Bill Cowher is a former professional linebacker, football coach, and sports analyst. Born in Crafton, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Cowher excelled in football, basketball, and track for Carlynton High. At North Carolina State University, he was a starting linebacker, team captain, and team MVP in his senior year.

Cowher served as a head coach in the NFL for 15 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He began his coaching career as an assistant under Marty Schottenheimer for the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs, serving as the latter's defensive coordinator from 1989 to 1991. Cowher was named head coach of the Steelers in 1992, whom he led until retirement following the 2006 season.  Under Cowher, Pittsburgh won eight division titles, two AFC championship games, and Super Bowl XL. Cowher's Super Bowl victory marked the first championship title for the franchise in over two decades. The Steelers appeared in the postseason a total of 10 times with Cowher, including six consecutive appearances from his 1992 hiring to 1997, which made him the second NFL head coach to reach the playoffs during his first six seasons after Paul Brown.

After retiring, he joined The NFL Today as a studio analyst. In July 2010, Cowher was the keynote speaker for National Agents Alliance at their Leadership Conference. He talked about work ethic, leadership and how that transfers into the work force. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.