Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has officially become the longest-tenured head coach among the major professional North American sports leagues.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who had been on a medical leave since suffering a stroke in November, officially stepped down on Friday. He will remain in the San Antonio organization as president of basketball operations.
Including the 2024-25 campaign, Popovich spent 29 seasons as the head coach of the Spurs. He won five NBA championships and was a three-time NBA Coach of the Year.
With Popovich stepping aside, Tomlin is now the king of the hill when it comes to North American pro coaches. He is entering his 19th season as the coach of the Steelers, with 18 consecutive non-losing seasons to start his career. He became the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL when Bill Belichick left the New England Patriots in 2024.
John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens is right on Tomlin’s heels. He’s been in his current post since 2008, one year less than Tomlin. Andy Reid has been with the Kansas City Chiefs for 12 seasons, with his 13th on tap for this fall.
Erik Spolestra of the Miami Heat now becomes the longest-tenured NBA coach after the retirement of Popovich. He was hired in April 2008, three months after Harbaugh.
Jon Cooper of the NHL is the oldest-running hockey coach in one spot. He’s been with the Tampa Bay Lightning since 2013, two months after Reid.
Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors is the second-longest-running NBA coach, having been hired in May 2014. No other current NBA coach has had a tenure of longer than five seasons.
The MLB manager with the longest tenure with his squad currently is Kevin Cash, who was hired by the Tampa Bay Rays in December 2014. The following November, Dave Roberts took over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Jared Bednar of the Colorado Avalanche and Brian Snitker of the Atlanta Braves round out the top 10. They were both hired in 2016. The longest-tenured head coach in MLS, Brian Smetzer of the Seattle Sounders, is 11th on the list.
There’s a big gap between the top three and the rest of the field in the NFL. After Reid, it’s a four-year gap to 2017 hires Sean McDermott, Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan.
Tomlin may be the cream of the crop right now, but he has a long way to go to reach NFL history. The longest-tenured head coach with one team in the history of the league is 29 years, with Green Bay Packers legend Curly Lambeau and Dallas Cowboys icon Tom Landry sharing that mark. Don Shula of the Miami Dolphins (26 years), Belichick and Steve Owen of the New York Giants (24) and Chuck Noll of the Steelers (23) follow on that list before Tomlin’s 19 seasons. This fall, he will pass Bud Grant of the Minnesota Vikings for an outright hold on seventh place all-time.
