According to Hunter Muro of steelersdepot.com on Friday, the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League officially announced Omar Khan as their new general manager. The Steelers were in need of a change at general manager because Kevin Colbert announced his retirement on May 1. Colbert had been the Steelers general manager since 2010.
Khan, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, is 45 years old. The hiring of Khan is an interesting one because his father is from India, and his mother is from Honduras. He was named the Steelers GM after former late Steelers owner Dan Rooney was instrumental in forming the Rooney Rule in 2003, which required all National Football League teams interview a minority candidate for a head coaching position. Khan is not a head coach, but is in charge of the Steelers’ head coach.
The Steelers, have been a NFL leader in hiring ethnic minorities over the years. Their current head coach is Mike Tomlin is African-American, and in the offseason, Pittsburgh hired former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores as their defensive assistant and linebackers coach. Flores is also African-American.
Khan initially worked in football operations for the New Orleans Saints in his native city of New Orleans. He was with the Saints from 1997 to 2001, before joining the Steelers in 2001 as their football administration co-ordinator. Khan held that role from 2001 to 2011, before taking on the responsibilities of director of football administration (2011 to 2016), and vice president of football and business administration (2016 to 2021). Twice while Khan was the Steelers’ football administration co-ordinator, the Steelers won the Super Bowl. In 2006, the Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-10. In 2009, the Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23.
For FREE!
