With the resignation of Mike Tomlin, coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL, the Heat coach becomes the longest active on the same bench in the main US professional sports
After the retirement of Gregg Popovich (29 seasons at the Spurs, a record), Erik Spoelstra, 55 years old, at the helm of the Miami Heat since 2008, had become the longest-serving coach on the same NBA bench. In the four main American professional leagues (basketball, football, hockey and baseball) only Mike Tomlin, coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL, had a longer tenure. With Tomlin’s resignation, which came after 19 seasons in Pittsburgh without ever ending a season with a losing record, Spoelstra is now the longest-serving coach ever in top US professional sports. He won two titles, in 2012 and 2013, and reached six NBA finals, four of which with the James-Wade-Bosh trio. And no, it wasn’t just about “managing” champions, but about training them. “I wish I wasn’t the coach with the most consecutive years on the same bench,” said Spoelstra, who also became head coach of the US national team after Steve Kerr. “There are those who may consider it a source of pride. I, however, see it as a great disappointment for this profession: it means that too many coaches are not given the opportunity to go through difficulties and work on them.”
