Marty Schottenheimer: Former NFL coach dies aged 77
Marty Schottenheimer won over 200 games in 21 seasons as a head coach with Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington and San Diego Chargers, putting him eighth on the list of coaches with most wins in NFL history
Tuesday 9 February 2021 16:21, UK
Former NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer has died aged 77.
Schottenheimer died on Monday night at a hospice in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was diagnosed with Alzheimers in 2014. He was moved to a hospice on January 30.
Schottenheimer won over 200 games in 21 seasons as a head coach with Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington and San Diego Chargers, putting him eighth on the list of coaches with most wins in NFL history.
His success was rooted in "Martyball", a conservative approach that featured a strong running game and tough defense.
Winning in the regular season was never a problem. Schottenheimer's teams won 10 or more games 11 times, including a historic 14-2 record with the Chargers in 2006 that earned them the AFCs No 1 seed in the playoffs.
In his final game, on January 14, 2007, Schottenheimer's Chargers, featuring NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson and a cast of Pro Bowlers, lost a home divisional round playoff game to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, 24-21.
A month later, owner Dean Spanos stunned the NFL when he fired Schottenheimer, mostly because of a personality clash between the coach and general manager A.J. Smith.
Schottenheimer was 44-27 with the Cleveland Browns from 1984-88, 101-58-1 with Kansas City from 1989-98; 8-8 with Washington in 2001 and 47-33 with San Diego from 2002-06.
He was named NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press in 2004 after guiding the Chargers to a 12-4 record and an AFC West division title.
Schottenheimer was inducted into the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2010.
As a player, Schottenheimer spent six seasons as a linebacker in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills (1965-68) and Patriots (1969-70).
