Bill Cowher Biography
Bill Cowher (William Laird Cowher) is a former professional American football coach and player in the National Football League (NFL). In his 15 seasons as head coach of Pittsburgh Steelers, the team won eight division titles and made 10 playoff appearances. He led the Steelers to the Super Bowl twice, winning one. He is the second coach in NFL history to reach the playoffs in each of his first six seasons as head coach, a feat previously accomplished only by Paul Brown.
He resigned as head coach of the Steelers on January 5, 2007, 11 months after winning Super Bowl XL in 2006 over the Seattle Seahawks. Cowher was replaced by current Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
Before being hired by the Steelers in 1992, Cowher served as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs under head coach Marty Schottenheimer. He is currently a studio analyst for The NFL Today.
Bill Cowher Education
Bill Cowher graduated from North Carolina State University where he got his degree in bachelor of education. He excelled in football, basketball, and track for Carlynton High.
Bill Cowher Age
Bill Cowher was born on May 8, 1957, in Crafton, Pennsylvania United States. He is 62 years old as of 2019.
Bill Cowher Wife
Bill Cowher first married Kaye Cowher from 1983 to 2010, from there he got into another relationship with Veronica Stigeler whom he married in 2014. In 2018 Bill Cowher kept his Raleigh house in North Ridge Country Club up for sale after announcing he would be moving to New York full-time.
Bill Cowher Net worth
Bill Cowher earns his income from his businesses and from other related organizations. He also earns his income from his work as a professional American football coach and player in the National Football League (NFL). He has an estimated net worth of $ 18 million dollars.
Bill Cowher Professional career
Bill Cowher began his NFL career as a linebacker with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1979 but signed with the Cleveland Browns the following year. He played three seasons (1980–82) in Cleveland, making him a member of the Kardiac Kids, before being traded back to the Eagles, where he played two more years (1983–84).
His tenure in Philadelphia included tackling a young Jeff Fisher (who later became the head coach of the Tennessee Titans) when playing against the Chicago Bears, causing Fisher to break his leg. The two would later be rival head coaches and friends in the AFC Central division, and Fisher has credited his injury at the hands of Cowher with having the unintended consequence of propelling him into coaching.
Cowher primarily played special teams during his playing career and placed emphasis on special teams during his coaching career. Cowher credits being a “bubble player” during his playing career with influencing his coaching career, feeling that such players work the hardest for a roster spot (and sometimes still get cut, hence the term “bubble player”), and thus make better head coaches than those with successful playing careers.
Bill Cowher Coaching career
Bill Cowher began his coaching career in 1985 at age 28 under Marty Schottenheimer with the Cleveland Browns. He was the Browns’ special teams coach in 1985–86 and secondary coach in 1987–88 before following Schottenheimer to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1989 as defensive coordinator.
He was a finalist for the Cincinnati Bengals head coaching position in 1991 following the dismissal of Sam Wyche but was passed over in favor of Dave Shula, presumably due to Bengals owner Mike Brown seeing similarities with himself and Shula in the same manner that their respective fathers
(Don Shula and Paul Brown) overshadow them in many aspects; Cowher would go on to have a 22-9 career record against the Bengals, the most wins he would have against any team as a head coach.
He became the 15th head coach in Steelers history when he succeeded Chuck Noll on January 21, 1992 – but only the second head coach since the NFL merger in 1970, beating out fellow Pittsburgh native and Pitt alumnus (and eventual Pitt head coach) Dave Wannstedt.
Under Cowher, the Steelers showed an immediate improvement from the disappointing 7–9 season the year before, going 11–5 and earning home-field advantage in the AFC after the Steelers had missed the playoffs six times out of the previous seven years.
In 1995, at age 38, he became the youngest coach to lead his team to a Super Bowl. Cowher is only the second coach in NFL history to lead his team to the playoffs in each of his first six seasons as head coach, joining Pro Football Hall of Fame member Paul Brown.
In Cowher’s 15 seasons, the Steelers captured eight division titles, earned 10 postseason playoff berths, played in 21 playoff games, advanced to six AFC Championship games and made two Super Bowl appearances.
He is one of only six coaches in NFL history to claim at least seven division titles. At the conclusion of the 2005 season, the Steelers had the best record of any team in the NFL since Cowher was hired as head coach.
On February 5, 2006, Cowher’s Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XL by defeating the Seattle Seahawks 21–10, giving Cowher his first Super Bowl ring. Through the Super Bowl, Cowher’s team had compiled a record of 108–1–1 in games in which they built a lead of at least 11 points.
During the following season, there was talk about Cowher leaving the Steelers, ostensibly to spend more time with his family. On January 5, 2007, Cowher stepped down after 15 years at the helm of the franchise. The Steelers hired former Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin as Cowher’s successor. His record as a head coach is 149–90–1 (161–99–1 including playoff games).
Bill Cowher Endorsements
Bill Cowher was on the cover of EA Sports’ 2006 video game NFL Head Coach. He appears in TV advertising for Time Warner Cable. His likeness and voice were featured in Madden NFL 19 as the new coach of Houston Texans in the Longshot 2: Homecoming storyline.
Bill Cowher Personal life
Bill Cowher’s late wife, Kaye (née Young), was a graduate at North Carolina State University she used to play professional basketball for the New York Stars (now defunct) Women’s Pro Basketball League with her twin sister, Faye. Kaye was featured in the book Mad Seasons: The Story of the First Women’s Professional Basketball League, 1978–1981, by Karra Porter (University of Nebraska Press, 2006).
