NFL coaches are known to be incredibly detail-oriented, spending long hours designing plays and strategies to help their teams conquer their opponents.
For former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, that level of dedication apparently also transferred over to Minecraft.
Tomlin, who helmed the Steelers for 19 years and never once had a losing season, revealed the city that he has spent the past 12-13 years designing in creative mode of Minecraft.
Before the start of the 2026 NFL season, Tomlin — who is in his first as an NFL commentator for NBC after stepping down from the Steelers — revealed in an interview that his biggest hobby is creating in the ultra-popular video game.
The revelation took many fans aback and after the comments went viral, Tomlin promised one day to unveil his biggest build. That day came on Wednesday.
Tomlin streamed Episode 1 of a series in which he will fully reveal his city, with more to come in the future.
“In this episode, I discuss why I decided to start the Minecraft City, followed by an examination of the first building downtown and other key rooftop properties,” Tomlin wrote in the video’s description.
How good is Tomlin’s Minecraft city?
During the stream, the former coach showed a massive city that is built around a lake and river, featuring many highly detailed high-rise buildings with intricate interiors and lighting setups.
“Lighting was a challenge 12 years ago,” Tomlin said during the stream, drawing compliments from fellow players that knew about that struggle.
During the 20-minute stream, Tomlin showed off many different painstaking details around the city – including stadiums, aquariums, rooftop amenities and a speakeasy.
He also noted that it certainly was not all fun and games, especially when it came to developing land.
“I’d have to blow up mountains and hills and so forth to redevelop land around it. That was at times tedious work and not fun,” he said.
Did Tomlin seriously make a Trump Tower?
One structure that caught many viewers off guard as a massive, high-rise Trump Tower.
Tomlin, however, explained that it was built it in 2015 and in no way an endorsement of the U.S. President, adding that he didn’t expect Donald Trump to be elected – let alone twice.
Some were skeptical that Tomlin had built the city by himself: “His sensitivity is on negative 5 and he’s running into walls and I’m supposed to believe he built Metropolis?” one user asked on X.
But most seemed downright impressed by what the NBC’s newest analyst had accomplished.
Why did Mike Tomlin get into Minecraft?
Tomlin had previously said that he got into Minecraft as a way to connect with his children. But, as they grew older, the coach stuck with the hobby in his free time.
Mayce, Tomlin’s now 24-year-old son, vouched for his dad’s dedication to his craft.
“Bro I used to come home sometimes and my PlayStation would just be gone. And I wasn’t in trouble,” Mayce posted on X.
Did Minecraft affect Tomlin’s coaching?
But now fans and former players are questioning whether his hobby took his eye off the football.
NFL analyst Warren Sharp broke down Tomlin’s playoff record before and after he started the build – and the numbers are staggering.
During his first seven seasons, Tomlin guided the Steelers to the Super Bowl twice and won once in 2009. The team had a playoff record of 5-3 for a .625 winning percentage.
But from 2014-25, the Steelers went just 3-9 in the playoffs and didn’t make an appearance in the Super Bowl.
“We were tryna win super bowls and coach T was on minecraft building cities,” former star running back Le’Veon Bell posted on X.