It’s the end of an era in San Antonio as head coach Gregg Popovich steps down from the role after 29 seasons leading the Spurs. While this is a seismic development in the NBA, it also has ramifications that bleed into the NFL as well. With Popovich no longer in charge of the Spurs, Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers is now the longest-tenured head coach of the four major North American sports leagues.
Tomlin, 53, is entering his 19th season at the helm in Pittsburgh after he was originally hired by the Steelers in 2007 to succeed Bill Cowher, who also had a sizable run of 15 seasons as head coach of the franchise. The Steelers have enjoyed an extraordinary run of stability at the head-coaching position as they’ve had just three coaches (Tomlin, Cowher and Chuck Noll) since 1969.
In June of 2024, Tomlin inked a three-year extension with the Steelers that’ll keep him tied to the organization through the 2027 season, so his streak should only continue. Tomlin became the NFL’s longest-tenured coach after the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick parted ways after 24 seasons following the 2023 season.
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Behind Tomlin, Baltimore’s John Harbaugh is the NFL’s second-longest tenured head coach as he enters his 18th season on the job. Meanwhile, Andy Reid has been the Kansas City Chiefs‘ head coach since 2013, making him the third-longest tenured coach.
In the NBA, Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat, who was hired in 2008, is now the longest-tenured coach in the league as he just completed his 16th season as head coach.
Like Popovich, Tomlin has enjoyed loads of success over his tenure with the Steelers, which is why he’s been able to keep the job for as long as he has. He helped the organization hoist the Lombardi Trophy during the 2008 season, when they won Super Bowl XLIII. Overall, Tomlin is 183-107-2 during the regular season over his Steelers’ coaching career, and 8-11 in the playoffs. He’s also never endured a losing season over his 18 years on the job, which is an NFL record.
