The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing to take the field under a new commander next season after 15-year head coach Bill Cowher resigned at the end of the season. After grueling interviews and rumors that flowed like the Mississippi, the Rooney family hired former Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin to lead the team.

Earlier this month Steeler Nation members around the world learned of Bill Cowher’s procrastinated decision to retire as head coach. His decision came after a 9-7 season where his team missed the playoffs for only the fifth time in his 15-year tenure.

Many of the Steeler faithful were apprehensive about Cowher’s situation after he bought a $2.5 million house in North Carolina where his family now resides. His three daughters, all successful basketball players, were also on the former coach’s mind. Two of his daughters play at Princeton University, and the other is currently enrolled in a North Carolina high school. Two months prior to his retirement Cowher said “I bought a house that is completely irrelevant to my retirement.”

After the retirement announcement, the Rooney family started searching for a replacement for the successful coach. Ken Whisenhunt was thought to be the Steelers’ prime choice, but Whisenhunt had other plans and was hired by the Arizona Cardinals as their head coach. Others under consideration included Ron Rivera, defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears; former assistant coach/offensive line coach Russ Grimm and Mike Tomlin. Both Grimm and Tomlin interviewed with the team twice; Rivera interviewed once. This was not because the Steelers were not interested in the D-Coordinator. NFL restrictions limited the Steeler organization to one interview because the Bears were still in the Lombardi hunt during the interviews. Public opinion was that the Steelers were leaning towards Grimm because of his experience with the team and his knowledge of the system. Others thought they were looking at the 34-year old Tomlin, a young family man with less experience but the mindset that has been instilled in Pittsburgh Steeler football.

SportsCenter quoted unknown sources saying the Steelers had chosen Tomlin as head coach. However, the Tribune-Review ran a story on the front page citing sources saying that they chose Russ Grimm as the head coach.

Mike Tomlin was introduced as the Steelers new head coach on Jan. 22. He was honored on the South Side at the UPMC Sports Complex by the Rooney family and members of the organization.

“I’m going to try my best to provide a shoulder for those who come after me to stand on,” Tomlin said.

Steeler fans are now hoping Tomlin has what it takes to get the Steelers back to the Super Bowl. Many take comfort in the fact that Tomlin is 34 years old, the same age as Bill Cowher when he took over in 1992.

With new faces comes a new period and we are about to begin a new era of Steeler football. The era of Bill Cowher is over; the era of Mike Tomlin is about to begin.