On Friday night, Mike Tomlin set aside his usual Pittsburgh Steelers gear in favor of a University of Georgia sweatshirt as he proudly watched his daughter, Harley, participate in a gymnastics meet for the Bulldogs.

After the Steelers’ playoff defeat to the Houston Texans earlier in the week, Tomlin took a break from his football duties. Steelers owner Art Rooney II explained to the media that Tomlin intended to spend more time with his family, engaging in activities he hadn’t been able to enjoy for many years.

That Friday evening in Athens, Georgia, Tomlin had the chance to immerse himself in family life as he cheered on Harley, who competed in the balance beam and floor exercise events against SEC rival Louisiana State University.

Tomlin was captured on camera beaming with pride and celebrating with a fist pump when Harley achieved a 9.825 on the balance beam, securing ninth place for the evening. The sophomore gymnast matched this score in the floor exercise, equaling her best performance of the season thus far.

The University of Georgia Bulldogs emerged victorious in the meet, improving their record to 2-0 for the season. Their next challenge will be against the University of Oklahoma Sooners next Friday in Norman, Oklahoma, though it remains uncertain if Tomlin will be in attendance once again.

Tomlin has avoided the media since his decision to leave the NFL, although his wife Kiya has filled the void by praising her husband’s performance over 19 years in Pittsburgh.

Kiya and Mike Tomlin are pictured in their Georgia gear as Harley competes against LSU

Harley Tomlin is pictured before her floor exercise routine in Friday’s meet against LSU 

Georgia Bulldogs gymnast Harley Tomlin is pictured alongside her father Mike 

‘As many of you are aware, my husband has stepped down from his position as Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers,’ Kiya wrote on Instagram. ‘I want to take a moment to share something from my heart.

‘I am incredibly proud of all he has accomplished, both on and off the field. Over the past few days, the messages and testimonies shared by current and former players – the men who knew him best – have been deeply moving. They’ve affirmed what I’ve always known to be true about his purpose and character.

‘His mission began long before the titles and headlines, back when we first met in college, and it has never wavered.

‘From the very beginning, his purpose was clear: to help young men become great individuals. Coaching and fatherhood became the avenues through which he lived out that calling.

‘To me, the men who passed through his locker rooms over more than 30 years of coaching, our own children, and the hundreds of young people across the region he personally poured into – that is his true legacy.

‘They are his coaching tree, and that is the achievement we are most proud of.’

Kiya went on to thank the city of Pittsburgh for the ‘warm reception our family has received over the past 19 years.’

She and Tomlin share three children, including boys Michael Dean and Mason.  Unfortunately for his sons, Tomlin’s child depth chart has a clear No. 1.

‘Even my boys know that Harley is my favorite,’ Tomlin wrote in 2020 while sharing some father-daughter pics on social media. 

Harley Tomlin is now a sophomore at one of the top gymnastics programs in the country

Mike Tomlin is pictured with his daughter Harley as they met then-Democratic Presidential Candidate Senator Barack Obama, his wife, Michelle, and vice presidential nominee Joe Biden

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin carries his daughter Harley after winning Super Bowl XLIII

Mike Tomlin’s wife Kiya paid an emotional tribute to her husband after his Steelers departure

Kiya and Tomlin share three children, including boys Michael Dean and Mason

Tomlin led the Steelers to Super Bowl glory in 2009, but their 30-6 loss to the Texans in the wild-card round gave Pittsburgh is seventh-consecutive playoff defeat — the longest active streak in the league.

The ‘Fire Tomlin!’ chants that initially popped up during a late-November loss to the Buffalo Bills were heard again Monday night as Acrisure Stadium emptied.

Tomlin initially brushed off questions about the future on Monday night. He still had up to two more years on his contract and finished his postgame remarks by stressing he ‘always feels optimistic’ about their ability to put together a contender.

But now he’s gone and Tomlin’s long spell in charge means the Steelers are looking for just their fourth head coach since 1969.