The Pittsburgh Steelers have had just three head coaches since 1969: Chuck Noll (’69-’91), Bill Cowher (’92-’06) and Mike Tomlin (’07-present). During that same period, the Denver Broncos have had 16 head coaches (including three interim coaches).
The Steelers are an anomaly — most NFL teams would love to have that kind of continuity at head coach, but finding the right man for the job is a difficult task at the highest level of football.
Denver found the perfect candidate in 2015 when they hired Gary Kubiak. He immediately won a Super Bowl in his first season with the team, but he stepped down just one season later for health reasons.
Since then, the Broncos have had five new coaches (including one interim coach). Sean Payton is the latest man to hold the job, and fans in Denver will hope he keeps the role longer than his predecessors.
Kubiak was the team’s fourth coach after Mike Shanahan won back-to-back Super Bowls. Payton will now aim to follow up in his footsteps and become the team’s third coach to win a title.