Former NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer lost his battle with Alzheimer’s disease Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021, at 77. Schottenheimer was one of eight head coaches in NFL history that has won 200 games. But he was the only one of that group that never won a championship.
Schottenheimer, a Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame inductee, coached the Chiefs for ten years and finished with the highest win totals in franchise history. He ended with a 101-58-1 record.
Schottenheimer also coached for the Cleveland Brown for five years. He finished with a record of 44-27. He later coached for the Washington franchise for one season ending with a record of 8-8. He coached five seasons for the then-San Diego Chargers, now LA Chargers, where he earned a 47-33 record.
Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt, the LA Chargers owner Dean Spanos, and the NFL gave their condolences Tuesday in the passing of Schottenheimer. His incredible wife Pat said:
Facing Alzheimer’s disease, [he] approach the diagnosis the same way he coached, ‘full throttle.’ Marty was big on practicing what he preached. And over the last few years, like so many of his players before him, Marty always found a way. He was, in so many ways, the ultimate competitor.
In his last game with the Chargers, the team went 14-2 in 2007 behind the league’s MVP LaDainian Tomlinson. Making it to the playoffs, they lost a home playoff game to Tom Brady and the Patriots.
Schottenheimer is survived by his wife of 54 years, Pat, his children Kristen and Brian, and four grandchildren.
Written by Omari Jahi
Sources:
CNN: Marty Schottenheimer, legendary NFL head coach, dies at 77, Wayne Sterling
Fox News: Marty Schottenheimer, longtime NFL coach, dead at 77 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease, Ryan Gaydos
New York Post: Marty Schottenheimer, veteran NFL coach, dead at 77, Peter Botte
USA Today Sports: Legendary NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer dies at 77, Steve Gardner,
Featured Image by Johnmaxmena2 Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Victor Araiza’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
