Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll Ran into Each Other on a Flight in 1992; This Private Conversation Shaped Cowher’s Coaching Career

[Steeler Nation]

When Dan Rooney hired Bill Cowher to succeed Chuck Noll as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1992, he knew what he was looking for and he believed strongly in the process. He wanted someone who did not just want to be a coach, but to be the Steelers head coach and was not looking for the next Noll per say. There were a lot of things that Rooney immediately liked about Cowher, including “an infectious enthusiasm” which in personality and demeanor, made him the polar opposite of Noll.

The first time Cowher met Noll was when they were both passengers on the Steelers’ private charter jet. Cowher was on a scouting trip to meet and workout Levon Kirkland, while Noll was with his wife Marianne and were on their way to Hilton Head to begin their retirement life together.

Cowher understood and respected the history and tradition that he was inheriting and thought it would be a great opportunity to pick the brain of Noll about all things Steelers. Right before take-off, Cowher leaned over to ask Noll for advice…






Per Chuck Noll: His Life’s Work by Michael MacCambridge:

“I would appreciate your input. Is there anything you think I should know?”

“You’ll be fine,” Noll said. “Be yourself, do your best, and I am sure you’re going to be fine.”

Cowher asked a series of questions to gain insight, like what the work atmosphere of the office was like or how he as head coach navigated the personnel department and ownership. Noll offered very little in the way of mentoring, responding with one-word or one-sentence answers like “It’s good” and would not elaborate.

After about 15 minutes, it became clear to Cowher that was all he was going to get. Like many before him, Cowher was not sure what to make out of Noll’s minimalistic approach. But as Cowher took the time to think about it, it became clear what the coaching message he was offering, and it made sense to him.

Cowher, per Heart and Soul:

I think Chuck understood the significance of changing coaches after a couple of decades. Especially when the successor is not someone from your staff, and someone you don’t know. I was a few weeks away from seeing and hearing for myself: The first year you move into any new situation is tough, and incredibly tough when you’re trying to change the existing culture. A number of people who had been with the Steelers organization for several years were set in their ways. They weren’t interested in change. Not only did change bring in new concepts, it often brought in new people. It occurred to me, during that plane ride with Chuck, that perhaps Mr. Rooney hired me because he didn’t want the status quo anymore.

Fifteen years later, when Mike Tomlin succeeded Cowher, he realized even more why Noll advised him the way he did. There was no manual for the job, one had to learn from their own mistakes and discover their own path to success. So, when Cowher talked to Tomlin, he delivered only one important piece of information:

Cowher, per Heart and Soul:

“Hey, I left an Iron City beer for you in the office fridge.”

“I know,” he said. “It’s still there.”

And fifteen years later, during a press conference in August of 2021, Tomlin revealed that Iron City beer is still in the refrigerator and “I am going to leave that for the next guy.”



Out of the public eye for three decades and gone for nearly eight years, the lessons of Noll still guide the Steelers.

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