PITTSBURGH, PA.—Cliff Epperson, help desk support plankton at UPMC, was tired of incrementally climbing the corporate ladder of the IT world, only to find he would be knocked down a few pegs at performance review time. In nearly 15-years, the lifelong Bellevue resident has never climbed out of the 30s—salary-wise or out of his parent's wood-paneled basement—despite boasting a robust 2.8 GPA from Slippery Rock University. 

When it comes to success for head coaches in the NFL, many factors come into play—talent, strategy, and even a bit of luck—such as Mike Tomlin inheriting Ben Roethlisberger as QB1.