Chuck Knox
Encyclopedia
Charles Robert "Chuck" Knox (born April 27, 1932) is a former American football
coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. He is best remembered as head coach of three National Football League
(NFL) teams, the Seattle Seahawks
, the Buffalo Bills
, and the Los Angeles Rams
, serving two separate stints with the latter team over more than two decades.
. Whenever Knox felt something was common sense, he would say it was "eighth-grade Sewickley."
The son of a steel worker who had emigrated from Ireland
and a Scottish
-born mother, Knox developed into a 190-pound tackle at Juniata College
in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
, playing on both sides of the ball and serving as co-captain of the 1953 unit, the first undefeated team in school history. Also competing in track, Knox graduated in 1954.
Building on his success, Knox then moved back to the colleges, serving two seasons as an assistant under Paul Amen
at Wake Forest University
in 1959. He then joined Blanton Collier
's staff at the University of Kentucky
in 1961, and stayed the following year under new mentor Charlie Bradshaw. In both these places, Knox learned the concepts of organization, discipline and a focus on fundamentals. While at Kentucky, Knox was on the staff of Bradshaw's infamous first team, which was known forever as the Thin Thirty
.
On May 8, 1963, he was hired as offensive line coach of the American Football League
's New York Jets by head coach Weeb Ewbank. Over the next four years as the lead contact for recruiting quarterback, Joe Namath
, Knox helped build a line that would protect Namath, eventually leading to a victory over the Baltimore Colts
in Super Bowl III
. Unfortunately for Knox, by voluntarily leaving the Jets in 1967 he denied himself what would have been the only Super Bowl ring in his career as the Jets won the World Championship in 1968.
Knox then moved to the Detroit Lions
on February 13, 1967 under new head coach Joe Schmidt
, spending six seasons in the Motor City. Despite some impressive stretches, the Lions only reached the postseason once during this period, losing a 5-0 road contest to the Dallas Cowboys
in 1970. Because of his ability to relate to players on such a personal level, African American players nicknamed him, "Dolomite."
was dismissed on January 24, 1973, Knox was hired as head coach of the Rams.
Sometimes referred to as 'Ground Chuck' for his team's emphasis on its rushing attack, Knox used a comeback year by veteran quarterback John Hadl
to lead the Rams to a 12-2 record during his first season, winning the NFC West
title. Knox earned NFC Coach of the Year
honors, but in the first round of the playoffs, the team lost to the Cowboys, beginning what would be a frustrating string of play-off defeats for Knox.
John Hadl became the 1973 NFC Most Valuable Player under Knox, proof that the passing dimension of his offense was as significant as the run game in his system. Six games into the 1974 season, Knox traded John Hadl, whose performance had diminished from his MVP '73 season, to the Green Bay Packers
for an unprecedented two first round picks, two second round picks and a third round pick. Knox started James Harris for the remainder of the 1974 season. Harris became the NFL's first African American regular quarterback. Despite two and a half successful seasons, including a 12 and 2 record in 1975 with Harris under center, Some Rams fans remained critical of Harris' play. Eventually, Coach Knox, under pressure from owner Carroll Rosenbloom
, was forced to bench Harris in favor of Pat Haden
.
Under Knox the Rams won five straight NFC West championships. However each season they faltered in the playoffs. They lost three consecutive NFC Championship games from 1974 to 1976, two of them to the Minnesota Vikings
. In the team's rainy first round home playoff game against the Vikings on December 26, 1977, quarterback Pat Haden was having problems handling the wet ball and moving the team. Joe Namath
was warming up in preparation for what seemed to be a Hollywood ending in the making, but Knox hesitated and the Rams lost again in what was subsequently called the "Mud Bowl", 14-7. That was it as far as owner Carroll Rosenbloom was concerned and Knox got out before he could get fired. In five seasons as the Rams head coach the team had won five straight NFC West titles with five different starting quarterbacks (John Hadl
, Ron Jaworski
, Pat Haden
, James Harris
, and Joe Namath
) and had a regular season record of 54-15-1 but a play-off record of only 3-5.
On January 11, 1978, Knox left the Rams to sign a $1.2 million, six-year contract with the Bills. The move was in response to the continuing conflict between Knox and team owner Carroll Rosenbloom
, with Knox taking over a team that had won five of 28 games during the previous two seasons.
In his first year (under the new 16-game schedule), Knox led the Bills to a 5-11 mark. Just two years later, the Bills won the AFC East title with an 11-5 record, but dropped a close battle with the high-powered San Diego Chargers
in the divisional playoffs. The following year, his team defeated the Jets in a wild card clash, but then fell to the Cincinnati Bengals
. After a 4-5 strike-shortened season in 1982, Knox failed to come to terms on a new contract with team owner Ralph Wilson, and left to accept the head coaching position with the Seahawks on January 26, 1983.
