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As some have anticipated, Bill Cowher today announced his resignation as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cowher, in his 15 year reign as head coach lead the team to 2 Superbowl Appearances, 1 Super Bowl win and a ton of playoff appearances. the 2 leading contenders for the job is rumored to be Russ Grimm, the offensive line coach and fellow assistant, Ken Wiesenhunt.

The following is Bill's opening remarks at the emotional press conference held today:

"Art (Rooney II) and Dan (Rooney), thank you. Thank you for having this. I want to thank you guys for being here.



"After careful and deliberate consideration, I've decided to resign today. I've given it a lot of thought, and I believe it's in the best interests of our family and myself at this time. I'm proud of all we've accomplished here in the 15 years I've been the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I was born and raised here. My parents live here. My brothers live here. And more importantly, my parents have been able to watch our three children grow up. That's special. That's special.



"Coaching in the National Football League and winning a Super Bowl are the lifelong dreams of mine, and to be able to do that and realize that in the city that I was born and raised in, this Crafton boy lived a dream. You know how special that is to me.



"There are a lot of people I need to thank, and I'm going to do that:



"First, to Marty Schottenheimer. I played for Marty, and he's the only guy I ever was an assistant coach under. He opened the door for me. For that, I will always be grateful. Who's to say when you see a player whether he can coach. There are no guarantees. Marty believed in me, and for that I will always remember and be grateful.



"And to Dan Rooney, for taking the chance on me 15 years ago. The gratitude and respect and complete admiration, I cannot express in words. He's a very special man. Thank you.



"And I want to thank all the players and coaches who have contributed to all the success we've enjoyed over the 15 years. There have been so many of them. I had an opportunity this year to sit with the players and talk with the coaches, and there have been so many down through the years that I want to thank.



"To the support staff, my secretary Mia has been with me for 12 years, like a right-hand man; to the doctors, to Jim Bradley and Tony Yates; to the trainers, John Norwig and his staff. This truly is not accomplished – what we've done – without the work of a lot of people pulling in the same direction. I've been so fortunate and blessed to have those types of people as a part of this team.



"And to Kevin Colbert, who officially today assumes the No. 1 ranking in racquetball, even though the class has gone down … Kevin, you gave me a second wind, and your support and friendship will always mean a lot to me.



"And to the fans. To the Steelers fans in Pittsburgh and the fans around the country – second to none. I want to thank you for your passion and your support. I've said this before: I'm a part of you. You can take the people out of Pittsburgh, but you will never take the Pittsburgh out of people. I'm one of you. Yinz know what I mean.



"And last, to my wife and three daughters. I was asked a long time ago how I have lasted in this business for so long. And there's no doubt that it's the balance I've been able to live. My three daughters, to be a part of their lives will always be my main objective in life. If there's a legacy I'd like to leave, it's my daughters saying, "My dad was a good dad." That's important to me.



"To my wife, my soul-mate and my friend, the sacrifices she has made, the love and support she has given me through the years, she's been my backbone. Today I sit here and say to you, while I wish the Pittsburgh Steelers nothing but the best, I've given a lot of thought to this decision, and it is right now the best thing for me and my family at this time.



"And I have to be honest with you: I'm looking forward to it. My wife may not be able to say the same thing to that after being around me for a couple of weeks, but I really am looking forward to spending time with the family."

Comments
on Jan 05, 2007
A class exit from a classy guy.. a players coach for sure,. He coached the same way he played football, balls to the wall, get outta my way! smash mouth as madden would say, although I am not sure if it could apply to a couch, if it could it surely would apply to Cowher.
on Jan 05, 2007
A class exit from a classy guy.. a players coach for sure,. He coached the same way he played football, balls to the wall, get outta my way! smash mouth as madden would say, although I am not sure if it could apply to a couch, if it could it surely would apply to Cowher.


I second everything Mod wrote.

Being a Steelers fan I hate to see him go, but being a Cowher fan I'm glad he's leaving on his own terms. I hope everything he said about spending time with his family is true. It will suck if he turns right around and takes the Miami or Oakland job. Or if he accepts a job at his alma mater N.C. State.

I think the Steelers will go right on being the Steelers next year. I look for them to bounce back and make the playoffs next year. It's not a knock against Cowher, but a compliment to the Rooneys.
on Jan 05, 2007
Heh, when my mum found out...she freaked.

She's a huge, and i mean huge steelers fan.

I'm not, but still, he was a damn fine coach. It's sad to see him go, but i hope everything works out for him.

on Jan 07, 2007
She's a huge, and i mean huge steelers fan.

me too...i was born and raised in and around the Burgh. Cowher's line..."And to the fans. To the Steelers fans in Pittsburgh and the fans around the country – second to none. I want to thank you for your passion and your support. I've said this before: I'm a part of you. You can take the people out of Pittsburgh, but you will never take the Pittsburgh out of people. I'm one of you. Yinz know what I mean. ...very much rings true.

i've always contended that the steelers are truly "America's Team." Last year's superbowl, which the crowd was like a home game crowd, was evidence of that along with the many legions of LOYAL fans (unlike the fickle cowboy fans) ya see everday all over the country, no matter where ya are. also, even people who don't like the steelers usually admire em and respect em, again, unlike dallas.

on Jan 07, 2007
he was a damn fine coach. It's sad to see him go, but i hope everything works out for him.

yeah, it's always sad...but this season seemed to be an emotional letdown for the team, aside from big ben's hardships...and cowher himself has always been the leader of that emotion. in retrospect, maybe the rooneys should have honored his request to resign after the super bowl last year.

but don't cry for bill...he'll take a year or 2 off and then someone will pull a dump truck full of money up to his house and he will be a very wealthy man. Whether he'll be a coach, GM or broadcaster is still slightly in doubt, but rest assured, his demand is probably higher than anyone in pro football. i believe the majority of NFL teams would fire their own coach if Bill wanted their job.