Sophia
FRISCO, Texas – As the 2025 NFL season kicks off this Thursday night with a highly anticipated clash between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles, Brian Schottenheimer will realize a lifelong ambition: becoming an NFL head coach. This momentous occasion marks a new chapter in a career steeped in football legacy, a journey he’s navigated with the quiet guidance of a close family friend and NFL legend, Bill Cowher.
A Dream Realized Against Parental Wishes
“It’s been a lifelong dream,” Schottenheimer declared at his introductory press conference on January 28th. This aspiration, nurtured since childhood, surprisingly went against the initial desires of his parents. His father, Marty Schottenheimer, the eighth-winningest coach in NFL history with 200 victories across 21 seasons, and his mother, Pat, had hoped he would pursue almost any other path.
“Someone told me this cute story. They said they told my dad, they said ‘hey is Brian getting into coaching?’ He goes, ‘yeah, I’m trying to talk him out of it. I don’t want him to, and his mom sure doesn’t want him to do it.’ But I did,” Schottenheimer recounted. “I think it was his really good friend Bill Cowher that said a year or two later, ‘Marty, you’re missing the boat.’ He said ‘the fact that Brian got into coaching is a compliment to you because you made it fun for him. He respects you, and he’s following in your footsteps.'”
Leaning on a Hall of Fame Mentor
There’s nothing Schottenheimer wishes he could do more than to call his father the day before his first regular-season game as a head coach. However, Marty passed away in 2021 at the age of 77 after a battle with Alzheimer’s. Instead, Brian will likely dial Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach and The NFL Today analyst, Bill Cowher.
“I’ve been thinking about this really my whole life, as a professional, what I wanted to do, but there’s things that come up every day and I kind of wish my dad was still here. I’d reach out to him,” Schottenheimer shared during organized team activities (OTAs) on May 29th. “I think that one of the things that happens is when you build relationships like I’ve built over my career and try to do things the right way that these guys are open and willing to help, and that’s great. There’s guys like Bill Cowher, who is a close family friend. Huge associate of my dad’s. There’s guys like that that I can talk to, but at the end of the day, we’ve got some incredible people in this building that I’ll lean on as well starting with Jerry, Stephen and Will. But yeah, I’ve talked to other head coaches quite a bit.”
The bond between the Schottenheimer and Cowher families runs deep. Marty Schottenheimer coached for 21 seasons, leaving his mark on the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington, and the Chargers. Cowher’s NFL coaching journey began under Marty’s tutelage as a special teams coach for the Browns in 1985, after playing linebacker for him when Schottenheimer was defensive coordinator. Cowher followed Marty to Kansas City as his defensive coordinator before being hired as the Steelers’ head coach in 1992, where he built a Super Bowl-winning, Hall of Fame career.
Grief, Pride, and a Father’s Legacy
Reflecting on Father’s Day this year, Brian openly discussed his ongoing grief over Marty’s passing and the special connection he shares with Cowher.
“You’re going there, huh? (pause for choking back tears) I know he’s proud. I miss him. I would tell him that I used all the life lessons that he taught me, not just about football but about life and being a good man and a good husband and a good father. I think I’m doing OK for myself,” Schottenheimer said on June 12th. “I know he’s proud. I miss him like crazy. I actually lean on some of his friends now. Guys like Bill Cowher, that he coached with. But Father’s Day will be a special day. Obviously a father of two amazing kids. I’ll talk to my mom and I know he’s looking down on me. I appreciate you making me get teared up here on the last day of minicamp.”
Cowher, witnessing Brian’s leadership during the recent Micah Parsons contract saga, expressed his confidence in the new head coach. “I think he’s gonna do great. I knew Brian from working during my days with Marty, and Marty gave me my first chance. I saw Brian play in high school and play at Kansas City, but he also went down and was around Steve Spurrier [at Florida] — so he’s been around the passing game. He came to the NFL and was an assistant for all these years [25 years],” Cowher told CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr on August 12th. “He’s got just a great history of the game, great respect for the game. I think the players around him respect that. I’m just glad he’s getting an opportunity. … I think he’ll be fine.”
A Steady Hand in the Locker Room
Dallas Pro Bowl tight end Jake Ferguson confirmed the reason behind Schottenheimer’s early respect from the locker room: his unwavering consistency. Schottenheimer has spent his early tenure connecting with players – having dinners, encouraging friendly competition, and attending philanthropic events. Ferguson, who has seen Schottenheimer in three different roles (consultant, non-play calling offensive coordinator, and now head coach and offensive play caller), values this stability.
