In January 2006, after being named head coach of the Vikings, offense-minded Brad Childress needed to hire a defensive coordinator. He turned to mostly unknown Mike Tomlin, who was 33 and had never been a coordinator at any level.
Tomlin didn’t remain a secret for long.
After just one season with the Vikings, Tomlin was hired as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach and by February 2009 had led the Steelers to a victory in Super Bowl XLIII.
Tomlin remains on the job in Pittsburgh, and on Thursday night at U.S. Bank Stadium he will return to the Twin Cities as a coach for the first time since he left. The Steelers will play at Minnesota for the first time since an 18-3 win Dec. 18, 2005, at the Metrodome.
I’m prideful,” Childress said Wednesday about how far Tomlin has come since being hired by the Vikings. “It’s just a matter of recognizing talent and him doing his thing. He’s a talented guy.”
In 15 Pittsburgh years, Tomlin, 49, has compiled an impressive 151-82-2 record and has yet to have a losing season. Even though the Steelers have had plenty of ups and downs this season, they’re 6-5-1 and in position for Tomlin to earn his 10th playoff berth.
To remain in a decent spot, the Steelers will need a win over Vikings (5-7). Tomlin is 2-1 against his former team, the loss being 34-27 in 2013, a Minnesota home game that was moved to London.
“It’s really interesting, when given time to think about it,’’ Tomlin said of returning to Minnesota. “There’s a kneejerk reaction that you’re going back to what’s familiar, but really I’m not. There’s very few within the organization that are still in the organization from when I was there. There are no players from 15 years ago. They play in a different venue. So, really more than anything I am excited about seeing what’s different.”
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