The Pittsburgh Steelers have been the model of stability in the Super Bowl era. When The “Chief” Art Rooney hired Chuck Noll in 1969, he was hopeful of turning the franchise into a winner, but he couldn’t have known just how successful Noll would be after four decades of failure by the franchise. The Steelers had occasionally been competitive during those years, but only had two playoff appearances to show for their efforts. Rooney was a loyal man and if he perceived you were someone who bled black and gold, no man in the history of organized sports was a better person to work for (except maybe his son Dan Rooney).
Noll was a Sid Gillman disciple who may have the most successful coaching tree of all-time. Gilman’s coaching tree spawned Don “Air” Coryell who branched out with John Madden, Tom Flores, Joe Gibbs, Jim Hanifan, and Dan Henning among many others. Another branch of the Gillman coaching tree was Al Davis who decided quickly that ownership was where he would make his mark. Bum Phillips was another branch on the tree, along with his son Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett. Of course arguably his most successful direct branch was the Steelers' Noll. In all Gillman’s coaching tree, they've produced 11 Super Bowl championships.
Bud Carson
(Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
Noll’s run began with the Steelers in 1969 and lasted until 1991. The incredible thing about Noll’s coaching tree is that it only spawned four direct branches. Despite all of his team success, the first assistant to branch out on his own was Bud Carson in 1989. Carson won three Super Bowls with Noll in the 1970’s dynasty and then left to coordinate for the Los Angeles Rams who arrived in Super Bowl XIV as the opponent to Noll’s Steelers. After several coordinating jobs in the 1980’s, Carson was given his shot as a head coach by the Cleveland Browns in 1989. He led the Browns to a 9-6-1 record and a Divisional round victory in 1989 over the Buffalo Bills, 34-30. Carson's Browns were the last AFC team to beat the Bills in the playoffs prior to their run of four consecutive AFC Championships. He then lost to the Browns archenemy Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game, 37-21. The next season he got off to a 2-7 start and was fired. He would never get another head coaching job.
Rod Rust
Photo via Patriots.com
The second and shortest Noll branch was Rod Rust. Rust was the defensive coordinator for the Steelers and Noll’s last playoff run in 1989. He helped the Steelers to make the playoffs and was part of Noll’s final playoff win. He moved on to the New England Patriots to take the head coaching position in 1990. After going 1-15, he was let go immediately and never was a head coach again.
Tony Dungy
Photo credit via Michael Conroy
The third branch on the Noll coaching tree is his strongest and most vibrant. Tony Dungy played for Noll and won a Super Bowl ring in Super Bowl XIII against the Dallas Cowboys. He was then Noll’s defensive coordinator for five seasons becoming the youngest coordinator at the time at just 28 years old. Dungy served as a coordinator for Marty Schottenheimer and Dennis Green as well before finally getting a chance in 1996 to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who had become the laughingstock of the NFL.
Dungy turned Tampa Bay around and spent six seasons with the team. He led them to a 54-42 record and four playoff appearances including a controversial loss in the 1999 NFC Championship Game when Tampa Bay held the "Greatest Show on Turf" St. Louis Rams to 11 points in an 11-6 loss. The once laughable Tampa Bay team was now a contender, but after two consecutive first round playoff losses, Dungy was fired and in a cruel twist of fate, Jon Gruden then led the 2002 squad to the Super Bowl Championship with Dungy’s team. Gruden’s Super Bowl victory earned him seven seasons in Tampa, but in the next six seasons, Gruden only made the playoffs twice and they lost in the first round both times.
Dungy was not out of work long as the Indianapolis Colts were looking for a replacement for Jim Mora who had worn thin with Peyton Manning and the Colts organization. Dungy took over the Colts in 2002 and was the perfect coach for the team. His calm demeanor really resonated with his team and the coach known for defense oversaw the Manning led offensive juggernaut for seven glorious seasons. The Colts never missed the playoffs under Dungy, and he went 85-27 with two Super Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl victory after the 2006 season against the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. Dungy’s subbranch on the Noll coaching tree has produced Lovie Smith, Rod Marinelli, Jim Caldwell, and a certain someone the Steelers know pretty well in Mike Tomlin.
John Fox
AP Photo/Gail Burton
The final branch on the Noll coaching tree belongs to John Fox. Fox was a defensive backfield coach for the Steelers for Noll’s final three seasons. In 2002, Fox was given the opportunity to coach the Carolina Panthers. He was very successful, in nine seasons with the Panthers. He led them to a 73-71 record and three playoff appearances including a Super Bowl appearance against the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVIII. They put up a great fight, Janet Jackson exposed herself and they lost to the Patriots 32-29 in a Super Bowl classic. He went 2-14 in 2010 in a rebuilding year and was terminated.
Fox wasn’t out of work long as the Broncos pounced on Fox to lead them. Fox went 46-18 for the Broncos and led them to the playoffs all four seasons he was their head coach. He was at the helm for one of the most painful playoff losses by the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Tim Tebow Miracle game. He coached them to Super Bowl XLVIII 10 years after he had coached the Panthers to the Super Bowl, and they were embarrassed by the Seahawks 34-14. After a first round exit the next year, Fox was fired despite going 12-4 as they lost to Manning’s old team, the Colts. Just like Dungy, despite his success with the team, Gary Kubiak replaced him and promptly won the Super Bowl the following season.
Fox did get one more opportunity with the Bears bringing him in for the 2015 season. Fox had confidence he could turn the Bears into a winner, but after three years and a 14-34 record, Fox was out of a job, probably for the last time. He did return to coaching and will be on the Colts' defensive staff for the upcoming season, but barring something unforeseen, it is unlikely he will get another head coaching opportunity. Mike McCoy is the direct branch off of his tree and spent four years as San Diego’s head coach before being fired.
The fact that Noll coached the Steelers for 23 seasons, 193 regular season wins, 16 playoff victories and four Super Bowl championships was a testament to the Rooney’s loyalty to a highly successful coach who established a winning culture. However, it begs the question, did Noll’s success coupled with the organization’s loyalty stunt the growth of his coaching tree? The Steelers are loyal and that is why a lot of us root for them. The loyalty of the organization is Steeler Nation’s greatest asset, but for assistant coaches and coordinators, it may be the biggest weakness.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Is the fact that our assistant coaches are not getting head coaching opportunities historically holding the team back? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
