Mike Tomlin Reveals Himself To Be An Extremely Dedicated Minecraft Player

As it turns out, former NFL head coach Mike Tomlin had a secret hobby that he's been enjoying for over a decade: Playing Minecraft.

by Tzvi Machlin

Sep 8, 2026

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin on the field.

For the first time since the early 1990s, Mike Tomlin will not be coaching on a football sideline. He will be spending the 2026 NFL season as an analyst for NBC. But as it turns out, he’s had a secret hobby that he’s been enjoying for over a decade: Playing Minecraft.

In an interview with TODAY’s Craig Melvin, Tomlin admitted that he’s been playing the hit video game ever since his children were young. He said that he has an entire city that he’s been building up for a whopping 12 years.

“I’m a big Minecrafter,” Tomlin said. “I started playing Minecraft, man, when my kids were young. I have a Minecraft city on creative, man, that I’ve been working on for like 12 years.”

Tomlin said that even after his kids grew up and moved out, he continued working on the city. He said that his kids even ask him to make his city public so others can see it.

“When they come home, they’re like, ‘Hey, Dad, put your city up; let me see what’s up.’ My kids, they’ve taken it from PS3 to PS4 to PS5. They’re into preserving it because they know I don’t have the technical knowledge. But we’ve been talking recently about sharing it with the world. My oldest son is like, ‘Dad, you’ve got to share this with the world. People need to see this city that you’ve been working on for 12 years,” he added.

Tomlin’s Two Jobs

Fans were pretty amused at the idea of Tomlin mixing Minecraft sessions with NFL game-planning:

“12 years on the same city. Even his Minecraft teams get stability,” one user on X declared.

“Desperately need to see Mike Tomlins Minecraft realm,” another fan wrote.

“The thought of Tomlin grinding film then switching over to Minecraft in his den is hilarious,” wrote a third.

Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin before an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Of course, some NFL fans took it a little too seriously, declaring that Tomlin’s Minecraft obsession has been taking away from his coaching and would explain why the team struggled so much in the playoffs during those 12 years.

Well, now that he’s not coaching anymore, maybe Tomlin can finish his city.

At least until he joins a new team in 2027 or later…