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Former NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer died Monday after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for several years. He was 77 years old.
Schottenheimer was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014. He was transferred to a hospice near his home in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 30 due to complications from the irreversible and progressive brain disorder.
Schottenheimer was a head coach for 21 seasons in the NFL, leading the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington and Chargers.
He posted a career record of 205-139-1, including the playoffs, leading his teams to the playoffs 13 times. Although Schottenheimer has coached in three AFC championship games, two with the Browns and one with the Chiefs, he never made a Super Bowl.
His coaching career in the NFL ended in 2006 after a 14-2 season with the Chargers and an outing in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson played under Schottenheimer for five seasons with the Chargers and called him “the best coach I’ve ever had.”
“I’ve never been in a game with Marty as a coach feeling like I wasn’t quite ready to win,” said Tomlinson. “He really wanted you to understand every detail of the game plan. I considered him a true American man. He was a great father figure, and I was lucky my wife and I got to know him. [his wife] Pat beyond the typical player-coach relationship. He was a well-rounded 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 linebacker for 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 made a deal to become the Jacksonville Jaguars passing game coordinator, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter, after previously serving as the Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator.
“We know he is looking at us from the sky and smiling,” his daughter said. “We are incredibly proud of the man he was and the way he lived his life.”
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