Former NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer died Monday after treating Alzheimer’s disease for several years. He was 77 years old.
Schottenheimer was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014. He was transferred to a palliative care center near his home in Charlotte, North Carolina, on January 30 due to complications from progressive and irreversible brain disorder.
Schottenheimer was head coach for 21 seasons in the NFL, leading the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington and Chargers.
He set a 205-139-1 record in his career, including the playoffs, which led to his teams in the postseason 13 times. Although Schottenheimer coached in three AFC Championship Games, two with the Browns and one with the Chiefs, he never reached a Super Bowl.
His NFL coaching career ended in 2006 after a 14-2 season with the Chargers and being eliminated in the playoff divisional round.
Hall of Fame runner LaDainian Tomlinson played on the Schottenheimer orders for five seasons with the Chargers and called him “the best coach I’ve ever had.”
“I never got into a game with Marty as a coach feeling like I wasn’t fully prepared to win,” Tomlinson said. “He really wanted you to understand every detail of the game plan. He considered him a real American man. He was a great father figure, and I was lucky that my wife and I got to know him and [su esposa] Pat beyond the typical player-coach relationship. He was a complete human being. He cared more about the man than the athlete. I will remember him more for the life lessons he taught me. “
Schottenheimer also played six seasons as a supporter of the Buffalo Bills (1965 to 1968) and Patriots (1969 to 1970).
He is survived by his wife, Pat, two children, Kristin and Brian, and four grandchildren.
Brian Schottenheimer recently reached an agreement to become the Jacksonville Jaguars ‘aerial game coordinator, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter after serving as the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator.
“We know he looks at us from the sky and smiles,” his daughter said. “We are incredibly proud of the man he was and how he lived his life.”