Buddy Ryan died at the age of 82, this morning after battling with cancer, and the suffering from the aftermath of a stroke. Ryan was a renown defensive coach as he led one of the most prominent defenses of all time to the super bowl. Buddy created the “46 Defense” with the 84′-85′ Bears as the defensive coordinator. With his defense the team had an NFL record 72 sacks, which is incredible and the defense was feared by the entire NFL, as they beat the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl 20. While the Bears may have been Buddy best coached team, in his 26 seasons in the NFL he also helped win a Super Bowl as a defensive assistant for the New York Jets in Super Bowl 3.
Later in Buddy career he was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals. His career record was a perfectly even 55-55-1. As a head coach and coordinator Buddy loved to blitz and attack from the defensive side. He constantly wanted to attack the offense and not let the offense get an advantage. Ryan was also known as a very fiery coach who punched Kevin Gilbride an offensive coordinator on national television when they both were with the Houston Oilers.
Buddy’s legacy lives on with both of his son’s still coaching in the NFL. Rex Ryan once the head coach of the New York Jets among other jobs, which featured two trips to the AFC Championship Game. Then Rob Ryan who followed in his father’s footsteps as well as a defensive coordinator for the Saints and Cowboys. Both brothers now coach for the Buffalo Bills, as Rex the head coach brought on his brother Rob to assistant coach on the defensive side.
Buddy’s bold defensive strategies will never be forgotten and are commonly used with the right personnel. He is the type of guy who was a great leader and coach and good guy to be around. He will be missed in the football world, but he will live on, as many coaches such as Ron Rivera of the Carolina Panthers have mentored and followed Buddy Ryan’s ways.
RIP Buddy Ryan
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