NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Mike Tomlin's accomplishments are well-documented.
In his 19 years as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, he never suffered a losing season. Tomlin led the franchise to a Super Bowl win, 13 playoff appearances and eight AFC North titles.
Tuesday, news of his resignation quickly hit Hampton Roads, including his alma mater, William & Mary, where head coach Mike London digested the news with the rest of the football world.
"You know a person, as I know Mike, and you know what he's meant to the NFL, football and the development of men that you're like, 'really?,'" said London of his reaction upon hearing the news.
Tomlin got his football start in the 757. He was born in Hampton, grew up in Newport News, graduated from Denbigh High School and played his college football as a wide receiver for the Tribe. London was an assistant coach during Tomlin's playing days at William & Mary and says that energy fans see on the sidelines is the same he brought as a player.
"Intense, would get after it," London described his former player. "If you're standing around a pile or something like that and you're supposed to get blocked, you're going to get blocked. If you're involved in a play, then you'd better go to the echo of the whistle."
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Tommy Reamon Jr., like Tomlin, grew up in Newport News. He got the chance to work for the Steelers during the 2014 offseason.
"I saw him up close and personal," Reamon recalled. "It was the green light. I could go into all the meetings and I really witnessed the guy that we beloved on TV up close and personal."
During his time in Pittsburgh, the sideline leader gave him plenty of pointers. Some of the advice he still uses today.
"He said 'Tommy, in this profession, you need to be politely aggressive,'" Reamon remembered. "That means you need to be aggressive enough to let people know that you are serious and that you want this job, but you want to be polite. You don't want to come off annoying and just kind of bothersome."
Even as he rose through the coaching ranks, from college to NFL assistant to the Steelers' head whistle, he never forgot from where he came. He continued to leave his mark on the Tribe, his city and those coming behind him.
"Different people at the university would reach out to him to get him involved in different initiatives and that's the kind of guy that he is in his interactions with this place, William & Mary" London noted.
"He's a hard-working guy," added Reamon. "He was the youngest head coach to take a job in the NFL and I followed his coaching tree, hoping to be like him one day. I've had a stint coaching and I looked at his resume and I tried to follow it."
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Neither London nor Reamon know what's next for Tomlin, but no matter what he does or where he ends up, his entire community will be behind him cheering him on.
"When you want to see what an NFL coach looks like from A to Z, he's kind of been that model," London said. "As the opportunities may present themselves for him, he'll continue to keep being successful.
ESPN is reporting that Tomlin will not coach anywhere in 2026. He departs the sidelines with a career record of 201-126-2.