During his first year in the Northwest, Knox led the team to its first playoff berth, beat the Denver Broncos
31-7 in the wildcard game and then upset the Miami Dolphins
27-20 in the Orange Bowl
in the second round. However, the dream died in the AFC Championship game when the Seahawks fell to the Los Angeles Raiders
30-14. Subsequent seasons would see the Seahawks remain competitive, but did not reach a conference championship game again during his tenure, despite winning Seattle's first AFC West Division Title in 1988.
After nine years with Seattle, Knox left on December 27, 1991, having become the first NFL head coach to win division titles with three different teams. Looking to recapture the magic of two decades earlier, Knox returned to the Rams as head coach in 1992. While his tenure saw Jerome Bettis
blossom into a star, his teams finished last in the NFC West in each of his three seasons. Additionally, his run-oriented offense was considered too predictable by 1990s NFL standards. He was fired on January 9, 1995.
Knox retired with a mark of 186 wins, 147 losses and 1 tie record, with his son, Chuck, Jr.
, keeping the family's name alive as an NFL assistant coach, most recently as defensive backs coach of the Minnesota Vikings until 2006.
In 2005, Knox donated $1 million to his alma mater, Juniata, to endow a chair in history, his major at the school. The donation was the largest of many contributions by Knox, with the institution re-naming the school's football stadium in his honor in 1998. Quaker Valley High School
in Knox's hometown of Sewickley, Pennsylvania has also named its football stadium in his honor http://seahawks.scout.com/2/353559.html
In reporting about Knox's $1 million donation, the Seattle Times noted that Knox has been extremely generous in donating substiantial money to Juniata and his old high school. The Times also noted that Knox left the games before coaches were paid the large sum of salaries common today and reporters asked whether he was donating away a substantial amount of his retirement fund.
Knox answered the reporters this way: "sure it is (a lot of money).....that's what it was going to take to do it"
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2002168853_knox03.html
On September 25, 2005 at age 73, Knox was inducted into the Seattle Seahawks Ring of Honor at Qwest Field
in Seattle and is regularly under consideration for nomination into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
in Canton, OH.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. He is best remembered as head coach of three National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) teams, the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
, the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and the Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
, serving two separate stints with the latter team over more than two decades.
Early life
Knox was born in the Pittsburgh suburb of Sewickley, PennsylvaniaSewickley, Pennsylvania
Sewickley is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, west northwest of Pittsburgh along the Ohio River. It is a residential suburb of Pittsburgh. The population was 3,827 at the 2010 census...
. Whenever Knox felt something was common sense, he would say it was "eighth-grade Sewickley."
The son of a steel worker who had emigrated from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
-born mother, Knox developed into a 190-pound tackle at Juniata College
Juniata College
Juniata College is a private liberal arts college located in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. It is named after the Juniata River — one of the principal tributaries of the Susquehanna River. In 1876 it became the first college founded by the Church of the Brethren and has been co-educational since...
in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
Huntingdon is a borough in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Huntingdon County. It is located along the Juniata River, west of Harrisburg, about halfway between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, in an agricultural and fruit-growing region, with valuable forests and deposits of...
, playing on both sides of the ball and serving as co-captain of the 1953 unit, the first undefeated team in school history. Also competing in track, Knox graduated in 1954.
Early coaching career
Knox then served as an assistant at Juniata that fall. He stayed in the Keystone State the following year as an assistant coach at Tyrone High School, then began the first of three years as head coach at Ellwood City High School in 1956. During his first year at Ellwood, Knox had just 18 players, but by his final year, 85 players were on the squad.Building on his success, Knox then moved back to the colleges, serving two seasons as an assistant under Paul Amen
Paul Amen
-External links:* *...
at Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
in 1959. He then joined Blanton Collier
Blanton Collier
Blanton Long Collier was an American football coach who led the University of Kentucky and the Cleveland Browns...
's staff at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
in 1961, and stayed the following year under new mentor Charlie Bradshaw. In both these places, Knox learned the concepts of organization, discipline and a focus on fundamentals. While at Kentucky, Knox was on the staff of Bradshaw's infamous first team, which was known forever as the Thin Thirty
Thin Thirty
The Thin Thirty refers to the 1962 football team at the University of Kentucky. Coached by Charlie Bradshaw, a Bear Bryant disciple, the team was thinned by his brutal methods from 88 players to just 30. While the team's record was just 3-5-2, it did include a dramatic victory in the season finale...
