But the newest crop of hires, some of them lacking even coordinator experience, owe a debt of gratitude to Tomlin, who became the youngest coach in National Football League history to win a Super Bowl after his team beat the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

Tomlin, 36, was the surprise choice of Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney to succeed Bill Cowher in 2007, and the former Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator's immediate success has swung open the door of opportunity for young coaches not abundantly available in the past.

It is not a coincidence that among the 10 head coaching positions that have come open since the end of the 2008 season, not a single one was filled by Jim Fassel, Brian Billick, Gregg Williams, Dennis Green, Marty Schottenheimer, Mike Martz or Mike Nolan. Most teams had a sign hanging on their door that read: no retreads.

Tomlin's success with the Steelers no doubt gave the St. Louis Rams, Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Detroit Lions the confidence to hire unproven assistant coaches, most of them of the same generation as Tomlin.

The Rams' Steve Spagnuolo is the elder statesman at 49, but he has been a coordinator for just two seasons. The Lions' Jim Schwartz is 42 and the Buccaneers' Raheem Morris and the Broncos' Josh McDaniel are 32.

Soon, the Kansas City Chiefs could follow suit by hiring 41-year-old Arizona offensive coordinator Todd Haley.

They, along with the Green Bay Packers' Mike McCarthy, the Baltimore Ravens' John Harbaugh, the Cleveland Browns' Eric Mangini and New Orleans' Sean Peyton, represent a renaissance in the coaching ranks.

And at the head of the class is Tomlin, who in two seasons is 25-11 and the proud owner of a Super Bowl ring. It was obvious by the middle of this season that the Steelers were going to be a force and that Tomlin was not going to wilt in the shadow of Cowher.

"He has done a phenomenal job all year," receiver Hines Ward said during Super Bowl week. "He's been that guy who has always done it his way. He never stirred the course. He always stayed the course. He really never let anything deter him off that.

"If you weren't happy to be here, more than likely you weren't going to be on this team. He always had that authority and that presence that this is his team. It's no longer a Coach Cowher team and we're going to do it his way. As (players) you respect that."

Once the Steelers' 27-23 victory was in the books, the result of a well-balanced performance in which the both the offense and defense contributed big plays, Tomlin was able to stand tall as the example of a guy who was just looking for a chance. He impressed Rooney from the moment they met and Rooney's hunch proved correct.

Tomlin was the right man to take over a team that needed to regroup after losing the dynamic personality of Cowher.

"This group of young players was just marvelous," Rooney said after the victory Sunday. "I can't say enough about them. We had the toughest schedule in the league. They kept going under Mike Tomlin's direction and it was great. Mike Tomlin has just done a marvelous job."

Tomlin said he never wavered from his belief he was on the right track even after the Steelers were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round after the 2007 season. He was smart enough to maintain the defensive scheme coordinator Dick LeBeau had established despite coming to the team with experience in a different system.

He handled a number of player issues, including the arrest of receiver Santonio Holmes for marijuana possession in October. Holmes accepted his punishment and redeemed himself to his team with a most valuable player performance against the Cardinals.

In just two seasons, Tomlin has accomplished what it took 14 years for Cowher to do and he did it by beating Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt, the Steelers' former offensive coordinator who many thought should have been the one to succeed Cowher.

Despite the skepticism about his hiring, Tomlin maintained confidence in his ability.

"I had great belief in the Rooneys and their decision-making," Tomlin said. "They know what they're doing. My comfort rested in their decision-making and all I wanted to do was prove them right."

As all Super Bowl-winning head coaches know, the first question everyone wants to ask is whether the team can repeat. The Steelers have a number of unrestricted free agents, including tackles Max Starks and Marvel Smith, receiver Nate Washington and cornerback Bryant McFadden, but Tomlin wants no part of the repeat discussion.

"The thing I'm going to sell to our Football team is that we are not attempting to repeat," Tomlin said. "That special group of men in that locker room last night at the end of that game, that's gone forever. There will be a new 53-man (roster). A lot of the faces will be the same, but nothing stays the same in this game.

"(A) few will come and go; those who remain, the roles will change. Some will ascend, some will descend. That's the nature of today's NFL. "

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