Dick Jauron, former Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills head coach, dies at 74

Former Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills head coach Dick Jauron died at 74 years old, according to CBS Sports.

He coached in the NFL for nearly three decades and most recently served as the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns from 2011-12. He was the Bears head coach from 1999-2003 and was NFL Coach of the Year in 2001, following a 13-3 campaign.

A Yale graduate, Jauron played eight seasons in the NFL as a defensive back and was a fourth round pick by the Detroit Lions in 1973 and was eventually inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He was a Pro Bowler in 1974.

Jauron played for the Lions until 1977 and then the Cincinnati Bengals from 1978-80 before transitioning to coaching. He began his tenure on the sideline with the Bills in 1985 as a DBs coach.

In 1986, he began a nine season tenure with the Green Bay Packers in the same role before becoming the Jacksonville Jaguars DC in 1995.

After four seasons, he became the head coach of the Bears for the next five seasons. He went 35-45 overall, going 13-3 in that 2001 season, the only winning campaign of his tenure.

As the interim head coach of the Detroit Lions in 2005, which was in the middle of his second season as the team’s DC, Detroit went 1-4.

Jauron was named the Bills head coach in 2006 and coached them for four seasons. He went 24-33 in three-plus years in total.

Jauron’s final NFL stops included coaching DBs for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010 and becoming the Browns DC from 2011-12.