Tomlin quietly follows - and blazes - a trail
January 28
Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Phil Sheridan
"As far as Mike Tomlin is concerned, it's a "non-issue." The Pittsburgh Steelers head coach wants to be judged by his record, not because he represents a particular demographic group.He wouldn't be the first person in his position who didn't want to make an issue of race, but that's not the issue. In a one-hour media session yesterday at Raymond James Stadium, Tomlin was asked a bunch of questions about his age. At 36, a year younger than Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner, Tomlin would be the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl."It's just a story," Tomlin said. "I'm sure some day another guy will come along and eclipse me."Two years ago, Super Bowl week became a forum for coaches Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith to talk about the prospect of becoming the first African American head coach to win a Lombardi Trophy. Now? Tomlin will walk the sideline just 12 days after the inauguration of the first African American president of the United States.Plenty of people cringe whenever race is raised as an issue, but it is important to acknowledge and observe these milestones. And the fact that there is more interest in Tomlin's age, or his admitted resemblance to actor Omar Epps, is itself a milestone.But it all goes deeper than that. Could it be that racial progress in sports, from Jackie Robinson to Muhammad Ali to Doug Williams to Dungy, helped prepare the country for Obama's election?"I'm not going to pretend to think that what we do is in any way related to what he does," Tomlin said. "The presidency of the United States - we coach football. At the same time, I understand that perception is part of it: people in positions of leadership, people given opportunities, breaking down barriers."I appreciate that element of it, but at the same time, it's not even close."Tomlin met Obama during the campaign. Steelers owner Dan Rooney took the unusual step of publicly endorsing Obama and even made speeches on the candidate's behalf."It was an awesome experience," Tomlin said of meeting the future president. "For me, the awesome part was watching my sons interact with him. I was caught up in that moment, because it was one of those moments I know they'll remember the rest of their lives. My boys are 8 and 7, and they got to interact with him."A few minutes after saying that, Tomlin was approached by a teenage boy "covering" media day as part of an NFL youth outreach program. The youngster, who happened to be African American, told Tomlin he was inspired by him and asked to shake the coach's hand. Tomlin sprung from his chair, reached over a podium and a fence, and clasped hands."
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