UW Beta & Legendary football coach Don Coryell Passes Away at 85

Obituary from The Seattle Times: http://bit.ly/cMAwra

Don Coryell, the legendary NFL coach and former Husky whose innovative offense was known as "Air Coryell," has died at the age of 85.

Mindy Lewis, the coach's daughter, said coach Coryell had suffered for several years from a degenerative muscle disease. He'd been staying at a San Diego-area hospital since Christmas Day and died about 3:15 p.m. Thursday of complications from pneumonia.

"He was a warrior to the very end. He actually came home for one day over the Father's Day weekend, and we hoped he'd be home longer," said Lewis, of San Diego. "He was an incredible father and an incredible man."

Coach Coryell was the first coach to win 100 games in both college and professional football. He developed a wide-open passing attack during his 11 years at San Diego State, then used it in the pro game — first with the St. Louis Cardinals (1973-77) and then the San Diego Chargers (1978-86).

His Chargers offense, led by quarterback Dan Fouts, set records and led the NFL in passing seven of his first eight seasons with San Diego. Despite going to the playoffs six times and the AFC Championship Game in 1980 and 1981, coach Coryell never made it to the Super Bowl. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and this year was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

According to the UW media guide, coach Coryell played for Washington in 1949 and was an assistant coach in 1950.

More recently, he and his late wife owned a home on San Juan Island, and would spend summers there and winters in Hawaii.

"He was always crabbing and fishing and planting trees," said Lewis. "There was an eagle's nest in a lot next to theirs. He loved just being with nature."

Lewis said her father's biggest legacy is the positive impact he had on dozens of young men. Many have been in touch over recent months offering to help out. Coach Coryell's intensity on the field belied a compassionate man, Lewis said.

"Just last week, Conrad Dobler, of the St. Louis Cardinals, said he (Coryell) was the first coach that ever made football fun," Lewis said. "For a huge network of boys, and they were boys when he had them, he's remained a father figure."

Coach Coryell's daughter-in-law Debbie Coryell, of the Bay Area, said coach Coryell never spoke much about football while around family, at least when he was still coaching.

"That he kept it all at the field or the office was always a surprise to me," said Debbie Coryell. "He was always just learning and curious about things."

As well as his aerial offense, coach Coryell is also credited with inventing the "I" formation when he was a running-backs coach at Wenatchee Junior College.

From 1961-72 at San Diego State, his record was 104-19-2. In 14 NFL seasons ending in 1986, his record was 111-83-1.

"He was a warm, gentle, kind man," said Debbie Coryell. "So different from what you saw out on the field."

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