Former NFL head coach and influential defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan has died, agent James Solano confirmed Tuesday. He was 82.
Ryan, who coached in the NFL for 26 seasons, was known for building some of football's top defenses behind a relentlessness that focused on creating havoc on the field.
He was on the defensive staff of the Super Bowl-winning New York Jets in Super Bowl III in the 1968 season. The Chicago Bears carried Ryan off the field next to coach Mike Ditka after Ryan's vaunted "46 defense" helped the Bears destroy the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX.
He later was head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals, and he finished his career with a 55-55-1 record. His son Rex was on his dad's staff for two years with the Cardinals in the 1990s.
"It's a tough, physical, rough game," said ESPN's Mike Golic, who played for Ryan with the Eagles. "... And Buddy epitomized that style of play more than any other coach I had at any level. ... He wanted the results, and he put you in position to make plays.
"You loved playing for him because he coached the way you wanted to play the game: attack mode. Attack, attack, attack. And if you don't think we're attacking much now, just wait and we're going to attack even more. Oh wait, you don't think we're blitzing enough, we're going to blitz more. We're going to hit you in the mouth. We're going to knock you down. They're going to have to carry you off the field. That was his mentality, and that's what you kind of absorbed as a player."
Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera, a member of the '85 Bears, tweeted his condolences.
Ron Rivera ✔ @RiverboatRonHC
#RipBuddyRyan thx 4 being my first defensive influence. The #NFL has lost another defensive innovator. #46Defense
<time class="dt-updated" datetime="2016-06-28T13:10:55+0000" pubdate="" title="Time posted: 28 Jun 2016, 13:10:55 (UTC)">9:10 AM - 28 Jun 2016
</time>Besides his legendary stay in Chicago, Buddy Ryan also was a defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings and Houston Oilers. His stay in Houston was tarnished when the then-59-year-old Ryan took a swing at then-offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride on the sideline during a game.
With the Bears, Ryan's notoriety skyrocketed. The "46 defense" was founded on sending more blitzing players than an offense could block. And in 1984, the Bears tallied 72 sacks -- a record that still stands. The '85 Bears capped their Super Bowl title with seven sacks, and Ryan -- along with Ditka -- was carried off the field by players.
Rex Ryan is entering his second season as coach of the Buffalo Bills. He told TheMMQB.com in an interview published in May that he and his twin brother, Rob, were "going for broke" this upcoming season as their father's health was declining.
Rex hired Rob to the Bills as an assistant head coach/defense, reuniting the two brothers on the same NFL staff for the first time since 1995.
"Because, who knows?" Rob Ryan told TheMMQB.com. "[Buddy Ryan] is not going to be able to watch us coach for much longer, I don't think. But hopefully he can see this one, because we have got big plans. Bring [Bill] Belichick on. We got him."
Buddy Ryan, suffering from the aftermath of a devastating stroke and battling cancer and confined to a wheelchair, attended a Bills game last season.
"Buddy was a legend in our league in so many ways," the Bills said in a statement issued Tuesday. "His defenses were innovative and he was a master at putting his talented and tough players in a position to succeed. He was a real game changer and much of his philosophies and defensive tactics are still utilized effectively by teams today. Buddy's influence will be carried on by defensive coaches for generations to come, but none more so than by Rex and Rob. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the Ryan family today."
He began his 33-year coaching career in 1961 as a defensive line coach with the University of Buffalo.
ESPN Staff Writer Mike Rodak contributed to this report.
Ryan, who coached in the NFL for 26 seasons, was known for building some of football's top defenses behind a relentlessness that focused on creating havoc on the field.
He was on the defensive staff of the Super Bowl-winning New York Jets in Super Bowl III in the 1968 season. The Chicago Bears carried Ryan off the field next to coach Mike Ditka after Ryan's vaunted "46 defense" helped the Bears destroy the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX.
He later was head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals, and he finished his career with a 55-55-1 record. His son Rex was on his dad's staff for two years with the Cardinals in the 1990s.
"It's a tough, physical, rough game," said ESPN's Mike Golic, who played for Ryan with the Eagles. "... And Buddy epitomized that style of play more than any other coach I had at any level. ... He wanted the results, and he put you in position to make plays.
"You loved playing for him because he coached the way you wanted to play the game: attack mode. Attack, attack, attack. And if you don't think we're attacking much now, just wait and we're going to attack even more. Oh wait, you don't think we're blitzing enough, we're going to blitz more. We're going to hit you in the mouth. We're going to knock you down. They're going to have to carry you off the field. That was his mentality, and that's what you kind of absorbed as a player."
Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera, a member of the '85 Bears, tweeted his condolences.
Ron Rivera ✔ @RiverboatRonHC
#RipBuddyRyan thx 4 being my first defensive influence. The #NFL has lost another defensive innovator. #46Defense
<time class="dt-updated" datetime="2016-06-28T13:10:55+0000" pubdate="" title="Time posted: 28 Jun 2016, 13:10:55 (UTC)">9:10 AM - 28 Jun 2016
</time>Besides his legendary stay in Chicago, Buddy Ryan also was a defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings and Houston Oilers. His stay in Houston was tarnished when the then-59-year-old Ryan took a swing at then-offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride on the sideline during a game.
With the Bears, Ryan's notoriety skyrocketed. The "46 defense" was founded on sending more blitzing players than an offense could block. And in 1984, the Bears tallied 72 sacks -- a record that still stands. The '85 Bears capped their Super Bowl title with seven sacks, and Ryan -- along with Ditka -- was carried off the field by players.
Rex Ryan is entering his second season as coach of the Buffalo Bills. He told TheMMQB.com in an interview published in May that he and his twin brother, Rob, were "going for broke" this upcoming season as their father's health was declining.
Rex hired Rob to the Bills as an assistant head coach/defense, reuniting the two brothers on the same NFL staff for the first time since 1995.
"Because, who knows?" Rob Ryan told TheMMQB.com. "[Buddy Ryan] is not going to be able to watch us coach for much longer, I don't think. But hopefully he can see this one, because we have got big plans. Bring [Bill] Belichick on. We got him."
Buddy Ryan, suffering from the aftermath of a devastating stroke and battling cancer and confined to a wheelchair, attended a Bills game last season.
"Buddy was a legend in our league in so many ways," the Bills said in a statement issued Tuesday. "His defenses were innovative and he was a master at putting his talented and tough players in a position to succeed. He was a real game changer and much of his philosophies and defensive tactics are still utilized effectively by teams today. Buddy's influence will be carried on by defensive coaches for generations to come, but none more so than by Rex and Rob. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the Ryan family today."
He began his 33-year coaching career in 1961 as a defensive line coach with the University of Buffalo.
ESPN Staff Writer Mike Rodak contributed to this report.
[h=1]1987 DAL@PHI - Buddy Ryan runs up the score[/h]
[h=1]Buddy Ryan on his days with the Eagles and Mike Ditka[/h]
We send our condolences to the family of former assistant Buddy Ryan.....3rd from the right.
