Bill Cowher William Laird " Bill " Cowher ( born May 8 , 1957 ) is a former professional American football coach and player in the National Football League ( NFL ) . In Cowher ' s 15 seasons as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers , the team won eight division titles and made 10 playoff appearances . Cowher led the Steelers to the Super Bowl twice , winning one . He is the second coach in NFL history to reach the playoffs in each of his first six seasons as head coach , a feat previously accomplished by Paul Brown . Cowher resigned as head coach of the Steelers on January 5 , 2007 , 11 months to the day after winning Super Bowl XL in 2006 . Cowher was replaced by current Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin . Before being hired by the Steelers in 1992 , Cowher served as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs under head coach Marty Schottenheimer . He is currently a studio analyst for " The NFL Today " . Early life . Born in Crafton , Pennsylvania , a suburb of Pittsburgh , Cowher excelled in football , basketball , and track for Carlynton High . At North Carolina State University , he was a starting linebacker , team captain , and team MVP in his senior year . He graduated in 1979 with a bachelor ' s degree in education . Professional career . Cowher 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 ( 1980 – 82 ) in Cleveland , making him a member of the Kardiac Kids , before being traded back to the Eagles , where he played two more years ( 1983 – 84 ) . His tenure in Philadelphia included tackling a young Jeff Fisher ( who later became the head coach of the Tennessee Titans ) 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 . Cowher primarily played special teams during his playing career , and placed emphasis on special teams during his coaching career . Cowher credits being a " bubble player " during his playing career with influencing his coaching career , feeling that such players work the hardest for a roster spot ( and sometimes still get cut , hence the term " bubble player " ) , and thus make better head coaches than those with successful playing careers . Coaching career . Cowher began his coaching career in 1985 at age 28 under Marty Schottenheimer with the Cleveland Browns . He was the Browns ' special teams coach in 1985 – 86 and secondary coach in 1987 – 88 before following Schottenheimer to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1989 as defensive coordinator . He became the 15th head coach in Steelers history when he succeeded Chuck Noll on January 21 , 1992 – but only the second head coach since the NFL merger in 1970 . Under Cowher , the Steelers showed an immediate improvement from the disappointing 7 – 9 season the year before , going 11 – 5 and earning home field advantage in the AFC after the Steelers had missed the playoffs six times out of the previous seven years . In 1995 , at age 38 , he became the youngest coach to lead his team to a Super Bowl . Cowher is only the second coach in NFL history to lead his team to the playoffs in each of his first six seasons as head coach , joining Pro Football Hall of Fame member Paul Brown . In Cowher ’ s 15 seasons , the Steelers captured eight division titles , earned 10 postseason playoff berths , played in 21 playoff games , advanced to six AFC Championship games and made two Super Bowl appearances . He is one of only six coaches in NFL history to claim at least seven division titles . At the conclusion of the 2005 season , the Steelers had the best record of any team in the NFL since Cowher was hired as head coach . On February 5 , 2006 , Cowher ' s Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XL by defeating the Seattle Seahawks 21 – 10 , giving Cowher his first Super Bowl ring . Through the Super Bowl , Cowher ' s team had compiled a record of 108 – 1 – 1 in games in which they built a lead of at least 11 points . During the following season , there was talk about Cowher leaving the Steelers , ostensibly to spend more time with his family . On January 5 , 2007 , Cowher stepped down after 15 years at the helm of the franchise . The Steelers hired former Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin as Cowher ' s successor . Cowher ' s record as a head coach is 149 – 90 – 1 ( 161 – 99 – 1 including playoff games ) . After coaching . On February 15 , 2007 , he signed on to " The NFL Today " on CBS as a studio analyst , joining Dan Marino , Shannon Sharpe , and Boomer Esiason . In 2007 , Cowher appeared in the ABC reality television series " " , featuring a dozen celebrities in a stock car racing competition . Cowher matched up against Gabrielle Reece and William Shatner . On March 4 , 2008 , Cowher responded to rumors concerning his coaching future by stating , " I ' m not going anywhere . " The Cowhers placed their Raleigh , North Carolina home on the market , with the intention of building a new house two miles away . Putting an end to numerous unfounded rumors of his return to coaching in the NFL in 2009 , Cowher stated on " The NFL Today " that he did not plan to coach again in the immediate future . Cowher had a part in the movie " The Dark Knight Rises " ( 2012 ) , which was filmed at Heinz Field , the home of the Steelers , in downtown Pittsburgh . He played the head coach of the Gotham Rogues . Coaching tree . Assistant coaches under Bill Cowher that became Head Coaches in the NFL : Family . Bill Cowher ' s late wife , Kaye ( née Young ) , also a North Carolina State University graduate , played professional basketball for the New York Stars of the ( now defunct ) Women ' s Pro Basketball League with her twin sister , Faye . Kaye was featured in the book " Mad Seasons : The Story of the First Women ' s Professional Basketball League , 1978 – 1981 " , by Karra Porter ( University of Nebraska Press , 2006 ) . Kaye Cowher died of skin cancer at age 54 on July 23 , 2010 . Bill and Kaye have three daughters . Daughters Meagan and Lauren played basketball at Princeton University , and Lindsay played basketball at Wofford College before transferring to Elon University . In 2007 , the Cowher family moved to Raleigh , North Carolina from suburban Pittsburgh . Meagan married NHL forward Kevin Westgarth of the Calgary Flames . Lindsay is engaged to NBA forward Ryan Kelly of the Los Angeles Lakers . Endorsements . Cowher is under an exclusive autograph contract with the Mounted Memories company of Florida . Cowher was also on the cover of EA Sports ' 2006 video game " NFL Head Coach " . Cowher appears in TV advertising for Time Warner Cable . Head coaching record . Coaching record vs . other teams . How the Steelers fared in games with Cowher as head coach . Note : Coaching record vs . other teams ( playoffs ) . How the Steelers fared in playoff games with Cowher as head coach .