Dick Jauron, the former head coach of two NFL teams, passed away on Saturday at the age of 74. The Chicago Bears confirmed his death. Jauron served as the head coach of the Bears from 1999 to 2003 and had been diagnosed with cancer, as reported by The Daily Item in Massachusetts.
In 2006, he took on the role of head coach for the Buffalo Bills, a position he held until 2009. The following season, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles as the defensive backs coach under Andy Reid. Reid and the Eagles are set to face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Sunday.
Jauron was a standout athlete at Yale in the early 1970s, being drafted by both the Detroit Lions in the NFL Draft and the St. Louis Cardinals in the Major League Baseball amateur draft. He ultimately chose to pursue a career in football, playing five seasons as a defensive back for the Lions and three more with the Cincinnati Bengals before retiring in 1980.
After his playing career, Jauron transitioned into coaching, and five years later, he was hired by the Bills as a defensive backs coach. He also coached defensive backs in Green Bay, where he developed a friendship with Reid, who was then an assistant coach.
During his tenure with the Bears, Jauron achieved just one winning season, leading the team to an NFC North title in 2001 before losing to the Eagles, coached by Reid, in the divisional round of the playoffs. Over parts of ten seasons as a head coach, he finished with a record of 60-82 and made one playoff appearance.
Jauron’s passing comes just two days after the Bears announced the death of Virginia Halas McCaskey, who inherited the franchise from her father, George Halas, and served as the principal owner for over four decades.
