Confirming what has been speculated for some time, Bill Cowher officially announced his resignation as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday.  The Steelers finished the season a disappointing  8-8 , after last year's phenomenal three play off wins on the road and winning the Super Bowl as a sixth seed.   From the start of the season, there were signs of his upcoming departure including when he told the team in the spring he was uncertain of his plans after this seaason, last summer's contract extension talks not progressing past the preliminary phase and the end of season meetings that were shorter and far more emtional than usual.  Yesterday put an end to the guessing of "when".

"History will look back on Bill Cowher as one of the great coaches of all time," Steelers chairman Dan Rooney said.  The 49-year old Cowher, who has one year left on his contract, was one of the most recognizable faces in the NFL.  He was also only the second Steelers coach since 1969, following Chuck Noll who coached 23 seasons.

Although Cowher has  talked about  leaving to spend more time with his family, including wife Kaye and his youngest daughter who is a sophomore in high school,  at their new home in Raleigh, North Carolina, he insists he is not done with football and the NFL.  "Do I looked burned out?" Cowher asked at a recent news conference.  If anyone wanted to hire him to coach next year, they would have to work out terms of compensation with the Steelers.  However, several team players said they felt he wouldn't coach anyone next year if he didn't coach the Steelers. 

What happens down the road, however, remains to be seen.