66-yard drive to kick a field goal and send it to overtime.
The extra period came to an end after three plays as Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger found wide receiver Santonio Holmes for a 67-yard touchdown. Cowher resigned as Steelers head coach five days later, citing a desire to spend more time with his family.
Pittsburgh’s victory had major implications for Cincinnati. The loss ended the Bengals’ playoff hopes after they won the AFC North the previous season.
Florida on brink of first national title
The BCS National Championship Game became a standalone event in the 2006 season — and a dominant SEC side made the most of it. Florida downed Ohio State at the Tostitos Bowl to win the national title in January 2007.
They dominated the Buckeyes and Heisman-winning quarterback Troy Smith, 41-14. It marked the first of two championships for Florida in the 2000s and snapped Ohio State’s 19-game win streak.
The Gators were led by quarterback Chris Leak’s 213 passing yards and touchdown , while three players ran for a score — including future Heisman Award winner Tim Tebow. Smith had just 35 passing yards and one interception.
NBA stars in midst of dominant scoring run
The NBA remained busy on the final calendar day of 2006 with seven games across the association. Multiple future Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductees were in action, including Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Tracy McGrady, Pau Gasol, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker.
Nash, Bryant and McGrady each put up over 30 points, but it’s the latter two that were on particularly notable scoring runs.
Bryant followed up a 58-point outing on Dec. 29, 2006 with 35 on New Year’s Eve. McGrady had 38, the second of a six-game stretch where he scored at least 30 points. Bryant wound up leading the league in scoring with 31.6 points per game.
From the gridiron to the sidelines
Four current NFL coaches were making their mark on the field during the 2006 season: Mike Vrabel, Dan Campbell, DeMeco Ryans and Aaron Glenn. Remarkably, three of them played on the teams they’d later lead on the sidelines.
Vrabel was in his sixth season with the New England Patriots, starting all 16 games and recording 89 tackles, second-most on the team. Campbell began his first season as the Detroit Lions tight end, catching 21 passes for 308 yards and four touchdowns.
Ryans had a dominant rookie season on the Houston Texans, leading the league with 126 solo tackles. He ended up winning AP Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Glenn suited up in 16 games for the Dallas Cowboys and put up 22 tackles with one interception.
