02/09/2023 Update: The NFL finally got it right by inducting Don Coryell into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Revisit this 2019 post by retrosimba on the great Don Coryell.
(Updated Jan. 18, 2019)
Don Coryell was the best coaching hire in St. Louis Cardinals football history.
On Jan. 18, 1973, the football Cardinals, responding to an unsolicited letter, hired Coryell to be their head coach.
An innovator known for producing winning college teams and high-powered offenses, Coryell overcame his lack of NFL experience and transformed the Cardinals into a championship-caliber club.
In five seasons (1973-77) under Coryell, the Cardinals posted a 42-27-1 record and twice qualified for the playoffs. Those were the Cardinals’ first playoff berths since 1948 and their first division titles since moving from Chicago to St. Louis in 1960.
Few predicted such success in January 1973. The Cardinals had finished the 1972 season with their second consecutive 4-9-1 record under head coach Bob Hollway. They ranked 23rd in scoring in the 26-team NFL.
Coryell, 48, had a 104-19-2 record in 12 years at San Diego State. He had developed future NFL players such…
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THE BIG RED ZONE 