.
On May 8, 1963, he was hired as offensive line coach of the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
's New York Jets by head coach Weeb Ewbank. Over the next four years as the lead contact for recruiting quarterback, Joe Namath
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
, Knox helped build a line that would protect Namath, eventually leading to a victory over the Baltimore Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
in Super Bowl III
Super Bowl III
Super Bowl III was the third AFL-NFL Championship Game in professional American football, but the first to officially bear the name "Super Bowl". This game is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in sports history...
. Unfortunately for Knox, by voluntarily leaving the Jets in 1967 he denied himself what would have been the only Super Bowl ring in his career as the Jets won the World Championship in 1968.
Knox then moved to the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
on February 13, 1967 under new head coach Joe Schmidt
Joe Schmidt
Joseph Paul Schmidt is a former American football player and coach at both the collegiate and professional levels. His 13-year career with the National Football League's Detroit Lions gained him a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.-Collegiate career:Schmidt grew up in Pittsburgh,...
, spending six seasons in the Motor City. Despite some impressive stretches, the Lions only reached the postseason once during this period, losing a 5-0 road contest to the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in 1970. Because of his ability to relate to players on such a personal level, African American players nicknamed him, "Dolomite."
Head coaching career
When Tommy ProthroTommy Prothro
James Thompson "Tommy" Prothro, Jr. was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Oregon State University from 1955 to 1964 and at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1965 to 1970, compiling a career college football record of 104–55–5...
was dismissed on January 24, 1973, Knox was hired as head coach of the Rams.
Sometimes referred to as 'Ground Chuck' for his team's emphasis on its rushing attack, Knox used a comeback year by veteran quarterback John Hadl
John Hadl
John Willard Hadl is a former collegiate and professional football player.Hadl was born in Lawrence, Kansas. After playing halfback on both offense and defense at the University of Kansas as a sophomore, Hadl played quarterback for his last two years at Kansas, and was selected as the school's...
to lead the Rams to a 12-2 record during his first season, winning the NFC West
NFC West
The NFC West is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference. It currently has four members: Arizona Cardinals, St...
title. Knox earned NFC Coach of the Year
NFL Coach of the Year Award
The National Football League Coach of the Year Award is presented annually by various news and sports organizations to the NFL head coach who has done the most outstanding job of working with the talent he has at his disposal. Currently, the most widely recognized award is presented by the...
honors, but in the first round of the playoffs, the team lost to the Cowboys, beginning what would be a frustrating string of play-off defeats for Knox.
John Hadl became the 1973 NFC Most Valuable Player under Knox, proof that the passing dimension of his offense was as significant as the run game in his system. Six games into the 1974 season, Knox traded John Hadl, whose performance had diminished from his MVP '73 season, to the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
for an unprecedented two first round picks, two second round picks and a third round pick. Knox started James Harris for the remainder of the 1974 season. Harris became the NFL's first African American regular quarterback. Despite two and a half successful seasons, including a 12 and 2 record in 1975 with Harris under center, Some Rams fans remained critical of Harris' play. Eventually, Coach Knox, under pressure from owner Carroll Rosenbloom
Carroll Rosenbloom
Carroll Rosenbloom was an American entrepreneur and former owner of two professional football teams, the Baltimore Colts and the Los Angeles Rams....
, was forced to bench Harris in favor of Pat Haden
Pat Haden
Patrick Capper "Pat" Haden is the athletic director at the University of Southern California. He played quarterback for the USC Trojans before playing professionally in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams from 1976 to 1981...
.
Under Knox the Rams won five straight NFC West championships. However each season they faltered in the playoffs. They lost three consecutive NFC Championship games from 1974 to 1976, two of them to the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. In the team's rainy first round home playoff game against the Vikings on December 26, 1977, quarterback Pat Haden was having problems handling the wet ball and moving the team. Joe Namath
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
was warming up in preparation for what seemed to be a Hollywood ending in the making, but Knox hesitated and the Rams lost again in what was subsequently called the "Mud Bowl", 14-7. That was it as far as owner Carroll Rosenbloom was concerned and Knox got out before he could get fired. In five seasons as the Rams head coach the team had won five straight NFC West titles with five different starting quarterbacks (John Hadl
John Hadl
John Willard Hadl is a former collegiate and professional football player.Hadl was born in Lawrence, Kansas. After playing halfback on both offense and defense at the University of Kansas as a sophomore, Hadl played quarterback for his last two years at Kansas, and was selected as the school's...
