Dick Jauron

Dick Jauron

No. 26, 30
Position:	Safety
Personal information
Born:	(1950-10-07)October 7, 1950 Peoria, Illinois,U.S.
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:	Swampscott (Swampscott, Massachusetts)
College:	Yale
NFL draft:	1973/ round: 4 / pick: 91
Career history
As a player:
Detroit Lions(1973–1977) Cincinnati Bengals(1978–1980)
As a coach:
Buffalo Bills(1985) Defensive backs coach Green Bay Packers(1986–1994) Defensive backs coach Jacksonville Jaguars(1995–1998) Defensive coordinator Chicago Bears(1999–2003) Head coach Detroit Lions(2004–2005) Defensive coordinator Detroit Lions (2005) Interim head coach Buffalo Bills (2006–2009) Head coach Philadelphia Eagles(2010) Senior assistant & defensive backs coach Cleveland Browns(2011–2012) Defensive coordinator
Career highlights and awards
AP NFL Coach of the Year(2001) Pro Bowl(1974) First-teamAll-American(1972) First-team All-East (1972) 3× First-team All-Ivy League
Head coaching record
Regular season:	60–82 (.423)
Postseason:	0–1 (.000)
Career:	60–83 (.420)
RecordatPro Football Reference
StatsatPro Football Reference
College Football Hall of Fame

Richard Manuel Jauron(born October 7, 1950) is an American former professionalfootballplayer and coach in theNational Football League(NFL). He played eight seasons in the NFL as asafety,five with theDetroit Lionsand three with theCincinnati Bengals.Jauron served as the head coach theChicago Bearsfrom 1999 to 2003 and theBuffalo Billsfrom 2006 until November 2009. He was also the interim head coach for the Lions for the final five games of the 2005 season. Jauron was named theAP Coach of the Yearin 2001 after leading the Bears to a 13–3 record.

Jauron playedcollege footballatYale University.He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Famein 2015.Jauron was selected a NFF Scholar Athlete in 1972.

Playing career

Early life

Jauron was born inPeoria, Illinois.He attended grammar school inRensselaer, Indianaand Saint Pius V elementary school in Lynn, MA.He attendedSwampscott High SchoolinSwampscott, Massachusetts,and was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. In football, he was a Parade All-American selection as a senior, and was featured in the November 1968 issue ofSport magazineas Teenage Athlete Of The Month. He has been honored as one of the top ten all-time Massachusetts high school football players by theBoston Globe.

College

Jauron rushed for 2,947 yards in three seasons (freshmen were not eligible for the varsity team in the 1970s) atYale,a record that stood until 2000,and was three times named to the All-Ivy League First-team, the first Yale football athlete to be so honored. His school-record streak of 16 consecutive 100-yard rushing games was not broken until 2006.Jauron was awarded theNils V. "Swede" Nelson Awardforsportsmanshipfollowing his junior seasonand the Bulger Lowe Award, given to the best Division I-A/I-AA player in New England, after his senior season.Jauron recorded the best rushing performance, 183 yards, inThe Gamehis senior season.Yale overcame a 17–0 halftime deficit to defeat Harvard, 28–17.

At Yale Jauron was a three–time All–Ivy First-team selection in an era when freshmen were barred from playing varsity football, and a First-team All America selection during his senior year. He was also a three–time letter winner on Yale's varsity baseball team.

Jauron won the 1972Asa S. Bushnell Awardas Ivy League Player of the Year in football. He is the only athlete to hold a berth in the College Football Hall of Fame, win the Asa S. Bushnell award, and claim selection as a NFF Scholar Athlete. In 1973, Jauron won the William Neely Mallory Award, the most prestigious athletic award given to a senior male at Yale.

Professional

After graduating from college, Jauron was selected in the fourth round of the1973 NFL draftby theDetroit Lions.He was also drafted as a shortstop by baseball'sSt. Louis Cardinalsin the 25th round of the1973 MLB Draft.

Jauron chose the NFL. He started atfree safetyas a rookie for the Lions. He was named to the1975 Pro Bowlin his second season after leading the NFC in punt return average. Jauron played with the Lions for five seasons (1973–1977) and theCincinnati Bengalsfor three seasons (1978–1980). He finished his playing career with 25 interceptions and two touchdowns.

Coaching career

Early coaching career

Jauron began his coaching career in the NFL in 1985 as theBuffalo Billsdefensive backs coach. He was offered the position by Bills defensive coordinatorHank Bullough,who was the Bengals defensive coordinator when Jauron was a player.

After one season with the Bills, Jauron was named the defensive backs coach for theGreen Bay Packers.He worked with the team for eight seasons, serving under three different head coaches:Forrest Gregg,Lindy Infante,andMike Holmgren.

