Chuck Knox Death Offers Chance to Remember a Great Coach

If there were an NFL dictionary and the word “underrated” was in it, the picture right next to it would be of former head coach Chuck Knox.

The reason nobody aside from football historians remember him too well is that he never won a Super Bowl. That’s often an unfortunate reality with fans. They only remember the guys who managed to hoist the trophy. The thing is Knox was better than a handful of the coaches who actually got a ring during their careers. Three different franchises would swear by his greatness.

Now he’s gone. At 86-years old Knox passed away, leaving behind his wife and family. The man was one of the great ambassadors of the game. He didn’t search for headlines or popularity. He simply tried to make boys into men and men into good football players. Something he was superb at for a long time. To do this day the organizations he touched remember him with great affection.

“Ground Chuck” Knox was the master of the old school football

People say that Bill Parcells was the originator of great team turnarounds. That’s not entirely true. Knox developed that reputation during his long coaching career. By 1972 the Los Angeles Rams hadn’t made the playoffs for three years and were coming off a 6-7-1 season. His first year they went 12-2 and he claimed Coach of the Year. For the next four seasons, they made the playoffs every year and reached three NFC championship games.

By 1978 he’d been hired by Buffalo to work his same magic. It took a little longer but there were still immediate results. They went from 3-11 to 5-11 his first year and by 1980 made the playoffs for the first time in seven years. In 1981 they beat the Jets in the playoffs. Yet after a somewhat disappointing 4-5 finish in 1982, he wasn’t re-signed. Buffalo soon sank to the worst stretch in franchise history after that.

Then came Seattle. The Seahawks had been stuck in mediocrity ever since their franchise came into existence. They’d never before experienced playoff football. That changed in 1983. Under Knox’s direction, they battled to a 9-7 mark, made the postseason and reached the AFC championship game for the first time. During his time Seattle made the playoffs four times and had a winning record six times. That mark wasn’t surpassed until Mike Holmgren in 2006.

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By the time he retired, Knox had won 193 career games. He still ranks 10th in NFL history with that mark. So many fans need to give this man a little more respect.