“He bled black and gold as a kid”: Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger vouches for Pittsburgh head coach Mike McCarthy

Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has big shoes to fill in Pittsburgh after Mike Tomlin’s departure following 19 years. Steelers Nation holds deep love and boundless respect for Tomlin. He has an impeccable 19-year streak of non-losing seasons with 193 wins, 114 losses, and two ties.

Imagining someone capable of filling those shoes and representing Steelers Nation seems almost impossible. If someone from the Pittsburgh team vouched for the new head coach, maybe then Steelers Nation would consider it. That is where two-time Super Bowl champion Ben Roethlisberger steps in.

Ben Roethlisberger wants Mike McCarthy to be given a chance

“Do you think that was the biggest issue with McCarthy? Is that his age? Like from the fans’ perspective.” Roethlisberger said on his Footbahlin podcast. “There’s Pittsburgh ties there, that should trump a lot of things. I know people want this overhaul, and this new guy...

He [McCarthy] is a new breath in the sense that his message is gonna be completely different. He bled black and gold as a kid. Isn’t that all you want for a head coach? A guy that went to that school. To me, that trumps so much! I might take a guy, as a head coach of this team, that has a heart and bleeds for this team more than a guy that is just this offensive-minded genius…

There’s something about that that people are not getting. They just want this whole new shakeup… I think people are nuts. Give this guy a chance. He’s got a proven track record… I’m mad that people don’t give this guy a chance because he wants this job. I want everyone to call in and tell me how wrong they were in three years.”

Mike McCarthy background and connection with Aaron Rodgers

McCarthy was born and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His mother was a secretary and worked in restaurants. His father was a firefighter. He attended Bishop Boyle High School and went to Baker University, where he was a two-time all-conference tight end for the Baker Wildcats. In 1987, after going undrafted, he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

McCarthy’s football coaching journey began at Fort Hays State in 1987 as a graduate assistant. He then served as a graduate assistant for the Pittsburgh Panthers college football team, where he also served as a wide receivers coach.

The 62-year-old coach entered the NFL as an offensive quality control coach for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1993. He was the Chiefs’ quarterbacks coach for three years, until 1998. Then, the same position for the Green Bay Packers in 1999. He became the New Orleans Saints’ offensive coordinator in 2000 and served for four years.

He was the Saints’ offensive coordinator for a year, then in 2006, he was promoted to head coach of the Green Bay Packers. There, he met Pittsburgh Steelers former quarterback Aaron Rodgers [now a free agent]. Reportedly, McCarthy expressed a strong desire for Rodgers to return as his quarterback.

McCarthy coached the Packers until 2018. He took a coaching break in the 2019 NFL season. Then for four years, he served as head coach of the Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys, led by signal-caller Dak Prescott.

The Super Bowl XLV champion spent the 2025 season away from coaching, which was when Rodgers joined Pittsburgh. On Jan. 24, 2026, he was hired as the Steelers’ 17th head coach. His record as head coach is 174-112-2.


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