Things you might not have known about Bill Cowher:
• He will turn 50 years old on May 8.
• His middle name is Laird.
• He holds a bachelor of science degree in education.
• He was the Eagles special teams MVP in 1983.
• He is under an exclusive autograph contract with the Mounted Memories company of Florida.
Cowher through the years
Here's a look at some of the key dates of Bill Cowher's tenure as Steelers coach:
- Jan. 21, 1992 -- Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Bill Cowher, 34, is introduced as the Steelers' coach. Cowher, a Crafton native, replaces Chuck Noll, who retired after winning four Super Bowls in his 23 seasons. Steelers president Dan Rooney says of Cowher, "He has a chance to be a great coach."
- Sept. 6, 1992 -- The Steelers fake a punt while trailing, 14-0, and rally to defeat the Oilers, 29-24, in Cowher's first game as coach.
- Jan. 9, 1993 -- The Steelers lose their playoff opener, 24-3, to the Buffalo Bills at Three Rivers Stadium. Cowher is named NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press after leading the Steelers to an 11-5 regular-season record and their first AFC Central Division championship in eight seasons. In the process, Cowher became the 12th coach in NFL history to win 11 games in his first season.
- Jan. 8, 1994 -- The Steelers lose their playoff opener, 27-24 in overtime, at Kansas City. After falling to 9-7 in his second season, Cowher fires special teams coach John Guy, defensive line coach Steve Furness and wide receivers coach Bob Harrison.
- Jan. 15, 1995 -- The Steelers win their first NFL rushing title since 1976 on the way to a 12-4 regular season, and Cowher wins his first playoff game, 29-9, over Cleveland at Three Rivers Stadium. The run ends when the Steelers lose the AFC Championship Game at home, 17-13, to San Diego, blowing a 13-3 second-half lead.
- Jan. 28, 1996 -- The Steelers lead the AFC in scoring with 407 points and set a record for fewest rushing yards allowed per game during their 11-5 season. They beat the Colts in the AFC Championship Game but lose Super Bowl XXX to the Dallas Cowboys, 27-17. Cowher, at 38, becomes the youngest head coach to lead his team to a Super Bowl by rallying the Steelers following a 3-4 start and capturing the team's first AFC Championship since 1979.
- Jan. 5, 1997 -- The Steelers lose at New England, 28-3, after beating Indianapolis at home in their playoff opener. Director of Football Operations Tom Donahoe says the Steelers were "flat." Cower fumes at the suggestion and responds, "I have a hard time using the word 'flat.' I don't like that word." It is the beginning of a rift in the relationship between Cowher and Donahoe that will never be repaired.
- Jan. 11, 1998 -- The Steelers lose to the Broncos, 24-21, falling to 1-2 in AFC Championshp games at home. Cowher joins the legendary Paul Brown as the only two head coaches in NFL history to lead their teams into the postseason in each of their first six seasons.
- Dec. 28, 1998 -- The Steelers lose in Jacksonville, 21-3, falling to 7-9 overall and finishing out of the playoffs and with a losing record for the first time in Cowher's tenure.
- Jan. 2, 2000 -- The Streelers lose seven of their last eight games, including the season finale at Tennessee, 36-27, and wind up at 6-10, the first time a Cowher team registers a double-digit total in losses. The rift with Donahoe, which has degenerated into a feud, boils over in the estimation of Rooney.
- Jan. 14, 2000 -- The Steelers accept Donahoe's resignation after declining to accept Cowher's. The two had stopped speaking, and Rooney concluded that one of them had to go. Cowher winning the power struggle with Donahoe cements the coach as the most powerful man in the organization not named Rooney.
- Dec. 24, 2000 -- The Steelers win at San Diego, 34-21, and finish at 9-7 but miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season
- Jan 27, 2002 -- The Steelers lose another AFC Championship Game at home, this time to New England, 24-17. The loss mars a 13-3 regular season and drops the Steelers to 1-3 as favorites with a Super Bowl berth on the line at home.
- Dec. 28, 2003 -- The Steelers lose in Baltimore, 13-10, finishing at 6-10 again.
- Sept. 19, 2004 -- The Steelers lose in Baltimore, 30-13, and lose quarterback Tommy Maddox to an elbow injury, which forces them to start rookie Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers' No. 1 pick opens his career with a record-setting 13-game winning streak -- the longest regular-season run for a QB in NFL history -- and the Steleers reach another AFC Championship Game, only to lose to the Patriots again, 41-27.
- Dec. 4, 2005 -- The Steelers lose to the Bengals, 38-31, at Heinz Field, falling to 7-5 and placing themselves in jeopardy of not making the playoffs.
- Feb. 5, 2006 -- The Steelers beat the Seahawks, 21-10, in Super Bowl XL, allowing Cowher to accomplish his career-long goal of being able to hand the Vince Lombardi trophy to Rooney. The Steelers win eight straight games on their way to the title and become the first sixth seed to win a Super Bowl. they also become the first time in NFL history to win nine road games in a season (playoffs included) and the first to win four games away from home in a postseason.
- March 1, 2006 -- A day after the Raleigh News & Observer reports that Bill and Kaye Cowher have purchased a $2.5 million home in Raleigh, N.C., Kaye is asked if Bill is preparing to retire this offseason. "No," she replies. Kaye adds that the couple's youngest daughter, Lindsay, a freshman at Fox Chapel High School, is scheduled to visit Cary Academy, a private school near Raleigh, over the next two days.
- July 18, 2006 -- Rooney acknowledges that he doesn't know how long Cowher intends to continue coaching, and that negotiations for a contract extension have dragged on past the point at which they're traditionally been completed whenever Cowher has had two years remaining on a deal. "That's one thing we have to look at, and he does, too, just what is the best thing," Rooney says. "I just don't think he knows right now."
- July 29, 2006 -- The Steelers open training camp at St. Vincent College and Cowher refuses to address his status, or how having his wife Kaye and daughter Lindsay living in North Carolina might affect him this season. "Let me just say this: I just don't think it's really pertinent about my personal life," Cowher says. "I think the fact of the matter is, I'm up here, I'm coaching. For me to sit here and talk about my personal life, I think, would be inappropriate, I really do."
- Aug. 15, 2006 -- The Steelers announce that negotiations have broken off with Cowher on a contract extension. Cowher had brushed the subject aside the day before, saying "I don't like talking about the contract because we're in camp. I love coaching football. I love coaching here, and I'm going to leave it at that."
- Dec. 31, 2006 --The Steelers conclude the regular season in Cincinnati and miss the playoffs for the fifth time in Cowher's 15 seasons.
