His legend is growing daily, but Mike Tomlin possesses the ability to deflect attention from himself during his rapid ascension as one of the hottest coaching properties in professional sports.
When Tomlin learned two years ago that he would be named the Steelers' new coach, he was playing foosball with his two sons, Michael Dean and Mason.
"I got off the phone and they were interested in finishing the game, so we did," Tomlin said. "Really, that is the approach I have taken."
Tomlin's willingness to downplay his role when the Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals, 27-23, in Super Bowl XLIII was never more evident when he didn't hold the Lombardi Trophy during the postgame celebration.
"I actually never even touched it," he said. "I see five of them every day when I go to work. I know what they look like. I'm just glad that I can do my part in terms of contributing to that trophy case."
His unassuming, blue-collar approach to coaching one of the NFL's most popular franchises ? not to mention being the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl ? could potentially make Tomlin an inviting target among advertisers.
But don't count on that happening.
"He has all the elements of someone that if they want to be a successful marketer, they can be," said David Carter of the Los Angeles-based Sports Business Group and executive director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California. "He's the face of a team that is as well-regarded from a national standpoint as just about any that's out there."
Tomlin prefers to remain in the background.
"He's not a pitchman. I can't see him on a soup commercial, or drinking soda on TV and smiling into the camera. He's a Football coach," said RRA-Goal Line Management president Brian Levy, who represents Tomlin.
"(Winning the Super Bowl) certainly enhanced his visibility. Obviously, there are probably some corporations that would like to have him endorse their products. But he's a part of the team. He doesn't want to separate himself from that."
According to Carter, Tomlin's aversion to the spotlight is what makes him so likeable.
"The very thing that makes him valuable is that he's comfortable with himself and comfortable in these settings. That is actually the driving part of the value, his authenticity," Carter said.
Tomlin is happy just coaching the Steelers and adding to the team's legacy.
"To me, he's still the same guy he was when he was a defensive backs coach just getting started. He'll never, ever change," Levy said. "I think that's one of the things he's scared about, if he starts going into the corporate America stratosphere with marketing and endorsements. That it's going to take away from who he is and what his core beliefs are."
