Bill Cowher's legacy built by playoff moments with Steelers

Before he brought the elusive “One for the Thumb” Super Bowl ring to the Pittsburgh Steelers after a 25-year drought, coach Bill Cowher thought his legacy might be defined by two plays near the end of AFC championship games.

In January 1995, linebacker Dennis Gibson’s breakup in the end zone with a minute left on Neil O’Donnell’s pass to Barry Foster denied Cowher a chance to coach in his first Super Bowl.

A year later, Jim Harbaugh’s last-second heave into the end zone also was batted down, this incompletion clinching that Super Bowl appearance for Cowher and the Steelers.

Cowher discussed that sequence of events recently as he prepared for his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next weekend.

In that stunning 17-13 loss to the heavy underdog San Diego Chargers, O’Donnell attempted to hit Foster, a rugged running back not known for his pass-catching abilities, for the go-ahead score from 3 yards away.

“I’d like to call another play,” Cowher said earlier this month. “That one didn’t work. Wish I had a reboot on that one.”

The next year, Cowher had to sweat out Harbaugh’s 29-yard toss into the same end zone on the final play of game. Defensive back Randy Fuller knocked the ball away from Colts receiver Aaron Bailey. The 20-16 victory advanced the Steelers to Super Bowl XXX where they were defeated by the Dallas Cowboys.

“Two plays ironically that were in the same end zone,” Cowher said. “Both were incomplete. One was good because we were on defense, and one was bad because we were on offense.”

Cowher didn’t get the Steelers back to the Super Bowl again until after the 2005 season. Again, he faced a few close calls in the playoffs. There was Jerome Bettis’ fumble at the goal line, Ben Roethlisberger’s midfield tackle, and Mike Vanderjagt’s missed field goal that Cowher had to endure in a 21-18 divisional playoff win over the Colts.

The Steelers won a third playoff game on the road in Denver, then became the first No. 6 seed to win the Super Bowl by beating Seattle, 21-10, to give the Rooney family an elusive fifth Lombardi Trophy. A year later, Cowher retired following his 15th season.

“When I left there I was a better coach than when I got there,” Cowher said. “I was a better father and better husband because of the Rooney family and the culture that they created.”

The youngest NFL coach at 34 when he joined the Steelers, Cowher exited at 49 and has never returned to the sideline.

“To me, it was just putting a product out each and every year that was consistent and reflected the city of Pittsburgh,” Cowher said. “We wanted to be tough. We weren’t going to beat ourselves. We wanted to be kind of a guy, come in, lunch box, do your job and at the same time know that we represent a city. That was our obligation. That was the platform that we accepted.”

Bill Cowher file

Age: 64

Hometown: Pittsburgh

Years with Steelers: 1992-2006

Coaching record: 149-90-1

Playoff record: 12-9

Super Bowl record: 1-1

Hall of Fame: 2020 Centennial Class, elected Jan. 8, 2020

Noteworthy: Became second NFL coach — Paul Brown was the first — to lead his team to the playoffs in each of his first six seasons. … Became the first coach of a No. 6 seeded team to win the Super Bowl. … Two-time NFL coach of the year by Sporting News, Associated Press coach of the year in 1992. … His teams made 10 playoff appearances, won eight division titles and appeared in six AFC championship games.

What he is saying: “You realize when you go through this is all the people that were part of the process that allowed you to have that success. For me to be able to be enshrined is the culmination of a lot of work of a lot of people, family and friends that were there along the way. I think as we get closer and all these things fall into place, I just want to enjoy it. I really just want to soak it up, have a chance to spend time with guys I haven’t seen, players, some of the coaches I have not seen.”

What others are saying: “For my case, he helped develop me as I matured into adulthood, and he really played a big father figure role in my life much like coach (Dick) LeBeau. He’s also from Pittsburgh, and he embodies that blue collar work ethic. He not only had that influence, he has those honorable virtues that Pittsburgh stands by.” — Troy Polamalu.