PITTSBURGH — The Jaw is gone and fans say Pittsburgh Steelers games just won't be the same without one of the NFL's most recognizable faces pacing the sidelines.

"I'll miss him because he was so animated on the sidelines — with the extension of that jaw," said Woody Gibbs, 53, as he watched Steelers coach Bill Cowher resign on Friday.

"It was so refreshing after Chuck Noll," said Gibbs, as he served customers from behind the bar at the Original Oyster House restaurant downtown.

Cowher, who coached the Steelers to a Super Bowl win last season, said he was stepping aside after 15 seasons to spend more time with his family. Cowher in 1992 replaced Noll, who won four Super Bowls in the 23 seasons he coached the Steelers. Noll and Cowher are the only coaches the team has had since 1969.

Cowher, who grew up in the Pittsburgh suburb of Crafton, led the Steelers to the playoffs 10 times, the AFC Championship game six times and the Super Bowl twice, losing to Dallas in 1996 and beating Seattle in February.

What bound Cowher to fans was his zeal on the sidelines and his work ethic, supporters said.

"His passion for the game came through so clearly," said George Clewer, 60, of McKeesport, as he enjoyed a sandwich Gibbs served him. "I expected him to (resign), but I'm very sorry to see him go. I think he's the right man for the job and still is."

Tim Piett, manager of Honus Wagner Co., a sporting goods store, called Cowher "a real Pittsburgher, like a blue-collar worker."

Despite news reports throughout the week that Cowher would be quitting, Piett said he held out hope the coach would return.

Cowher, Piett said, gave fans hope every season that the team would be playoff-bound. The Steelers ended this season 8-8 and out of the postseason.

"He was very hardworking, like Pittsburghers are," Piett said. "He was very down-to-earth, strict, disciplined, and expected excellence out of all his players. ... I think Pittsburgh's going to miss Coach Cowher a lot."

Steelers fans from all over the country were posting their reactions on local media Web sites.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl thanked Cowher "for being a shining example on and off the field of what is best about our city."

"For an entire generation of Steelers fans, you will always be our coach," said Ravenstahl, 26.

Others, however, were more nonchalant.

"His (resignation) didn't affect me one way or the other," said Steelers fan Bill Weber, 61, of Mount Lebanon. "If he wants to move on, I can't see his value coaching here another year. ... I think the owners will find somebody just as they found somebody when Noll left."

Cowher likely inspired the team, but it will manage without him, said Ray Dominici, 39, a construction worker from the Pittsburgh suburb of Cheswick.

"If he wants to go, he can go. He made his money," Dominici said. "I don't want to see him go, but we'll survive without him."