Bill Cowher, the Super Bowl XL winning coach of the Steelers, is now a permanent fixture in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Cowher was enshrined Saturday night in front of a primarily black-and-gold clad crowd in Canton, Ohio.
"Playing football is about camaraderie and having each other's backs," Cowher said. "It's all about building relationships and friendships through the workouts, the practices, the games, and all the time we spend together."
Cowher is the 20th all-time winningest coach in NFL history, having racked up 149 wins in Pittsburgh and claiming victory in over 62 percent of the games the coached.
The leader of the Steelers from 1992-2006, Cowher was named AP NFL Coach of the Year in his first season. 14 years later, he helped bring Pittsburgh its fifth Super Bowl title, when the Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks in Detroit.
"When I came to Pittsburgh at the age of 34, I knew the tradition and expectation of the Pittsburgh Steelers. What I didn't knew was how it worked on the inside, and who were the Rooneys.
"The Rooney family core values were always about family, community and 'just do the right thing.' And isn't that what this Hall of Fame family is all about? Let's use this platform to make a difference."
Following his coaching career, the Crafton native joined CBS and has been a studio analyst on The NFL Today since.
During his speech, Cowher thanked those who coached him, who he worked alongside of, and the players who played for him.
"Thank you for all your sacrifice, commitment and trust," said Cowher to his former players, several of whom were in attendance. "As a coach, you ask people to trust. What is trust? Trust is something you have to earn, trust is unconditional. And trust can be powerful.
"To each and every one of you, whatever role you played, I want you to know that it never went unappreciated. You are a reflection of our culture."
Cowher highlighted those who could not be in attendance, including late Steelers linebacker Kevin Greene, NFL coaching great Marty Schottenheimer and, most emotionally, Cowher's late wife, Kaye, who passed away in 2010 following a battle with skin cancer.
"It takes a special partner to be a coach's wife," said Cowher, who remarried in 2014. "To my late wife Kaye, and our three daughters… We were a very insulated family. Kaye was the rock. She was a great partner. And you three girls gave me the balance and perspective and drive to succeed. I just want to make you proud to say that I was your father."
Two of Cowher's former players, Troy Polamalu and Alan Faneca, are part of this weekend's Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Canton.
"What a weekend for the Pittsburgh Steelers," Cowher exclaimed. "It is unbelievable to me to go into the Hall of Fame in the same weekend as two guys you drafted."
Ten former assistant coaches or players of Cowher's have moved on to become NFL head coaches.
