The Dapper Dan Dinner and Sports Auction every year likes to honor a Sportsman of the Year, and that has, often enough, been a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Last year, for example, it was James Conner, and this year, as I wrote about yesterday, it will be Cameron Heyward.
But they hand out other awards, as well, and one will be given to head coach Mike Tomlin this year. That will be the Freddie Fu Leadership Award. And rarely has Tomlin’s leadership ever been tested more than over the course of this past season, somehow willing the team to an 8-8 record despite some catastrophic injuries, and that following a traumatic offseason that even included the death of a coach during training camp.