Buddy Ryan 1934-2016

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• published: 28 Jun 2016
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James David "Buddy" Ryan (February 17, 1934 – June 28, 2016) was an American football defensive coordinator and head coach in the National Football League (NFL). During his 35-season coaching career, Ryan served as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals, and the defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears and Houston Oilers of the NFL. Ryan was born and raised in a small, agricultural-based community outside of Frederick, Oklahoma. Ryan played college football for Oklahoma A&M; University (now Oklahoma State) where he earned four letters as a guard between 1952 and 1955. He served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Ryan began his coaching career at Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Texas in 1957 as an assistant coach under Dub Wooten. When Wooten became head coach at Marshall Texas High School in 1959, Ryan was promoted to head coach at Gainesville. Gainesville was his only head coach position until he was hired by the Philadelphia Eagles 25 years later. In 1961, after completing service in the military, Ryan was determined to continue coaching football when he returned, and not at the high school ranks. However, with so many great coaches already in Texas, college jobs were hard to find. It was Carl Speegle, a former coach of Ryans who would contact an old friend up in Buffalo named Dick Offenhamer. The head coach was not only in search of a defensive line coach, but he was also preparing for the programs first season at the D-I level. 'If you want a good football coach, you ought to talk to this guy.' Hired on sight, Ryan took his first step towards a legendary coaching career. From 1962-65, his defense would go on to rank among the national leaders, posting 12 shutouts in that span as well as producing the distinguished football career of NY Jets and AFL legend Gerry Philbin. It was in 1964 that Buffalo Bills head coach, Lou Saben was reported to have offered Ryan a similar job with the Bills, but a $2000 raise from UB would keep Ryan put. At least until 1965 when Ryan would take a job at Pacific, before finishing his college coaching career the following season with Vanderbilt, With the AFL's Jets, his and Walt Michaels' defensive game plan was instrumental in holding the NFL's Baltimore Colts to seven points in Super Bowl III and earning Ryan his first Super Bowl ring. In the mid-1970s Ryan served as defensive line coach for the Minnesota Vikings where he was integral in directing the team's dominating defense. The defensive unit known as the "Purple People Eaters", was heralded for the defensive line's ability to punish rivals. Their motto was to "meet at the quarterback." This unit helped the Vikings to post-season appearances from 1973 to 1978, including three appearances in the Super Bowl - two of those seasons with Ryan as defensive line coach. In 1978, George Halas brought in Ryan as defensive coordinator. With the Bears, Ryan created the 46 defense, but it wasn't until 1985 that the scheme was perfected. This was due in large part because of Mike Singletary's ability to single-handedly dominate the middle of the field. He became a household name of sorts in the mid-1980s. Then Bears head coach Neill Armstrong was fired in 1982. Mike Ditka was hired as the head coach. Ryan and Ditka "feuded openly", though Ditka "delegated the defense to Buddy and left him in charge." However the team would go on to Super Bowl XX where they would dominate the New England Patriots 46–10. The Bears defense carried Ryan off the field on their shoulders right behind Mike Ditka who was also being carried off the field. After the Bears won Super Bowl XX that followed the 1985 regular season in which their defense set several NFL records, Ryan was hired by the Philadelphia Eagles as their head coach. Ryan's tenure in Philadelphia was not without its fair share of controversies. On October 25, 1987 he came under fire after a game against the Dallas Cowboys by scoring a touchdown in the final seconds, when the outcome was no longer in doubt. On November 22, 1989 Ryan found himself at the center of yet another scandal, when Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson alleged Ryan had taken out a "bounty" on two Cowboys players—then-current Dallas (and former Philadelphia) placekicker Luis Zendejas and quarterback Troy Aikman —in a game dubbed "Bounty Bowl" played on Thanksgiving Day at Texas Stadium. Ryan was fired by the Eagles in 1991 after going 43–38–1 in five seasons, a total that included an 0–3 record in playoff games. Ryan became the defensive coordinator in 1993, and his defensive team helped propel the Oilers to an 11-game winning streak at the end of the 1993 NFL season. After being given a large share of the credit for the success in Houston in 1993, he was named head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 1994. Ryan passed away on June 28, 2016, at the age of 82.