Former NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer passed away Monday after suffering from Alzheimer’s for several years. He was 77.
Schottenheimer was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014. On January 30, he was moved to a hospice near his home in Charlotte, North Carolina, due to complications from irreversible, progressive brain disease.
Schottenheimer was a head coach in the NFL for 21 seasons, leading the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington, and Chargers.
He set a record of 205-139-1, including the playoffs, and led his teams to the postseason 13 times. Although Schottenheimer coached in three AFC Championship Games, two with the Browns and one with the Chiefs, he never made a Super Bowl.
His NFL coaching career ended in 2006 after a 14-2 season with the Chargers and a division round from the playoffs.
Hall of Fame LaDainian Tomlinson played five seasons under Schottenheimer with the Chargers, calling him “the best coach I’ve ever had”.
“I’ve never been in a game with Marty as a coach, and I feel like I wasn’t quite prepared to win,” said Tomlinson. “He really wanted you to understand every detail of the game plan. I considered him a true All-American man. He was a great father figure, and I was lucky that my wife and I [his wife] Pat beyond the typical player and coach relationship. He was a versatile person. He cared more about the man than the athlete. I will remember him more because of the life lessons he taught me. “
Schottenheimer also played six seasons as a linebacker for the Buffalo Bills (1965 to 1968) and Patriots (1969 to 1970).
He leaves behind his wife Pat, two children, Kristin and Brian, and four grandchildren.
Brian Schottenheimer recently reached an agreement to become the passing coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter, after previously serving as offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks.
“We know he looks down on us from heaven and smiles,” his daughter said. “We are so incredibly proud of the man he was and how he lived his life.”