Steelers coach Mike Tomlin passed Tony Dungy to become the all-time winningest Black coach in NFL history Sunday, this after beating the Ravens 28-24 in Baltimore.
Tomlin, 48, has coached Pittsburgh since 2007. He is 140-71-1, has won six AFC North titles, reached two Super Bowls, won one, and in 2008 was Coach of the Year.
Does Tomlin get the respect he deserves for how consistently great he has been for more than a decade?
“No, he doesn’t,” former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch told JR SportBrief. “He’s never had a losing season. That right there should earn respect, but unfortunately people don’t do that. So when you mention Tony Dungy, remember he was the barometer for all coaches at some point – regardless of color – because of the respect that Tony Dungy has accumulated over the years. Then when you look at his coaching tree and all of these coaches that are now in the National Football League – whether they’re coordinators or head coaches – they have come off of that Tony Dungy tree. So I know that Mike Tomlin wears that with a badge of honor.”
Tomlin, who coached under Dungy in Tampa Bay in 2001, ranks 22nd all-time in career wins. He trails Bill Cowher (149), who ranks 20th, by nine wins, and Chuck Noll (193), who ranks ninth, by 53. Tomlin is also more than halfway to Bill Belichick (275), who ranks third.
“It’s a special moment,” Batch said of Tomlin passing Dungy. “I’m just proud [to] not only [have been] able to play for Mike Tomlin, but also now to cover him [as a member of the media].”