Former Chicago Bears coach Dick Jauron dies at age 74
Former Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills coach Dick Jauron died on Saturday at the age of 74.
The Bears confirmed Jauron's death on their website.
Success in Chicago
The backstory:
Jauron was the head coach of the Bears from 1999 until 2003. He was named the AP Coach of the Year in 2001 for leading the Bears to a 13-3 record and an NFC Central Division title.
The Bears defense that Jauron coached led the NFL in fewest points allowed in 2001, the first time the team had accomplished that since the mid-1980s, according to the NFL.
Jauron and the Bears' season ended in the divisional round with a 33-19 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles.
While 2001 was his best year in Chicago, Jauron had an overall 35-45
He went on to coach the Bills from 2006 through 2009. He started his coaching career in Buffalo in 1985 as a defensive backs coach, according to the team.
Jauron had an overall coaching record of 60-82.
1 Oct 2000: Head Coach Dick Jauron of the Chicago Bears looks on from the sideliens during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Bears defeated the Packers 27-24.Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel /Allspo
Jauron played in the NFL as a defensive back from 1973 to 1980 with the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 1974 after leading the NFC in punt return average with the Lions.
He also enjoyed a successful career in college at Yale as a running back. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
Jauron's death comes just days after the team's owner, Virginia McCaskey, died at the age of 102. She led the team for over 40 years, including during Jauron's tenure in Chicago.
What they're saying:
In a statement on Jauron's death, the Bears said:
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Coach Jauron and his family. A class act and true Illinois native, Dick took great pride in representing our state, his family and proud Bears fans. On the field, his leadership guided our Bears to a division title in 2001, as he honorably earned AP NFL Coach of the Year recognition. We extend our deepest sympathies to Coach Jauron's loved ones and our sincerest condolences to all who were honored to call him Coach."
Patrick Mannelly, a former Bears long snapper, called Jauron "such a good dad to his kids and loving to his wife."
"He was a mentor to a young player looking at a coach about how to be a good family man. That's one thing I admired about him," Mannelly added. "The other was he was just so steady every day. You knew what you were getting. He was very honest, very blunt, which I loved as a player. If you were messing up, he would tell you that you were messing up. He would be that honest with you. Everybody respected him because you knew what you were getting every day out of that man."
Jauron, a Peoria, Illinois, native, is survived by his wife Gail and daughter Kacy. He was proceeded in death by his daughter Amy who died in 2014 at the age of 28.