Mike Tomlin knows a thing or two about coaching.
Patrolling the sidelines since his early 20s, the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach has oozed coolness in the footsteps of Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher. His 116-60 record through 11 seasons in Steel City is nothing to sneeze at. And his Super Bowl XLIII title will forever keep his name in NFL history books, as he was just 36 years old — a record — at the time.
But even Tomlin, the captain of one of the NFL’s most prestigious franchises and a steady powerhouse of the last decade, looks beyond the football field for his purpose.
Discussing his faith, family and fatherhood with the UNPACKIN’ it podcast, Tomlin recently reflected on his efforts to let God use his platform.
“I’m a head football coach in the NFL, (and) there’s only 32 of these jobs,” he said. “I’m not that good. None of us are. There’s got to be a bigger calling, right? We’re put in these positions for very specific reasons … (so) every day I ask, ‘What does God have in store for me? How does He want to utilize me in this position that I hold in an effort to do good?'”
Tomlin acknowledged that the busyness of coaching in the NFL can be a hurdle to taking time for those questions. But he also made it clear that “as a man of faith,” connecting with that bigger calling is a priority.
“I just try to be open to it, and that’s not an easy thing to do,” he said. “But I try to move in that Spirit.”
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