Chuck Knox, who took the Los Angeles Rams to three straight NFC championship games, has died. He was 86.
Knox, who also helmed the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills, led the Rams to five consecutive double-digit win seasons, the Rams said in a statement.
“The memories and accomplishments that Coach Knox left behind will continue to inspire us and Rams fans. We hold his family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,” according to the Rams statement.
Knox won five straight NFC West titles from 1973-77, and he returned in 1992 for the franchise’s final three seasons in Los Angeles before its move to St. Louis.
He won coach of the year in 1973, 1980 and 1984, The Associated Press reported. In his 22 seasons as an NFL head coach, he won 186 games, lost 147 and tied one.
Knox was a two-way tackle at Juniata College in his native Pennsylvania. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Juniata, the AP reported.
Knox was working on a master’s degree at Penn State before deciding coaching was where he should be.
“During that time, I thought what I really wanted to do was coach and not go into the academic area,” Knox told the AP in a 2005 interview. “I know I made the right choice. It’s what I wanted to do.”
Knox entered professional football in the AFL with the New York Jets as offensive line coach in 1963, and played a key role in the recruitment of quarterback Joe Namath. He remained with the Jets until 1966, and was then offensive line coach with the Detroit Lions from 1967-1972.