Source: George Gojkovich / Getty
Former NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer died Monday night after batting Alzheimer’s disease for several years. He was 77.
Schottenheimer was moved to a hospice facility near his home in Charlotte, North Carolina on Jan. 30 after recently suffering a severe decline in health.
The longtime head coach for 21 seasons spent time with four NFL franchises. Schottenheimer moved over from being the Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator to their head coach in 1984. The team went 44-27 in five seasons under Schottenheimer, along with four straight playoff appearances. The impressive run included back-to-back AFC Championship losses to the Denver Broncos in 1986 and 1987.
Schottenheimer moved on to his most recognizable role with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1989. He would spend a decade in the midwest, leading the Chiefs to seven playoff appearances. From there, he made a stop in the nation’s capital for a season with the Washington Football Team before heading to San Diego to spend five seasons with the Chargers until 2006.
He posted a 205-139-1 career record, including 13 playoff appearances throughout his career.
Schottenheimer coached in three AFC Championship Games, two with the Browns and one with the Chiefs, but never made a Super Bowl. Prior to his coaching days, Schottenheimer played six seasons in the AFL/NFL as a linebacker for the Buffalo Bills and Boston Patriots in the 1960’s
Marty passed along his coaching expertise to his son, Brian Schottenheimer, who recently became the Jacksonville Jaguars’ passing-game coordinator after previously serving as offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks
