Ground Report

Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin Named 2008 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year
01/29/2009

PITTSBURGH STEELERS HEAD COACH MIKE TOMLIN NAMED
2008 MOTOROLA NFL COACH OF THE YEAR

Winner Determined By More Than 521,000 Fan Votes on NFL.com

Head coach MIKE TOMLIN of the Pittsburgh Steelers is the 2008 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year, Motorola and the NFL announced today.

In 2008, Mike Tomlin continued to rewrite the record books in Pittsburgh, becoming the only head coach in Steelers’ history to win division titles in his first two seasons as he established a franchise record with 22 wins in that time. The Steelers secured the second seed in the AFC, captured the AFC North Division title for the second year in a row, and posted a 6-0 record within their division as part of their 12-4 record. After notching two victories in the postseason, Coach Tomlin will be the youngest head coach to appear in a Super Bowl at the age of 36.

A record number of more than 521,000 fans voted on NFL.com for the head coach whose game planning played the greatest role in his team’s success this season. Voting took place from Wednesday, January 7 through Wednesday, January 21 to determine the 2008 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year. In winning the award, Coach Tomlin also receives the new AURA™ by Motorola, a luxury handset inspired by high-end watches and hand-crafted design that breaks convention and re-establishes artistry in mobile device design and manufacturing.

“As the official wireless communication provider for the NFL, there is a natural tie between our brand and the sport’s great coaches,” said Jean Pierre Le Cannellier, senior director, North America Marketing, Motorola, Inc. “We salute Coach Tomlin for being voted the 2008 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year by the fans and admire those leadership qualities that would make him a champion in any endeavor.”

Tomlin was selected as 2008 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year from among six finalists by voters on NFL.com. The other finalists were head coaches TOM COUGHLIN of the New York Giants, JEFF FISHER of the Tennessee Titans, JOHN HARBAUGH of the Baltimore Ravens, MIKE SMITH of the Atlanta Falcons and TONY SPARANO of the Miami Dolphins.

Motorola’s brand has become synonymous with NFL coaches through the coaches’ headsets worn during every NFL game. As the wireless communications sponsor of the NFL, Motorola is working with the league to better integrate technology to improve the quality of the game, just as Motorola continuously provides better communications devices to help millions of NFL fans enjoy the game of football in their everyday lives.

Below are the winners of the 2008 Motorola NFL Coach of the Week awards:

2008 Motorola NFL Coach of the Week

Wk 1
Dick Jauron, Buffalo Bills

Wk 2
Mike Shanahan, Denver Broncos

Wk 3
Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins

Wk 4
Jim Zorn, Washington Redskins

Wk 5
Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers

Wk 6
Romeo Crennel, Cleveland Browns

Wk 7
Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers

Wk 8
Jeff Fisher, Tennessee Titans

Wk 9
Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers

Wk 10
Tom Coughlin, New York Giants

Wk 11
Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers

Wk 12
Eric Mangini, New York Jets

Wk 13
Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers

Wk 14
John Fox, Carolina Panthers

Wk 15
Wade Phillips, Dallas Cowboys

Wk 16
Jeff Fisher, Tennessee Titans

Wk 17
Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles

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