Bill Cowher, who coached the Steelers for 15 seasons but has seemed content working in television since leaving Pittsburgh after the 2006 season, says he expects to return to the sidelines eventually.
Asked by Neil Best of Newsday if he plans to coach again at some point, Cowher answered, “Yes.”
Cowher also said that being out of the NFL for several years wouldn’t preclude him from being a successful coach again when he wants to return. Cowher noted that until he left the Steelers, he had worked for an NFL team as either a player or coach for his entire adult life, and he still follows the game closely as a studio analyst for CBS.
“I think it’s a non-issue,” Cowher said of his time away from coaching. “I did it for 27 years. You don’t just forget things overnight. One thing about this job is it’s been really good because it allows me to study the game and do features on the game. I want to know what I’m talking about so I’m watching tape. It’s not like I’m out of it. I know how the game is changing.”
There’s precedent for coaches returning to the sidelines after years in broadcasting. Most notably, Dick Vermeil retired as the coach of the Eagles in 1982, spent most of the next 15 years working in television, and then returned to coach the Rams in 1997, eventually winning a Super Bowl in St. Louis.
The 55-year-old Cowher thinks that he’ll someday follow in Vermeil’s footsteps.