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Bill Cowher
William Laird Cowher (/ˈkaʊ.ər/; born May 8, 1957) is an American former professional football linebacker and coach who served as the head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He began his coaching career as an assistant under Marty Schottenheimer for the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs, serving as the latter's defensive coordinator from 1989 to 1991. In 1992, Cowher was named head coach of the Steelers, a position he held until his retirement following the 2006 season. After retiring, he joined The NFL Today as a studio analyst.
Under Cowher, Pittsburgh won eight division titles, two AFC Championship Games, and Super Bowl XL. Cowher's Super Bowl victory marked the first championship title for the franchise in over two decades and the first not to be won by Chuck Noll, his predecessor. The Steelers appeared in the postseason 10 times with Cowher, including six consecutive appearances from his 1992 hiring to 1997, which made him the second NFL head coach to reach the playoffs during each of his first six seasons after Paul Brown. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
Cowher was born and raised in Crafton, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. Growing up, he lived only about 15 miles (24 km) from Three Rivers Stadium. He is the son of the late Laird and Dorothy Cowher. His father attended Duquesne University in Pittsburgh's Bluff neighborhood where he was briefly a classmate with eventual Steelers owner Dan Rooney. He has two brothers; Dale and Doug. The Cowher family resided on Hawthorne Avenue, in Crafton, while Cowher was growing up.
While attending Carlynton High School, Cowher excelled in football, basketball, and track. He was named "Most Athletic" and was a captain of the Cougars football team, both his senior year. Despite his efforts on the field, Cowher was not offered many scholarships as a football player due to being deemed "undersized" for the linebacker position.
When Cowher graduated in 1975, he committed to North Carolina State University, one of few schools that offered him a scholarship. During his time at NC State, he was a three-year starting linebacker for the Wolfpack. He currently owns the school record for most tackles in a single season with 195. During his senior season, he was voted to be a team captain and was named the team's Most Valuable Player (MVP). Cowher graduated from NC State in 1979, receiving a bachelor's degree in education while he was also preparing for the 1979 NFL Draft.
Cowher's college performance was motivated by making games “personal”. He would often re-read his rejection letters from schools he would play against with NC State. His strategy of playing angry and internalizing personal connections against his opponents would later influence his aggressive coaching style. Cowher once compared himself to Freddy Krueger stating he wanted to be his opponents “worst nightmare”.
Cowher went undrafted in the 1979 NFL draft.
He began his NFL career as a linebacker with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1979, but signed with the Cleveland Browns the following year. Cowher played three seasons from 1980 to 1982 in Cleveland, making him a member of the Kardiac Kids, before being traded back to the Eagles, where he played two more years from 1983 to 1984. His tenure in Philadelphia included tackling a young Jeff Fisher (who later became the head coach of the Tennessee Titans and St. Louis Rams) when playing against the Chicago Bears, causing Fisher to break his leg. The two would later be rival head coaches and friends in the AFC Central division, and Fisher has credited his injury at the hands of Cowher with having the unintended consequence of propelling him into coaching.
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Bill Cowher
William Laird Cowher (/ˈkaʊ.ər/; born May 8, 1957) is an American former professional football linebacker and coach who served as the head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He began his coaching career as an assistant under Marty Schottenheimer for the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs, serving as the latter's defensive coordinator from 1989 to 1991. In 1992, Cowher was named head coach of the Steelers, a position he held until his retirement following the 2006 season. After retiring, he joined The NFL Today as a studio analyst.
Under Cowher, Pittsburgh won eight division titles, two AFC Championship Games, and Super Bowl XL. Cowher's Super Bowl victory marked the first championship title for the franchise in over two decades and the first not to be won by Chuck Noll, his predecessor. The Steelers appeared in the postseason 10 times with Cowher, including six consecutive appearances from his 1992 hiring to 1997, which made him the second NFL head coach to reach the playoffs during each of his first six seasons after Paul Brown. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
Cowher was born and raised in Crafton, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. Growing up, he lived only about 15 miles (24 km) from Three Rivers Stadium. He is the son of the late Laird and Dorothy Cowher. His father attended Duquesne University in Pittsburgh's Bluff neighborhood where he was briefly a classmate with eventual Steelers owner Dan Rooney. He has two brothers; Dale and Doug. The Cowher family resided on Hawthorne Avenue, in Crafton, while Cowher was growing up.
While attending Carlynton High School, Cowher excelled in football, basketball, and track. He was named "Most Athletic" and was a captain of the Cougars football team, both his senior year. Despite his efforts on the field, Cowher was not offered many scholarships as a football player due to being deemed "undersized" for the linebacker position.
When Cowher graduated in 1975, he committed to North Carolina State University, one of few schools that offered him a scholarship. During his time at NC State, he was a three-year starting linebacker for the Wolfpack. He currently owns the school record for most tackles in a single season with 195. During his senior season, he was voted to be a team captain and was named the team's Most Valuable Player (MVP). Cowher graduated from NC State in 1979, receiving a bachelor's degree in education while he was also preparing for the 1979 NFL Draft.
Cowher's college performance was motivated by making games “personal”. He would often re-read his rejection letters from schools he would play against with NC State. His strategy of playing angry and internalizing personal connections against his opponents would later influence his aggressive coaching style. Cowher once compared himself to Freddy Krueger stating he wanted to be his opponents “worst nightmare”.
Cowher went undrafted in the 1979 NFL draft.
He began his NFL career as a linebacker with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1979, but signed with the Cleveland Browns the following year. Cowher played three seasons from 1980 to 1982 in Cleveland, making him a member of the Kardiac Kids, before being traded back to the Eagles, where he played two more years from 1983 to 1984. His tenure in Philadelphia included tackling a young Jeff Fisher (who later became the head coach of the Tennessee Titans and St. Louis Rams) when playing against the Chicago Bears, causing Fisher to break his leg. The two would later be rival head coaches and friends in the AFC Central division, and Fisher has credited his injury at the hands of Cowher with having the unintended consequence of propelling him into coaching.