Steelers Name Mike Tomlin Head CoachSurprise No More: Tomlin Knows Winning Immediately With Steelers a Must
Mike Tomlin talks to the media at the Steelers headquarters in Pittsburgh, Monday, Jan. 22, 2007. Tomlin, the defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings, was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers and will be the first black head coach in the team's 74-year history. (AP Photo/Andrew Rush)

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By ALAN ROBINSON AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH Jan 23, 2007 (AP)— When the Pittsburgh Steelers began identifying possible successors to former coach Bill Cowher, Mike Tomlin's name wasn't high on the list.

"He probably was a long shot," team president Art Rooney II said.

Tomlin wasn't very old 34, the same age as some of their players. He had been the Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator for only one season, so he didn't have a track record of assembling good units year after year.

Once it came time for interviews, though, all that didn't matter. According to Rooney, "We knew we had somebody special."

Now, Tomlin is only the third Steelers head coach in 38 years a successor to one Super Bowl-winning coach, Cowher, who followed another in Chuck Noll. Tomlin will be reminded of that each day as he walks by the five Super Bowl trophies that are displayed at the team's practice complex.