“I think he’s been true to who he is as a coach. I can appreciate that to see him, and there hasn’t been so much change. There hasn’t been like he’s laid [back] at the beginning of OTAs, and he’s screaming now. He’s been the same throughout,” Ferguson said on Tuesday. “I can appreciate that, and that’s awesome because I know what I can expect from him. He knows what he can expect from me. It’s sort of that relationship that every player has to have with their coach.”
Embodying the Cowher-Schottenheimer Philosophy
Schottenheimer draws heavily from the coaching philosophies of both his father and Cowher, emphasizing physicality and winning at the line of scrimmage.
“Yeah, he’s [Cowher] a family friend, longtime family friend. He and my dad were very, very close. He looked up to my father as a mentor, and I try to use Bill any chance I get. I just appreciate him. I love the way his teams played. His teams were very, very physical. His teams were great at taking the football away,” Schottenheimer explained on August 11th at training camp in Oxnard, California. “A lot of things that we believe in and that I believe in come from Marty Schottenheimer, Bill Cowher: winning the line of scrimmage, being multiple, all those things. It’s not like we talk every week, but he’s definitely someone I know that when I have questions or issues or something that maybe I would have reached out to my dad or somebody else. I’d like to go back and get somebody like that, a Super Bowl champion head coach that’s been through the fire.”
Earning His Stripes: A Quarter-Century in the NFL
It’s understandable why Schottenheimer would lean on a resource like Cowher. The 51-year-old is determined to succeed in his first NFL head coaching job after 25 seasons as an assistant, 14 of which were spent as an offensive coordinator.
“Sometimes you end up at the right place at the right time. Sometimes, I think you see the son of a great coach, and you think he’s here not because of his name but because of his father. I think Brian has earned his stripes,” Cowher stated. “He’s earned his right to get an opportunity to become a head coach. He’s been a coordinator, he’s been a position coach, he’s been with multiple organizations, so he’s earned the right.”
Schottenheimer’s impressive track record as an offensive coordinator highlights his experience:
| Season | Team | PPG | NFL Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | SEA | 28.7 | 8th |
| 2019 | SEA | 25.3 | 9th |
| 2018 | SEA | 26.8 | 6th |
| 2014 | STL | 20.3 | 21st |
| 2013 | STL | 21.8 | 21st |
| 2012 | STL | 18.7 | 25th |
| 2011 | NYJ | 23.6 | 13th |
| 2010 | NYJ | 22.9 | 13th |
| 2009 | NYJ | 21.8 | 17th |
| 2008 | NYJ | 25.3 | 9th |
| 2007 | NYJ | 22.2 | 25th |
| 2006 | NYJ | 19.8 | 18th |
The Message: Play Free, Have Fun
Now that Schottenheimer has earned the right to be an NFL head coach, he’s carefully crafting his message to ignite his Cowboys against the defending Super Bowl champions in Philadelphia. This is still a work in progress, as many things are for a first-year head coach.
“It’s actually funny I caught myself doing this the other day. … I kind of called the team up and got a little fiery and excited about playing the Eagles and primetime and all that stuff and I went to bed that night, I was like, ‘What are you doing? You know better than that,’ because honestly the way we approach things is every game we play is just another championship opportunity,” Schottenheimer explained. “We get the chance to go out there against the Eagles. You don’t get extra credit for beating the Eagles in Philly on prime time than you do for beating the Giants at noon in AT&T Stadium.”
Schottenheimer’s core message to his players, and to himself, is simple: stay loose and have fun. “What I don’t want these guys to do, and I think the coaches are a big part of this: is go in there and try so hard. ‘Grr, playing the Eagles, I’m going to try too hard.’ They’re going to make mistakes if they do that. Play free. It’s football. Fly around. Love being around your brothers, man. Run to the football. Celebrate. Have fun,” Schottenheimer emphasized. “It’s going to be pretty consistent throughout the course of the deal. We’re guaranteed 17 of these. This is the first one of them. I think our guys will play well. But again, that’s kind of going to be the message most weeks.”
As Schottenheimer steps onto the sideline for his debut, he carries the legacy of his father, the wisdom of his mentor, and a clear vision for his team: play with passion, but always remember to have fun.
