Mike Vrabel vs. Mike Macdonald adds a new chapter to Super Bowl same first name history originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Head coaches’ first names don’t usually move the needle in terms of relevance. While names certainly play into identity, more people — from fans to front office — personnel likely care about wins and losses more than a coach’s name.
Super Bowl 60 will feature the New England Patriots taking on the Seattle Seahawks. Both franchises have recently struggled, but new head coaches have taken the reins and brought them back to the top of the mountain, with one win standing between them and the peak of the sport.
While the game marks the 60th Super Bowl in history, it has a little more flair than that. Both head coaches have helped turn around their respective franchises, and they also share the same first name. Mike Vrabel (Patriots) and Mike Macdonald (Seahawks) will add to history as the third instance of opposing head coaches sharing the same first name in the Super Bowl.
Here’s more on how the Super Bowl 60 matchup adds a new chapter to the event’s same-first-name history.
MORE: When did Mike Vrabel play for the Patriots?
Super Bowl coaches with the same first name
Super Bowl 60 will be the third time in NFL history that the opposing head coaches in the Super Bowl share the same first name. Coincidentally, all six coaches have had the first name “Mike.”
Mike Shanahan vs. Mike Holmgren
The first battle of the Mikes came at Super Bowl 32. Mike Shanahan was the head coach of the Denver Broncos, while Mike Holmgren was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. The Broncos won the game 31-24. Green Bay did a good job of containing Denver’s quarterback, John Elway, who finished the game with just 123 yards, no passing touchdowns and an interception.
The Packers could not contain Broncos running back Terrell Davis. He had his way with the Green Bay defense and finished with 157 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries.
MORE: Ranking the 16 greatest Broncos of all-time
Mike Tomlin vs. Mike McCarthy
The second Super Bowl between Mikes occurred at Super Bowl 35. The Pittsburgh Steelers, coached by Mike Tomlin, lost to the Green Bay Packers, coached by Mike McCarthy. As fate would have it, McCarthy would eventually take over as the Steelers’ head coach in 2026, and Tomlin finally resigned. That came years later, though: their Super Bowl meeting was in 2011, and McCarthy took over for Tomlin in 2026.
The Packers won the game 31-25. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who would later play for the Steelers in 2025, finished with 304 passing touchdowns and three touchdowns. Safety Nick Collins had a 37-yard pick-six to end the first quarter that put Green Bay up 14-0 at the time. The Packers never gave up the lead, kicking a 23-yard field goal with 2:10 left in the game to seal the 31-25 win.
MORE: Ranking the greatest Packers of all-time
Mike Vrabel vs. Mike Macdonald
This will be the first head-coaching matchup between Vrabel and Macdonald, and it comes on the biggest stage in the sport. Vrabel was the head coach of the Tennessee Titans from 2018 to 2024. During that time, Macdonald was serving as the Baltimore Ravens‘ linebackers coach (2018 to 2020), the Michigan defensive coordinator (2021), and the Ravens’ defensive coordinator (2022 to 2023). He was hired to be the head coach of the Seahawks ahead of the 2024 season, which was Vrabel’s year away from coaching before getting hired by the Patriots ahead of 2025.