That changed on Thursday. But first, in properly chivalrous fashion, his wife, Kiya, delivered a message of thanks.
“We never did it for the recognition, but I just want to say thank you,” she said. “More importantly, I want to thank all of the many communities in Pittsburgh that truly welcomed us with open arms. It has truly been an honor to serve Pittsburgh for 19 years. Thank you.”
Of course, Tomlin wasn’t done. A master of words and motivational phrases (as well as the true king of the Monday morning lecture), Tomlin made sure to make his message clear.
“It has been an honor to serve the greatest organization in sports,” he said. “It’s been an honor to be a part of this great community, to call it home, for our kids to call it home. We’re somewhat of a nomadic business, so we don’t take it for granted that our kids will have the opportunity to call Pittsburgh home.
“It’s been an honor to serve the community that we live in, the values that we live in, and it will continue to be. We appreciate the recognition, but like my wife said, we certainly don’t do it for the sake of it. We’ve been extremely blessed, man, and we just want to share those blessings. We thank you.”
Pittsburgh has moved on with a native son in Mike McCarthy as Tomlin’s replacement. Given his retreat into relative anonymity after his departure from the Steelers, Tomlin is enjoying his time away from coaching. But he’ll never forget the memories he made in Pittsburgh — and neither will Steelers fans near and far.