Pittsburgh Steelers former Head Coach, Bill Cowher is known for his fiery personality and his chin thrust. He also knows that while it is important to be right, it is also more important to be respectful. He learned that lesson on a Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh in 1995.
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Former Steelers Head Coach, Bill Cowher is as well known for his chin as he is for his great coaching.
The story of Cowher stuffing a Polaroid photo in the pocket of a ref during a game has become the stuff of tall tales. Now the legendary coach sits down with his future Hall of Fame quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, to talk about that game.
Steelers' Bill Cowher Said He Learned A Valuable Lesson That Night
Roethlisberger hosts a podcast called Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger along with his co-host Spencer Te'o. They had Cowher as a recent guest and they asked him about this controversial story.
Let's help Cowher set the scene a bit for those who might not remember exactly what happened. It was early in the 1995 season and the Steelers were playing the Minnesota Vikings in Pittsburgh at Three Rivers Stadium. The Vikings were up 10-6 nearing the half. The Steelers were hoping to get the ball back with enough time to shift the momentum heading into the locker rooms.
The Vikings had stalled and were settling for a field goal. Their kicker at the time, Fuad Reveiz, missed the kick, Pittsburgh was about to take over when a whistle blows. The call is 12 men on the field.
"God Bless Gordon McCarter, the official, he's no longer with us. It was really sad because when Gordon McCarter passed away, I feel like the first thing they said was, 'Who's Gordon McCarter?' 'Oh, he's the guy that Coach Cowher stuffed the thing into his pocket.' So they missed a field goal, the Minnesota Vikings, and a flag comes out on the field saying we've got 12 guys on the field."
Gene Puskar, AP
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Bill Cowher
Cowher said he felt confident they did not have 12 men on the field and tried to freeze all the players in place so he could make his case.
"12 guys on the field? Everyone's still there. Guys start walking over and I go wait, just stop. I just want to make sure, no one comes off, nobody goes on, and I [mimics counting people], it's only 11 guys. So I called time out. I said 'We don't, it's 11,' I said. 'We can't review this?' And he said, 'No it's not reviewable.'"
That's when he said he felt someone press a photograph into his hand. It was a picture of the field prior to the play - it clearly showed that Pittsburgh only had 11 men on the field. At that time photographic evidence, regardless of the source, wasn't used to overturn bad calls.
"All of a sudden, the guy hands me the Polaroid. I'm looking at the Polaroid and to the players I said, 'Who went out there?' To Kevin Geene I said, 'You go out there?' No. 'Somebody's telling me, tell me the truth. I'm not going to go on about it, but tell me the truth. If somebody was out there, that's ok. If there were 12 guys, let me know now, tell me now. I don't want to look like a fool.'"
Cowher knows that McCarter can't look at the photo or take the photo, but he hopes the ref will make the correct call based on his pleading, but McCarter doesn't budge.
"I looked at the Polaroid and I got really mad. I said, 'Gordon, come here. I know you can't look down, but do the right thing.' I said, 'It was not a penalty.' He goes, 'Well he heard it from the other side.' He's on the side of the Minnesota Vikings, what do you think they're going to say? They are not going to correct you. So then they kicked the field goal the second time and they made it. As we run off I said, 'Here, here [mimics sticking something in a pocket] take this, you can check it and you can check the video at halftime when you're in the locker room' and I ran back."
Cowher said that there was a bigger lesson in that story than just being "right" about the penalty. While that incorrect call cost the Steelers three points and helped secure a Vikings victory, some things are just more important. Cowher was able to use that story to help teach his daughters about integrity.
"After the game, my daughter came up and said, 'Daddy, I am so glad you did that to that official.' I said, 'What your dad did was wrong.' 'But he was wrong too,' she said. And I said, 'No Lauren, your dad was wrong. You don't show people up like that, two wrongs don't make a right.' So it was a great teaching moment for me with them."
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Legendary Steelers Head Coach Bill Cowher joined the Footbahlin podcast to discuss everything in his football journey from playing to coaching.
Roethlisberger asked if Cowher ever got a letter from the league stating that the call made was incorrect. Cowher laughed and said he got a different kind of letter.
"I got a letter all right, it said you're fined $12,000 for touching an official."
After it was all said and done, Cowher was fined for touching an official and McCarter was fined a game's pay for making the incorrect call.
Do you remember this? What did you think at the time? Did you think Cowher was right or wrong to chase him down? Click to comment below.
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