Former NFL coaching great Buddy Ryan has died.
Advertisement
So perhaps today, football fans shouldn’t only remember Ryan as the coach who brought the relentless 46 defense into the NFL, because he also inspired some great 1980s music.
James Solano, Buddy Ryan’s agent, told ESPN that Ryan died in Kentucky, where he lived on a ranch in Shelbyville, but did not give a cause.
The 1985 Chicago Bears won the Super Bowl with Ryan as an autonomous defensive coordinator, carried off the field on the shoulders of his players, the only man who ever scared Mike Ditka, if just a little.
Buddy Ryan, the legendary National Football League coach, has passed away. He took the same gig with the New York Jets in 1968 and held that position through the 1975 season, winning Super Bowl III in 1969. “The reason I bought in Kentucky, I was living in NY and coaching with the Jets, and I’d drive home through Kentucky to Oklahoma, particularly during the month of June which we got off (from work)”. “If he felt he wasn’t making a difference, then his career as a professional coach would be short”. They didn’t stop offenses; they routed them.
Within three seasons, Buddy and the Eagles went 10-6 won the NFC East and made it to the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs in 1988, where the team was upended by Ryan’s former team, the Bears. Cowboys kicker Luis Zendejas claimed Ryan put a $200 bounty on him, something Ryan laughed off as ridiculous. Ryan later was head coach of the Cardinals, going 12-20 over two seasons.
FILE – In this October 7, 2011, file photo, President Barack Obama stands with the 1985 Super Bowl XX Champions Chicago Bears football team during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington.
During his time as a player in Stillwater, Buddy Ryan was part of the 1953 squad that tied for the Missouri Valley Conference championship his sophomore year.
With such an impressive resume and tenure, it’s no wonder Ryan’s children also found a home coaching defense for teams. That was how fiercely his players loved him, which is a level of caring and respect we may never again see between today’s players and coaches.
Buddy Ryan always had big plans, hatched in Frederick and spread throughout football.
Advertisement
Ryan’s passion for the game often made him a divisive figure. Mike Ditka, hired in 1982 by George Halas, retained Ryan, but the two weren’t really fond of one another during their stint together.
