EDITORIAL – Steelers snag Tomlin for head coach

Across Steeler Nation yesterday, fans exhaled a sigh of relief as the team named Bill… Across Steeler Nation yesterday, fans exhaled a sigh of relief as the team named Bill Cowher’s successor. Former Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin will take the reins of the Steelers next season as head coach, and we couldn’t be more excited for the future of the team.

The pool of finalists, including Tomlin, Steelers offensive line coordinator and assistant head coach Russ Grimm and Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, reflected a commitment to diversity. Considering that the Steelers’ chairman, Dan Rooney, is the head of the National Football League Committee on Workplace Diversity, it’s no surprise that this was the case.

Rooney was a primary supporter of the Rooney Rule, which mandates that teams with head coaching vacancies interview at least one minority for the position, according to the Tribune-Review. Since the rule was enacted in 2002, the number of minority head coaches in the NFL has risen from two in 2002 to seven going into this past season. The Steelers, along with other teams with vacancies, were presented with a list of approximately 10 qualified minority candidates for their head coaching vacancy.

While the Rooney Rule isn’t mandating that minorities fill vacancies, it’s getting many qualified people in the door who might otherwise be overlooked for a big name. Once these guys get in the door, it’s up to them to get the job, and in many cases, they succeed. Just look at the upcoming Super Bowl. It’s not only the first time in history that two black head coaches are facing off in the climactic game, but it’s also the first time that a black head coach has ever made it to the Super Bowl.

Is the Rooney Rule completely effective in giving all worthy candidates a chance? No. Not all teams are as proactive about opening up to a diverse applicant pool. But in the last five years, there has been a noticeable increase in minority head coaches and assistant coaches, so the Rooney Rule is slowly working to make the NFL more representative of the diversity within teams.

“The one thing that has changed over the years is the number of quality minority candidates that are in the pool to be considered has grown,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said, according to the Tribune-Review. “From that standpoint, I think that’s a positive and not difficult to find people who are coordinators and have the kind of experience that you want in [head coaching] positions.”

We’re glad to see that the Steelers’ chairman is practicing what he’s preaching, and we’re excited to see what some young blood can do for the Steelers in the upcoming seasons – Tomlin, like Cowher, is taking over as head coach at 34 and we’re pretty happy with Cowher’s tenure.

Best of luck to Tomlin and welcome to Steeler Nation.