Mike Tomlin was given the opportunity of a lifetime with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He became the head coach in 2007 at the age of 34 and faced great expectations following the departure of Bill Cowher.
Steelers fans learned he was the right man for the job after he won a Super Bowl in his second season in Pittsburgh.
That Super Bowl season came back in 2008.
The Steelers have only been back to the Super Bowl once since then, losing to the Green Bay Packers in the 2010 season.
A decade out of the big game has some fans upset with Tomlin.
But his latest win Monday night proved that what he is doing in Pittsburgh is historical and may be impossible to replicate.
Mike Tomlin becomes the first head coach in NFL history to have a non-losing record in each of his first 15 seasons pic.twitter.com/jT6QEjdqII
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 4, 2022
The Steelers beat the rival Cleveland Browns on Monday, improving their record to 8-7-1.
That means another non-losing season for Tomlin to continue his streak of 15 years without a losing record.
Tomlin Makes Impressive NFL History
Most NFL head coaches go through some sort of learning curve.
But not Tomlin.
He has never had a losing season in his head coaching career and is still only 49 years old.
Tomlin has taken the Steelers to the playoffs nine times and his worst record in a season is 8-8, which has happened three times.
Having Ben Roethlisberger lead the team helped Tomlin and the Steelers have sustained success.
Now the real tough part will come in 2022 as a new era begins in Pittsburgh.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has now clinched his 15th straight season without a losing record.
That's the most consecutive seasons to begin a career by any head coach in NFL history.
In a league of parity and constant coaching turnover, Tomlin's consistency is incredible. pic.twitter.com/qDazhhJoM8
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 4, 2022
Yet even if the Steelers do have a losing season, that is not a reason to move on from the head coach.
15 years of non-losing seasons to begin a career is a legendary mark that will be tough to replicate.
A first-time head coach sticking in one spot for that long may even be impossible to replicate in the NFL ever again.
Tomlin’s streak continuing in 2022 would prove he deserves to be considered among the greatest head coaches in NFL history.
NEXT: 3 NFL Teams Ben Roethlisberger Has Beaten The Most