Mike Tomlin swapped his Pittsburgh Steelers apparel for a University of Georgia sweatshirt on Friday night as the proud father gleefully watched his daughter Harley compete for the Bulldogs gymnastics team.
Tomlin stepped away from football following the Steelers’ playoff loss to Houston Texans on Monday night in Pittsburgh. Left to explain his long-time head coach’s decision, Steelers owner Art Rooney II told reporters Tomlin ‘wants to spend time with his family and do the kinds of things he hasn’t been able to do for the last many, many years.’
On Friday in Athens, Georgia, Tomlin got to do just that as Harley competed in both the balance beam and floor exercise competitions against SEC-rival Louisiana State.
Cameras caught the smiling Tomlin giving a triumphant fist pump after Harley posted a 9.825 score on the balance beam, which was good enough for ninth on the evening. Harley, a sophomore, posted the same score on the floor, tying her top mark from earlier in the year.
The Bulldogs won the meet to improve to 2-0 on the season. They will be back in action next Friday in Norman, Oklahoma against the Sooners, although it’s unclear if Tomlin will again be on hand.
Tomlin has avoided the media since his decision to leave the NFL, although his wife Kiya has filled the void by praising her husband’s performance over 19 years in Pittsburgh.
Kiya and Mike Tomlin are pictured in their Georgia gear as Harley competes against LSU
Harley Tomlin is pictured before her floor exercise routine in Friday’s meet against LSU
Georgia Bulldogs gymnast Harley Tomlin is pictured alongside her father Mike
‘As many of you are aware, my husband has stepped down from his position as Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers,’ Kiya wrote on Instagram. ‘I want to take a moment to share something from my heart.
‘I am incredibly proud of all he has accomplished, both on and off the field. Over the past few days, the messages and testimonies shared by current and former players – the men who knew him best – have been deeply moving. They’ve affirmed what I’ve always known to be true about his purpose and character.
‘His mission began long before the titles and headlines, back when we first met in college, and it has never wavered.
‘From the very beginning, his purpose was clear: to help young men become great individuals. Coaching and fatherhood became the avenues through which he lived out that calling.
‘To me, the men who passed through his locker rooms over more than 30 years of coaching, our own children, and the hundreds of young people across the region he personally poured into – that is his true legacy.
‘They are his coaching tree, and that is the achievement we are most proud of.’
Kiya went on to thank the city of Pittsburgh for the ‘warm reception our family has received over the past 19 years.’
She and Tomlin share three children, including boys Michael Dean and Mason. Unfortunately for his sons, Tomlin’s child depth chart has a clear No. 1.
‘Even my boys know that Harley is my favorite,’ Tomlin wrote in 2020 while sharing some father-daughter pics on social media.
Harley Tomlin is now a sophomore at one of the top gymnastics programs in the country
Mike Tomlin is pictured with his daughter Harley as they met then-Democratic Presidential Candidate Senator Barack Obama, his wife, Michelle, and vice presidential nominee Joe Biden
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin carries his daughter Harley after winning Super Bowl XLIII
Mike Tomlin’s wife Kiya paid an emotional tribute to her husband after his Steelers departure
Kiya and Tomlin share three children, including boys Michael Dean and Mason
Tomlin led the Steelers to Super Bowl glory in 2009, but their 30-6 loss to the Texans in the wild-card round gave Pittsburgh is seventh-consecutive playoff defeat — the longest active streak in the league.
The ‘Fire Tomlin!’ chants that initially popped up during a late-November loss to the Buffalo Bills were heard again Monday night as Acrisure Stadium emptied.
Tomlin initially brushed off questions about the future on Monday night. He still had up to two more years on his contract and finished his postgame remarks by stressing he ‘always feels optimistic’ about their ability to put together a contender.
But now he’s gone and Tomlin’s long spell in charge means the Steelers are looking for just their fourth head coach since 1969.
