The Pomp And Joe Show
Tomlin stepping down is one of the biggest stories in PGH sports history
14 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What historic news did Mike Tomlin announce?
Well, it was a moment frozen in time. Things started to get interesting, Bob, with a man that you and I both know, who shall go unnamed, texted me, if I could find the text, yesterday at 1.27 p.m. And I don't think I saw it until right at the end of the show. And this is what it sounded like, Bob.
I just got a text from a man I consider to be influential who said, hope all is well, change is definitely coming to Steeler land. What do you make of that, O Limitless Wonder?
And I said, I don't think it's the head coach, but it must be something significant. What time was that? 152 or so? That was at about 140. Bob?
Bob? Ron? I mean, that was, what, 20 minutes before the news actually came out?
Just about 25, and I'll show you who this was in a minute, but I've never gotten a text really from him other than something golf-related at one point in my life. Joe, hope all is well. Change is definitely coming to Steeler land. He didn't mean they were getting a new linebacker coach. I can tell you that. I said, hi. I almost said his name. That's an interesting text. You must know something.
He said, remember where you heard it first. I said, I will. So there you go, Bob. That happened. And then and I was not listening at the time. I almost always listen to the PM show driving. I don't even remember why I didn't yesterday. Why wasn't I listening? Where was I and what was I doing? Were you on your way to another destination to do something? Well, yeah, but that's the whole point.
I'm always listening to the PM show on my way to another destination. I don't know why I don't. But was this 2.05 p.m. limits? Is that when this went down? Exactly 2.05 p.m. Here it was, Bob.
What do we got here, Donnie? We got a Schefter. Okay. Fellas, we got a bombshell. What? After a historic 19-season run, Mike Tomlin just informed his team he is stepping down.
Oh my God, dude.
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Chapter 2: What was the context surrounding Tomlin's decision to step down?
I took that part out. I just went with the short version.
Why would you take that part out, Limits? It's the highlight of the whole thing. Bob Limits punched himself in the head. I mean, Halsey punched himself in the head after this.
Mike Tomlin just informed his team he is stepping down.
Oh, my God, dude. There it was. That's incredible.
That was great in retrospect, hearing it. Were either of you listening live? No. Oh, yeah.
So I was in the back podcasting the rest of our show, and I have like Schefter and Fowler and them on Twitter notifications. So as soon as I pulled it up, my eyes got as wide as a full moon, and I bolted to Craig's office. Craig wasn't there. Bolted down the hallway. You could see me running on the video feed in to tell Donnie, and Donnie got it like I think 10 seconds later.
Oh, wait, so you relayed it to Donnie? No, Donnie got it 10 seconds before I came in the door.
Okay, all right. Wow. What a moment. I mean, I was thinking you and I were talking about the biggest breaking news moments in fan history. What are some that come to mind for us?
So I broke the news of Matt Canada being fired when I was still part-time working with The Morning Show. How about that, Bob? To Doran and Crowley.
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Chapter 3: How did the hosts react to the breaking news about Tomlin?
How about that?
Not as monumental. Shelton, Sullivan, and Tomlin all gone within a span of less than a year.
Nine months. This feels bigger than all the aforementioned stories. And what am I missing here? What am I missing as far as huge breaking news?
Yeah, yeah. Outside of championships, these are the main ones. That's not breaking news.
Trubisky train. Trubisky train.
How about the, no, it didn't break.
I can't think right now. I'm drawing a blank. Maybe our listeners can chime in. Since 2010, a hell of a lot of stuff has happened, right?
Yeah, but on the air, while you're on the air, that's not a lot of those occurrences.
Yeah, that's true. I can't really think, honestly. Malzi and I were doing a show. What are the suites called? Cambria Suites. Yeah. When the Jerome McGinley knew. That was a big show.
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Chapter 4: What are the biggest breaking news stories in Pittsburgh sports history?
I think he had a crushed spinal column and everything else, and he wound up really turning his life around, Gabe Rivera, before he passed recently.
We went down and spent two days with him in Texas with his second wife. The first wife couldn't handle what had happened to him. He met his second wife in his wheelchair while he was shopping, and he accidentally ran over her foot, and they... started talking, whatever the case. And he became very religious after that too.
So it was a really interesting conversation with him because I had known nothing about, you know, I just assumed that was his first wife. It wasn't.
Well, I didn't mean to get off on this tangent here, but it's an interesting story. It was a little after 9 p.m. on October 20th, 1983 is when it happened.