, Ron Jaworski
Ron Jaworski
Ronald Vincent "Ron" Jaworski is a former American football quarterback and currently an NFL analyst on ESPN. He is also CEO of Ron Jaworski Golf Management, Inc., based out of Blackwood, New Jersey, and manages golf courses in southern New Jersey, northeast Pennsylvania, and West Virginia...
, Pat Haden
Pat Haden
Patrick Capper "Pat" Haden is the athletic director at the University of Southern California. He played quarterback for the USC Trojans before playing professionally in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams from 1976 to 1981...
, James Harris
James Harris
James Harris is the name of:*James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury , English diplomatist*James Harris, 2nd Earl of Malmesbury , British peer*James Harris, 3rd Earl of Malmesbury , British statesman...
, and Joe Namath
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
) and had a regular season record of 54-15-1 but a play-off record of only 3-5.
On January 11, 1978, Knox left the Rams to sign a $1.2 million, six-year contract with the Bills. The move was in response to the continuing conflict between Knox and team owner Carroll Rosenbloom
Carroll Rosenbloom
Carroll Rosenbloom was an American entrepreneur and former owner of two professional football teams, the Baltimore Colts and the Los Angeles Rams....
, with Knox taking over a team that had won five of 28 games during the previous two seasons.
In his first year (under the new 16-game schedule), Knox led the Bills to a 5-11 mark. Just two years later, the Bills won the AFC East title with an 11-5 record, but dropped a close battle with the high-powered San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the divisional playoffs. The following year, his team defeated the Jets in a wild card clash, but then fell to the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
. After a 4-5 strike-shortened season in 1982, Knox failed to come to terms on a new contract with team owner Ralph Wilson, and left to accept the head coaching position with the Seahawks on January 26, 1983.
During his first year in the Northwest, Knox led the team to its first playoff berth, beat the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
31-7 in the wildcard game and then upset the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
27-20 in the Orange Bowl
Miami Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl, formerly Burdine Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, west of downtown in Little Havana. Considered a landmark, it was the home stadium for the Miami Hurricanes college football team...
in the second round. However, the dream died in the AFC Championship game when the Seahawks fell to the Los Angeles Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
30-14. Subsequent seasons would see the Seahawks remain competitive, but did not reach a conference championship game again during his tenure, despite winning Seattle's first AFC West Division Title in 1988.
After nine years with Seattle, Knox left on December 27, 1991, having become the first NFL head coach to win division titles with three different teams. Looking to recapture the magic of two decades earlier, Knox returned to the Rams as head coach in 1992. While his tenure saw Jerome Bettis
Jerome Bettis
Jerome Abram "The Bus" Bettis is a retired American football halfback who played for the NFL's Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. Bettis is considered one of the best big backs ever because his footwork and power, and is currently fifth on the National Football League's all-time...
blossom into a star, his teams finished last in the NFC West in each of his three seasons. Additionally, his run-oriented offense was considered too predictable by 1990s NFL standards. He was fired on January 9, 1995.
Knox retired with a mark of 186 wins, 147 losses and 1 tie record, with his son, Chuck, Jr.
Chuck Knox Jr.
-Biography:Knox was born on February 19, 1965 in Englewood, New Jersey. His father is former Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Seattle Seahawks head coach Chuck Knox. Knox attended the University of Arizona where he played running back on the football team....
, keeping the family's name alive as an NFL assistant coach, most recently as defensive backs coach of the Minnesota Vikings until 2006.
In 2005, Knox donated $1 million to his alma mater, Juniata, to endow a chair in history, his major at the school. The donation was the largest of many contributions by Knox, with the institution re-naming the school's football stadium in his honor in 1998. Quaker Valley High School
Quaker Valley High School
Quaker Valley High School is a high school located in Leetsdale, Pennsylvania. Quaker Valley High School is one of the four National Blue Ribbon Schools that comprise the Quaker Valley School District....
in Knox's hometown of Sewickley, Pennsylvania has also named its football stadium in his honor http://seahawks.scout.com/2/353559.html
In reporting about Knox's $1 million donation, the Seattle Times noted that Knox has been extremely generous in donating substiantial money to Juniata and his old high school. The Times also noted that Knox left the games before coaches were paid the large sum of salaries common today and reporters asked whether he was donating away a substantial amount of his retirement fund.
Knox answered the reporters this way: "sure it is (a lot of money).....that's what it was going to take to do it"
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2002168853_knox03.html
On September 25, 2005 at age 73, Knox was inducted into the Seattle Seahawks Ring of Honor at Qwest Field
Qwest Field
CenturyLink Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It serves as the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer...
in Seattle and is regularly under consideration for nomination into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
in Canton, OH.