Bill Cowher Steps Down

Originally Posted by Steelers.com

Cowher felt the time was right to step down
Friday, January 5, 2007

Cowher Press Release



By Teresa Varley

Steelers.com



It was just 11 months ago that Bill Cowher fulfilled a career goal when he stood on a podium at Ford Field and raised the Lombardi Trophy above his head, with his wife, Kaye, at his side. On Friday at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex, Cowher again was joined by Kaye, and in a way it was to announce the realization of another goal.



With a replica of the Lombardi Trophy sitting on the podium as a parting gift from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cowher announced that he was resigning as their coach to spend time with his family.



"I just think there comes a time in your life, I am healthy, I am happy, I have been fortunate, you have to prioritize things and right now I think they have made a lot of sacrifices for me and for me to sit back and to be able to be there for them while they are where they are in their life, it is a pretty small one for them," said Cowher. "I am looking forward to it, I really am. It is the right time."



Cowher spent 15 seasons coaching the Steelers, and he was the 15th coach in the franchise's history following Chuck Noll, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. Noll won four Super Bowls in a six-season span of his 23-season tenure; Cowher added the fifth championship in his 14th season.



"I certainly have enjoyed working with him and we have had a lot of success," said team president Art Rooney, II. "It has been a great ride. I also want to say thanks to Bill and Kaye for having their family be part of ours."



"Fifteen years has really been good," said Dan Rooney. "I don't know if you remember this, but when we had a press conference to announce that Bill was going to be the coach, they were talking about Coach Noll being here for 20 years or so, and I said he was going to be here for 13 years. So he beat me by two."



Cowher said that the major reason for his decision was to be able to spend more time with his family, to be able to watch his two older daughters, Meagan and Lauren, play basketball at Princeton, and his youngest daughter, Lindsay, play for her high school team in North Carolina.



But even though the time was right for Cowher to step away in many ways, he also admitted there will be things about it that he'll miss.



"(I'll miss) the city, the organization, the players," said Cowher. "I love the game. I will be a great fan of the game. I love to compete on Sundays, love the challenges that come with putting a football team together and getting guys to buy into unselfishness. That is not always easy to do. I think while you miss that, I have a great appreciation for that. I don't think that I am going to miss it as much as some people think I am going to. I will watch it, I am big fan now. At the same time, I am a fan with my family."



He has become known for his fire on the sidelines, for his emotional approach to the game, for not being afraid to get in the face of a player when needed. And in it's own way, this decision was an emotional one for him.



"I am an emotional guy," said Cowher. "I am never going to lose that. I get mad when I lose an 18-hole match or if I lose to Kevin (Colbert in racquetball), which is like once a year. It bothers me. I have a passion for life and sometimes in life you have to prioritize and re-prioritize. I have been very blessed and fortunate. This wasn't just done by me. It was done by hard work by a lot of people, players, organizations, staff, the support of my wife and the kids. They have given me the balance."



When Cowher was named to be the man to follow Noll on Jan. 21, 1992, he was replacing a living legend who had taken a franchise that had won nothing in 40 years and transformed it into an NFL powerhouse that became the first in history to win four Super Bowl titles. It wasn't easy for him to step into those shoes, so he didn't even try. Instead, he took his own approach.



"You don't even try to compare yourself to a man like Chuck Noll, and I didn't come close to doing the things that he did," said Cowher. "No one will. He was one of a kind. You can't even put yourself in that shadow.



"It's important when you step into that chair you have to do it your way. You have to be yourself. There's no blueprint to being a head coach. There's no manual that says, 'Problem three, player comes in, he's unselfish, doesn't like his contract, here's what to do.' You have to be yourself. Every situation is different. Players are very perceptive. Coaches are very perceptive. As long as you're true to your heart and try to do things the right way, respect the game, respect the fact that not everybody is like you, there will be tough times but in the long run you'll have a chance to be successful."



Doing it his way is something he talked about starting with that first press conference when he was introduced to Pittsburgh. Thinking back to that time, though, Cowher laughed about the way he has changed over the years.



"I thought I was a little arrogant in that first press conference to be honest with you," he said. "I told Kaye that last night. I said, 'Who does this guy think he is?' I've learned a lot and grown a lot as a person, as a father and as a coach. The one thing I will say is that you never stop growing. Don't ever take yourself too seriously and just respect the game. The humility starts at the top of this organization and it's made me a better person because of it. I came here 15 years ago and as I leave here today, I leave here a better person. For that I have a lot of gratitude."



And he leaves with a lot of great memories. There are the players he has coached during those 15 years, his assistants coaches, and there are the many wins that will always remain special. Super Bowl XL will always be his finest achievement here, but the Steelers' 13 home playoff games during his tenure – eight of them victories – also is something on his resume that makes him proud.


"I don't think anyone had more home playoff games in the 15 years that I've been here," said Cowher. "I probably remember the home playoff games because of what it does for the city. We've had some disappointments and I feel bad about that. We've had some home disappointments, the AFC Championship Games, when you get so close. I can honestly say that was the fuel that brought me back and made me appreciate things. What that does to the city and how proud people had to be when they saw the support, the passion, and you go around the country and see it in every city you go into.



"Pittsburgh is a special place and people are very proud to be from here. When you have a chance to have a playoff game and bring the nation into your city, I think that's special."