A pair of William & Mary football alumni -
Mike Tomlin '95,
Sean McDermott '98 – will make history this weekend when the former Tribe teammates square off as head coaches of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills, respectively, in a primetime nationally televised
Sunday Night Football matchup on NBC.
Both Tomlin and McDermott, who were Tribe teammates from 1993-94 and both served as team captains, are strong candidates for NFL coach of the year distinction after leading their squads to playoff contention.
A list of feature stories highlighting the historic matchup are below.
Tomlin is in his 13th season as the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach and became the youngest head coach in NFL history to both coach and win a Super Bowl when he led the franchise to a 27-23 victory against the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. Additionally, he has led Pittsburgh to six AFC North Titles, eight playoff appearances and two trips to the Super Bowl (XLIII and XLV).
McDermott is in this third season as head coach of the Buffalo Bills and is looking to secure the organization's second playoff appearance in the last three years. During his first season in Buffalo, McDermott led the Bills to their first playoff berth since 1999.
Tomlin and McDermott highlight W&M's impressive list of former players and coaches who have gone on to coach in the NFL. Current Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn was an assistant on the Tribe's 1994 staff, while Hall of Famers Marv Levy (1964-68) and Lou Holtz (1969-71) both served as W&M head coaches.
Sunday night's Steelers-Bills game will also feature a pair of coordinators – Brian Daboll (Bills OC) and Danny Smith (Steelers ST Coord.) – with W&M connections, as both are former Tribe assistant coaches.
