Former NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer has passed away
Former NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer died Monday after an extended battle with Alzheimer’s.
He was 77 and passed away in Charlotte, surrounded by his family. Schottenheimer had been battling the disease since 2014 and had recently been moved into hospice care.
A private service will be held by his family, and a memorial service to celebrate his life will be conducted at a later date, according to the Schottenheimer family. Schottenheimer is survived by his wife of 54 years, Pat, his children Kristen and Brian, and grandchildren Brandon, Sutton, Savannah and Catherine. A list of his favorite charities where donations can be made in his honor will be forthcoming.
“We know he is looking down on us from heaven and smiling,” said his daughter, Kristen, in a statement. “We are so incredibly proud of the man he was and how he lived his life.
“Now more than ever, he would want us to do what he did best: put one foot in front of the other and keep grinding forward, to take care of each other and take care of business, to simply be good to people and love with every single fiber of your being to truly make the world a better place. To honor his legacy we ask you all to do the same. Smile to someone you don’t know today and Marty Schottenheimer will surely smile down on you.”
Schottenheimer was a beloved coach in the NFL community, and there was an outpouring of support following Tuesday’s announcement of his death. Schottenheimer had moved to the Lake Norman area in Charlotte in 2007 following his NFL career, which ended after the 2006 season, to focus on time with his family.
His career as an NFL head coach spanned 21 years and he had a 200-126-1 regular-season record, but went 5-13 in the postseason, never making it to the Super Bowl due to frequent playoff disappointments. He was a backup linebacker for the Buffalo Bills when they lost the 1966 AFL Championship Game to the Kansas City Chiefs. All but four of his playoff teams were one-and-done in the postseason.
Putting together wins in the regular season was never an issue, however. He had 11 teams finish with 10 or more wins during his career. Schottenheimer ranks eighth all-time in regular-season head coaching wins.
He first began his career in the league as a linebackers coach for the New York Giants in 1975. His first head coaching job came in 1984 with the Cleveland Browns, and he went on to coach the Kansas City Chiefs, Washington and San Diego Chargers. He stayed the longest in Kansas City, where he spent 10 of his 21 years as an NFL head coach and made Arrowhead Stadium one of the most difficult places to play in America.
“It’s hard to put into words what Marty Schottenheimer meant to me,” former NFL head coach Bill Cowher said in a statement. “I played for him, I coached for him. He mentored me at such a young age. He was an amazing coach, teacher and leader. I will always be indebted to the guidance and support he gave me.”
His NFL career came to a close when he was shockingly fired by the Chargers in 2007 about a month following a 14-2 season but a disappointing playoff loss to the New England Patriots, due to what was labeled a “dysfunctional situation” between Schottenheimer and general manager A.J. Smith.
Schottenheimer was known for his philosophy of “Martyball,” a more conservative mindset that focused on a dominant defense, a strong rushing attack and not beating yourself. His teams generally won the turnover battle. He wasn’t shy about his feelings toward the Chiefs’ longtime rival, the Raiders, a team that Schottenheimer’s Chiefs beat 18 of 21 times with him as head coach.
Born in Canonsburg, Pa., he played linebacker at the University of Pittsburgh and had a six-year pro football career.
His son, Brian, was recently hired as the Jacksonville Jaguars passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Said Mike McCarthy, the Dallas Cowboys’ head coach and once an assistant in Kansas City in the 1990s under Marty Schottenheimer: “The six years I spent with him were the most important and impactful years of my coaching career. He was always teaching and emphasizing. ... Marty exemplified strength and passion – which wasn’t always in your favor. Anyone who worked for Marty will attest, you’ve never had your a-- chewed until Marty Schottenheimer did it. I’ve still got the scars to prove it — and for that I am forever thankful.”
Running back LaDainian Tomlinson, one of Schottenheimer’s stars at San Diego in his final NFL coaching stop, called Schottenheimer “the best coach I ever had. I never went into a game with Marty as coach feeling like I wasn’t fully prepared to win.”
This story was originally published February 9, 2021 at 9:54 AM.