Kansas City Chiefs (1989–1991) Defensive coordinator
Pittsburgh Steelers (1992–2006) Head coach
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (XL)
AP NFL Coach of the Year (1992)
2× Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year (1992, 2004)
Best Coach/Manager ESPY Award (2006)
Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor
Pittsburgh Pro Football Hall of Fame
Career NFL statistics
Games played:
45
Games started:
4
Fumble recoveries:
1
Head coaching record
Regular season:
149–90–1 (.623)
Postseason:
12–9 (.571)
Career:
161–99–1 (.619)
Coaching stats at PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame
William Laird Cowher (born May 8, 1957) is an American sports analyst, former football player and coach. Following a six-year playing career as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), he served as a head coach in the NFL for 15 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He began his coaching career as an assistant under Marty Schottenheimer for the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs, serving as the latter's defensive coordinator from 1989 to 1991. In 1992, Cowher was named head coach of the Steelers, whom he led until his retirement following the 2006 season. After retiring, he joined The NFL Today as a studio analyst.
Under Cowher, Pittsburgh won eight division titles, two AFC Championship Games, and Super Bowl XL. Cowher's Super Bowl victory marked the first championship title for the franchise in over two decades and the first not to be won by Chuck Noll, his predecessor. The Steelers appeared in the postseason 10 times with Cowher, including six consecutive appearances from his 1992 hiring to 1997, which made him the second NFL head coach to reach the playoffs during each of his first six seasons after Paul Brown. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
William Laird Cowher (born May 8, 1957) is an American sports analyst, former football player and coach. Following a six-year playing career as a linebacker...
contrast to BillCowher, who retained only longtime running backs coach Dick Hoak from Chuck Noll's staff (Hoak himself retired just before Cowher's resignation)...
likely remembered for a 1995 game in which Pittsburgh Steelers head coach BillCowher stuffed a Polaroid photo in McCarter's uniform pocket while leaving the...
Loughran play other characters. Lynn Swann, Lawrence Taylor, Jimmy Johnson, BillCowher, Paul "The Big Show" Wight, and Rob Schneider have cameo appearances...
receptions (for a total of two touchdowns) while making a handshake deal with BillCowher to be given a chance for the quarterback position, as Neil O'Donnell...
game since winning Super Bowl XIV and the first under head coach BillCowher. Cowher took over the team in 1992 after longtime head coach Chuck Noll retired...
four men to coach the same team for 23 years, Noll retired in 1991. BillCowher, who was Noll's replacement, coached the Steelers to their fifth Super...
host of The NFL Today since 2006; former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach BillCowher; former Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings, and Detroit Lions wide receiver...
quarterbacks Dan Marino and Boomer Esiason, as well as former coach BillCowher. In the 2004 NFL regular season, Sharpe defeated Marino and Esiason in...
Schottenheimer's Martyball strategy. BillCowher coached the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1992 to 2006. Like Schottenheimer, Cowher built his offenses around a strong...
jerseys in a Super Bowl despite being the home team in Super Bowl 50. BillCowher stated that the Steelers were playing in Detroit, not Pittsburgh, and...
she finished her college career in 1978. Cowher was married to former NFL player and coach BillCowher. Cowher died in 2010 from skin cancer. "Faye, Kaye...
Kansas City Chiefs' defensive coordinator BillCowher as their new head coach. On January 31, 1992, Cowher announced the hiring of former New Orleans...
in the post AFL–NFL merger era – with all three coaches (Chuck Noll, BillCowher, and Mike Tomlin) having won at least one Super Bowl and two AFC championships...
Beckham Joe Biden Richard Blumenthal Butt-Head Bruce Castor John Cornyn BillCowher Steve Doocy Jack Dorsey Matt Duffer Joseph Dunford Rob Dyrdek Sean Evans...
Jets None Pittsburgh Steelers Steely McBeam A burly steelworker with a BillCowher-like jutting chin, wearing a hard hat; based on the Steelers' pre-Steelmark...
Joe Biden Richard Branson Billy Bush Tucker Carlson Anderson Cooper BillCowher Willem Dafoe Mark Davis Steve Doocy Ross Duffer Al Franken Hugh Grant...
Chidi Iwuoma to be the fourth cornerback on the depth chart. Head coach BillCowher named Taylor the fourth cornerback on the depth chart to begin the regular...
general manager Kevin Colbert and the 15th and last under head coach BillCowher, as he retired on January 5, 2007. The team failed to improve on their...
with that of the 1999 season as the worst for a season under head coach BillCowher. In his final season with the team, linebacker Jason Gildon became the...
Coaching results". Pro Football Reference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2013. "Cowher Coaching results". Pro Football Reference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2013...
Steelers celebrated their 60th Anniversary season in 1992. This was also BillCowher's first season as head coach following the retirement of Chuck Noll after...
Closer” by his Steeler head coach BillCowher because whenever Pittsburgh was ahead at the end of the game, Cowher would send in Bettis to run out the...
8–8 and missed the playoffs, Head Coach BillCowher announced he was retiring. After eight years under BillCowher, Ward had the second coach of his career...
with former NFL coaches Jon Gruden and BillCowher about the not yet open position. According to reports BillCowher told Ross he would not talk to him while...
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