Dick Jauron, Former Bears Coach, Dies at 74
A Pioneering Coach and Player, Jauron Left Lasting Legacy in the NFL
Longtime NFL player and coach Dick Jauron, who led the Chicago Bears to the playoffs and was voted AP coach of the year in 2001, died on Saturday. He was 74.
A Life of Football
Jauron was a two-sport star at Yale in the early 1970s, and he was drafted by both the Detroit Lions in the NFL draft and the St. Louis Cardinals in the Major League Baseball amateur draft. He ultimately made football his lifelong pursuit, beginning with five seasons as a defensive back in Detroit and three more with Cincinnati before his retirement in 1980.
A Coaching Career
The well-liked Jauron moved into coaching, and five years later was hired by the Buffalo Bills as a defensive backs coach. He went on to coach defensive backs in Green Bay and became friends with Andy Reid, who was an assistant offensive line and tight ends coach.
A Stint with the Chicago Bears
In 1995, Jauron was hired by Tom Coughlin as the defensive coordinator for the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars, and he parlayed success there into the head coaching job in Chicago. Jauron had just one winning record in five seasons with the Bears, winning the NFC North in 2001 before losing to the Eagles — then coached by Reid — in the divisional round of the playoffs.
A Later Career
Jauron was fired in 2003 and became the defensive coordinator in Detroit, where he served as the interim coach for five games in 2005. He spent the next four seasons as the head coach in Buffalo but never had a winning record.
A Legacy
Jauron finished with a 60-82 record and one playoff berth over parts of 10 seasons as a head coach. His death came just two days after the Bears announced the death of Virginia Halas McCaskey, who inherited the franchise from her father, George Halas, and spent four-plus decades as the principal owner.
FAQs
* What was Dick Jauron’s cause of death?
+ Not specified
* How old was Dick Jauron when he died?
+ 74
* What was Dick Jauron’s most notable achievement as a coach?
+ Leading the Chicago Bears to the playoffs and being voted AP coach of the year in 2001
* What was Dick Jauron’s coaching career span?
+ Parts of 10 seasons as a head coach
* What was Dick Jauron’s record as a head coach?
+ 60-82 record and one playoff berth
