After much speculation, head coach Bill Cowher reportedly called owner Dan Rooney Thursday to tell him that he wouldn't be returning to the Steelers.

PITTSBURGH — There was no chance Bill Cowher would walk away from the Pittsburgh Steelers without winning a Super Bowl. That became obvious during a long succession of frustrating near-misses that left him one of the most successful NFL coaches without a championship ring.

Once he finally accomplished the goal he set for himself back in 1992, saying goodbye proved much easier.

The Steelers will begin a coaching search today to replace the departing Cowher, a person familiar with Cowher's status told The Associated Press on Thursday night, speaking on condition of anonymity because the coach's departure had not been officially announced.

Cowher called owner Dan Rooney earlier in the day to tell him of his decision, and the team announced a news conference to be held this afternoon not long after that.

The 49-year-old Cowher, one of the NFL's most recognizable faces and successful coaches for 15 seasons, has weighed resigning since shortly after the Steelers finally won the Super Bowl in February.

Once Cowher leaves, one of the NFL's rarest events will occur — a Steelers coaching search. They have had only two coaches since 1969, when they still were playing in Pitt Stadium: Chuck Noll (23 seasons) and Cowher. The Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts have had 15 coaches during that time.

Cowher has talked of wanting to spend more time with his family, especially now that they are living in a new home in Raleigh, N.C., where he and wife Kaye attended North Carolina State. Cowher's two oldest daughters are at Princeton and the youngest has only 2Z\x years of high school remaining, time Cowher apparently doesn't want to spend away from her.

While Cowher would be resigning with one season left on his contract, there is no indication he would retire from pro football. He said he is not weary of coaching or dealing with players.

"Do I looked burned out?" Cowher asked at a recent news conference.

Cowher, who led the Steelers to the playoffs 10 times, the AFC title game six times and the Super Bowl twice, met with Rooney and team president Art Rooney II on Tuesday and asked for several days to weigh his future plans following an 8-8 season. There was an understanding a decision would be made quickly because the Steelers don't want any top candidates accepting other jobs before talking to them.

While the Steelers would have given Cowher until next week to make up his mind, he decided not to make them wait and called Dan Rooney on Thursday.

Two strong contenders to replace Cowher — Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and offensive line coach Russ Grimm — already are in place and are interviewing with other teams. Whisenhunt met Thursday with the Atlanta Falcons.

The team would interview at least one minority candidate, possibly more — Dan Rooney himself led the NFL to adopt rules that minorities would be considered for league openings. The Steelers also are expected to talk with several candidates outside the organization, even though several players are lobbying for Grimm or Whisenhunt to get the job.

The Steelers gave Cowher the option of returning next season and completing his current contract, but that arrangement probably wouldn't have satisfied either side.

Cowher, if he coaches again, has signaled he wants to be one of the league's highest-paid coaches. His current $4 million-plus salary is about half that of Mike Holmgren, whose Seahawks lost to the Steelers in the Super Bowl last season. The Steelers have given no indication they are willing to pay any coach an $8 million salary.

The Steelers also wouldn't welcome a lame-duck coaching situation because it would create a season-long distraction, and ongoing speculation about who Cowher's successor would be.

Cowher is the NFL's longest-tenured coach with his current team; Tennessee's Jeff Fisher, with 13 seasons, is second. Cowher, a former Pittsburgh area high school player, is third among active coaches in regular-season victories with a 149-90-1 record, and fourth overall with a 161-99-1 record counting postseason games.

If he wants to return to a sideline immediately, with another team and at a much higher salary, that team would have to work out compensation with the Steelers because Cowher is under contract for 2007. But several players said they were certain that if Cowher didn't coach the Steelers next season, he would not coach any team.