Kaye Cowher died of skin cancer at age 54 on July 23, 2010. The couple had three daughters: Meagan, Lauren, and Lindsay. Meagan and Lauren played basketball at Princeton University. Lindsay played basketball at Wofford College before transferring to Elon University.
In 2007, the Cowher family moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, from the Pittsburgh suburb of Fox Chapel. Meagan married NHL forward Kevin Westgarth of the Calgary Flames in 2011. Lindsay married NBA forward Ryan Kelly of the Atlanta Hawks on August 2, 2014.
Bill Cowher Coaching tree
Assistant coaches under Bill Cowher that became head coaches in the NFL:
- Bruce Arians: Indianapolis Colts (2012), Arizona Cardinals (2013–2017), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2019–present)
- Dom Capers: Carolina Panthers (1995–1998), Houston Texans (2002–2005)
- Chan Gailey: Dallas Cowboys (1998–1999), Buffalo Bills (2010–2012)
- Jim Haslett: New Orleans Saints (2000–2005), St. Louis Rams (2008)
- Dick LeBeau: Cincinnati Bengals (2000–2002)
- Marvin Lewis: Cincinnati Bengals (2003–2018)
- Mike Mularkey: Buffalo Bills (2004–2005), Jacksonville Jaguars (2012), Tennessee Titans (2015–2017)
- Ken Whisenhunt: Arizona Cardinals (2007–2012), Tennessee Titans (2014–2015)
Bill Cowher Coaching record vs. other teams
Team |
Wins |
Losses |
Ties |
Win Pct. |
|
Washington Redskins |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1.000 |
|
Tennessee Titans |
11 |
12 |
0 |
0.478 |
|
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0.750 |
|
St. Louis Rams |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0.333 |
|
Seattle Seahawks |
2 |
4 |
0 |
0.333 |
|
San Francisco 49ers |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0.250 |
|
San Diego Chargers |
7 |
2 |
0 |
0.778 |
|
Philadelphia Eagles |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0.500 |
|
Oakland Raiders |
5 |
2 |
0 |
0.714 |
|
New York Jets |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0.800 |
|
New York Giants |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0.667 |
|
New Orleans Saints |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0.667 |
|
New England Patriots |
4 |
3 |
0 |
0.571 |
|
Minnesota Vikings |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0.500 |
|
Miami Dolphins |
5 |
2 |
0 |
0.714 |
|
Kansas City Chiefs |
5 |
3 |
0 |
0.625 |
|
Jacksonville Jaguars |
8 |
10 |
0 |
0.444 |
|
Indianapolis Colts |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0.800 |
|
Houston Texans |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0.500 |
|
Green Bay Packers |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0.500 |
|
Detroit Lions |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0.800 |
|
Denver Broncos |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0.250 |
|
Dallas Cowboys |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0.333 |
|
Cleveland Browns |
19 |
5 |
0 |
0.792 |
|
Cincinnati Bengals |
21 |
9 |
0 |
0.700 |
|
Chicago Bears |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0.750 |
|
Carolina Panthers |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0.750 |
|
Buffalo Bills |
5 |
2 |
0 |
0.714 |
|
Baltimore Ravens |
13 |
9 |
0 |
0.591 |
|
Atlanta Falcons |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0.700 |
|
Arizona Cardinals |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0.667 |
Totals: |
149 |
90 |
1 |
0.623 |
Bill Cowher Coaching record
Team |
Year |
Regular season |
Postseason |
|||||||
Won |
Lost |
Ties |
Win % |
Finish |
Won |
Lost |
Win % |
Result |
||
| PIT | 1992 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 1st in AFC Central | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Buffalo Bills in AFC Divisional Game. |
| PIT | 1993 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2nd in AFC Central | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Kansas City Chiefs in AFC Wild-Card Game. |
| PIT | 1994 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 1st in AFC Central | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to San Diego Chargers in AFC Championship Game. |
| PIT | 1995 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 1st in AFC Central | 2 | 1 | .667 | Lost to Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXX. |
| PIT | 1996 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 1st in AFC Central | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to New England Patriots in AFC Divisional Game. |
| PIT | 1997 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 1st in AFC Central | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Denver Broncos in AFC Championship Game. |
| PIT | 1998 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3rd in AFC Central | – | – | – | – |
| PIT | 1999 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4th in AFC Central | – | – | – | – |
| PIT | 2000 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3rd in AFC Central | – | – | – | – |
| PIT | 2001 | 13 | 3 | 0 | .812 | 1st in AFC Central | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to New England Patriots in AFC Championship Game. |
| PIT | 2002 | 10 | 5 | 1 | .656 | 1st in AFC North | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Tennessee Titans in AFC Divisional Game. |
| PIT | 2003 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3rd in AFC North | – | – | – | – |
| PIT | 2004 | 15 | 1 | 0 | .938 | 1st in AFC North | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to New England Patriots in AFC Championship Game. |
| PIT | 2005 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 2nd in AFC North | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | Super Bowl XL Champions. |
| PIT | 2006 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3rd in AFC North | – | – | – | – |
| PIT Total | 149 | 90 | 1 | .623 | 12 | 9 | .571 | |||
| Total | 149 | 90 | 1 | .623 | 12 | 9 | .571 | |||
Bill Cowher Twitter
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