I was one year into the job and I was there sitting doing as much as I can and nobody was around for that. So I went out and did it. Wow. And again, it was like I'm not used to covering wrecks or those sorts of things. But when it's involved with, you know, and certainly the Ben Roethlisberger story. Oh, my God. That situation came out. I forget when it happened. Listen to this. I forget what.
Well, it was it was that motorcycle accident.
Eight somewhere in there. Bob, I was coming from Buffalo, driving, visiting my folks. And I swear to you, this is all true. I swear it. So I'm coming from Buffalo. I'm late. They had a thing where they wanted us over at the south side, to which I was always like, if news happens, I'll get over there.
But no, they were like, you have to be in the office, you know, the Steelers media office over there. So I'm driving late, late from straight from Buffalo to the Steelers headquarters. And I cut down on whatever that street was. Second Avenue. Second Avenue. So I could get up there and go over the bridge onto the south side and then get there. And as I got there, the accident had just happened.
Just happened. Like I was at the scene, but I didn't know what it was. If I knew, I obviously, they would have told me cover it right from there. Right. But I just kept going and got to the south side, and then they told me what happened. I'm like, oh, my God, I just passed that accident scene.
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Chapter 5: How does the firing of Matt Canada compare to Tomlin's departure?
Well, just to complete the other story, in 2012, all those years later, Bob, I got a hold of the guy who was in the accident with Rivera who got hit by him. He was a meter reader for Equitable Gas, and his name was Alan Watts. And he was then 77 of Ross Township. And he told me I wasn't going very fast, and I saw these headlights coming over the rise in my lane.
He missed the car in front of me, but he hit me and spun around, and so many things went through my mind in those seconds. After it was over, I said, man, am I lucky. That guy. Hmm. Just an incredible story.
Yeah, and so it changed his life around. He had to at that point because he was drinking too much, and that contributed to it.
Yeah, and then he wound up, of course, going through all kinds of things, and he remembered the chief and Chuck Knoll visiting him frequently. I think he was at a facility in Harmerville. But anyway, the only thing I can think of since we've been on the air here Well, no, not even that. Are the texters saying anything limits?
Yeah, texters are saying the passing of Franco.
Yes.
That's another one.
That's a huge story. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But again, I was trying to do it in the context of you're on the air and this happens. Those are very infrequent.
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Chapter 6: What memorable moments in sports broadcasting were discussed?
Pittsburgh's choice for affordable legal solutions. Let's go to the man himself, the General. General, how are you? Gentlemen, good. Good to see you. Is there such a thing as a Mike Tomlin card? Would that be the card of the week?
That was going to be my pick.
Ironically, I figure in keeping with the theme of the week, we're going to cover 57 years of coaching history in two cards. I got two cards, one of which is a Coach Tomlin. The second one is a Mike, is a Bill Cower, Chuck Knoll, sideline generals from 2010. Wow. So we got the three coaches from the last 57 years covered in Starkey's card of the week. Wow. Cards of the week, plural. Yeah.
That's a good one. Your listeners are worth it.
That is amazing, man. I didn't even know they had coach cards out there.
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Chapter 7: How did the hosts feel about the impact of Tomlin's departure?
If there's a card to be had, go to the podcast.
They barely do, but these guys were immortals, all of them, in their own right, one way or another, and thereby achieved status of having a card. Typically, they don't have coach cards. Like, Noel didn't have a card until after his playing or after his coaching career. But this was a story of the week, so we're going to commemorate it. We'll see who the next coach is.
Maybe we'll have a card for him.
There's got to be a photo, Bob, out there, or maybe a few of ā when did Chuck Knoll pass away? 2014, was it, I think? There's got to be a photo out there of him, Tomlin, and Cowher together, right?
Oh, I'm sure there is.
You can imagine? I'm sure there is. Now, I know that Chuck wasn't well for a number of years late in his life. So, actually, I wonder if there is a photo out there of those three.
You know, I haven't seen one. I have a really nice studio shot that was done by the Steelers organization of Cowher with Noel. I don't have one with Tomlin in the picture.
Well, you've come through again here, General, with an unbelievable Cards of the Week. We appreciate it. We'll talk to you next week.
Yes, sir. You guys have a good day. Take care. Thank you. See you.
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Chapter 8: What final thoughts did the hosts share about the future of the Steelers?
You should have seen, I went out, I wanted to get cards for people around Christmas, some of them very obscure, and he just comes up with them in a matter of seconds. How do you keep track of millions of cards? I don't know.
And there are millions of cards. It's really, it's amazing. It's like a fortress of cards over there.