Jauron became the defensive coordinator for the expansionJacksonville Jaguarsin 1995 at the invitation of then-Jaguars head coachTom Coughlin,whom he coached with at Green Bay. The Jaguars made the playoffs in three of Jauron's four seasons with the team, including an appearance in the1996 AFC Championship Game.

Following his first head-coaching job, Jauron served as the defensive coordinator for theDetroit Lionsin 2004 and the first 11 games of the 2005 season before being named the team's interim head coach.

Chicago Bears

Jauron became the 12th head coach inChicago Bearshistory on January 23, 1999, when he was hired to replaceDave Wannstedt,who was fired after two consecutive 4–12 seasons. Jauron coached the Bears for five seasons (1999–2003), finishing with a 35–45 regular season record and one playoff appearance.

In his first two seasons, the Bears finished last in theNFC Centralwith 6–10 and 5–11 records.

Jauron, however, led the greatest turnaround in team history during his third season. In their 13–32001 campaign,Chicago finished 8–0 in games decided by seven points or less, including back-to-back overtime victories. Jauron was named the 2001AP Coach of the Yearand became the third coach in team history to record at least 13 wins in a season, joiningGeorge HalasandMike Ditka,and eventually joined by his successorLovie Smith.Former Bears head coachLovie Smithjoined that group following the Bears' 13–3 regular season in 2006.

After earning their first division title in 11 years, however, Chicago lost a home game to thePhiladelphia Eagles,33–19, in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.The Bears did not return to the playoffs under Jauron, finishing 4–12 and 7–9 in his last two seasons with the team. He was fired by the Bears after the 2003 season and replaced by Lovie Smith.

Detroit Lions

Jauron was then hired by theDetroit Lionsas a defensive coordinator. He was promoted to interim head coach of the Lions on November 28, 2005, after the mid-season firing ofSteve Mariucci.Detroit was 4–7 when Jauron took over and won only one of their last five games, finishing the season 5–11. Although Jauron was one of many candidates who interviewed for the head coaching position after the season, he was passed over forRod Marinelli.

Buffalo Bills

Jauron was named the 14th head coach inBuffalo Billshistory on January 23, 2006, following the resignation ofMike Mularkey.He led the Bills to three consecutive 7–9 records, finishing respectively third, second and fourth in theAFC East.In 2008 the team started 5–1, but ended the season on a 2–8 skid.

Bills ownerRalph Wilsonannounced on December 30, 2008, that Jauron would be brought back for the 2009 season despite the expiration of his three-year contract.

On the morning of Friday, September 4, 2009, Jauron fired his offensive coordinator,Turk Schonert,in a morning meeting before the regular season began. Two different viewpoints emerged, Jauron stating in a press conference the reason for his firing was a "lack of productivity", while Schonert claimed that Jauron told him that he "had too many formations, too many plays", and that he "didn't simplify it to his liking."Schonert was replaced the same day by former Buffalo Bills quarterback and then quarterbacks coachAlex Van Pelt.After taking over, Van Pelt brought back the no-huddle offense, in the form ofJim Kelly's "K-Gun" offense that led the team to four straight Super Bowl appearances in the 1990s.

On November 17, 2009, Jauron was fired by the Bills.

Philadelphia Eagles

On February 2, 2010, Jauron was hired by thePhiladelphia Eaglesas a senior assistant anddefensive backs coach.

Cleveland Browns

On January 21, 2011, Jauron was named defensive coordinator by theCleveland Browns.He replacedRob Ryan,who then became defensive coordinator for theDallas Cowboys.On January 18, 2013, newly hired head coachRob ChudzinskihiredRay Hortoninstead of keeping Jauron.

Head coaching record

Team	Year	Regular season					Postseason
		Won	Lost	Ties	Win %	Finish	Won	Lost	Win %	Result
CHI	1999	6	10	0	.375	5th in NFC Central	-	-	-	-
CHI	2000	5	11	0	.313	5th in NFC Central	-	-	-	-
CHI	2001	13	3	0	.813	1st in NFC Central	0	1	.000	Lost toPhiladelphia EaglesinNFC Divisional Game
CHI	2002	4	12	0	.250	3rd in NFC North	-	-	-	-
CHI	2003	7	9	0	.438	3rd in NFC North	-	-	-	-
CHI total		35	45	0	.438		-	-	-	-
DET	2005*	1	4	0	.200	3rd in NFC North	-	-	-	-
DET total		1	4	0	.400		-	-	-	-
BUF	2006	7	9	0	.438	3rd in AFC East	-	-	-	-
BUF	2007	7	9	0	.438	2nd in AFC East	-	-	-	-
BUF	2008	7	9	0	.438	4th in AFC East	-	-	-	-
BUF	2009	3	6	0	.333	Fired	-	-	-	-
BUF total		24	33	0	.421		-	-	-	-
Total		60	82	0	.423		0	1	.000

*Interim head coach

External links

• Dick Jauronat theCollege Football Hall of Fame
• Career statistics and player information fromNFL·Pro Football Reference