Sam Rutigliano
Encyclopedia
Sam Rutigliano is a former National Football League
head coach.
Rutigliano, the son of Italian immigrants, played high school football
at Erasmus Hall High School
in Brooklyn. He played college football at Tennessee
and Tulsa
. He coached at the high school level in New York. This included a stint at Horace Greeley High School
in Chappaqua, NY where he tried to change the school's nickname from "Quakers" to the more masculine sounding "Falcons". He then coached at the college level at Connecticut
, Maryland
and Tennessee before landing a professional football assistant coaching job with the American Football League
's Denver Broncos
in 1967. He would be an assistant with the New England Patriots
, New York Jets
, and New Orleans Saints
over the next 11 years before being given the head coaching job for the Cleveland Browns
in 1978
.
Over the next six years, Rutigliano was the coach of the famed "Kardiac Kids
" Browns. He led the 1980
Browns to the AFC Central Division Championship. The final play of the Browns' playoff game with the Oakland Raiders
would be the most memorable moment in Rutigliano's coaching career. Down 14–12 and within field goal range, Rutigliano decided to run one more play rather than kick a game-winning field goal. The play, called "Red Right 88
", resulted in a game-ending interception. Despite the early playoff exit, Rutigliano received NFL Coach of the Year
honors for the 1980 season.
Rutigliano was fired in 1984
after starting the season 1–7. He was replaced by Marty Schottenheimer
. In his six and a half seasons with the Browns, Rutigliano compiled a 47–50 record.
After being let go by the Browns, Rutigliano would serve as an analyst for NBC Sports
and ESPN
for three years. In 1988, he was given the head coaching job at Liberty University
, a post he would hold for eleven years until retiring in 1999.
Rutigliano would go on to be an assistant coach under Jack Bicknell
with the Barcelona Dragons
and Scottish Claymores
, both of NFL Europe.
Beginning in 2005, "Coach Sam" (as he is known as in Cleveland) became a Browns analyst for WKYC channel 3 in Cleveland (NBC
), and also for SportsTime Ohio
when it began operations in 2006. In 2011, he moved to WEWS-TV
5 (ABC
) to become a Browns analyst.
, particularly of cocaine
, was a rampant problem among unmarried NFL players. During Rutigliano's tenure with the Browns, the NFL mandated the hiring of a psychiatric professional specializing in substance abuse, and Rutigliano was the first NFL coach to comply with the policy. Dr. Gregory Collins of the Cleveland Clinic
was hired as the Browns' addiction recovery physician. Wanting to take the policy further to assist those players who would not come forward with their addiction problems, with the support of team owner Art Modell
, Rutigliano founded an anonymous support group known as the "Inner Circle", which was attended by approximately a dozen Browns players. The support group was assisted by the efforts of Calvin Hill
and Paul Warfield
. Only Charles White
, who chose to go into a rehab center in Los Angeles, lost his anonymity among the group's members.
Rutigliano considered the Inner Circle his greatest accomplishment as an NFL coach, and on November 14, 2007, Rutigliano was given the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
's Bronze Key Award by the NCADD's Northeast Ohio affiliate, Recovery Resources. In his speech presenting the award to Rutigliano, Dr. Collins, now Section Head of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation's Drug and Alcohol Recovery Center and 2006 Bronze Key Award winner, lobbied to have Rutigliano inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
for his work with the Inner Circle.
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...
head coach.
Rutigliano, the son of Italian immigrants, played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
at Erasmus Hall High School
Erasmus Hall High School
Erasmus Hall Campus High School is a four-year public high school in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, United States operated by the New York City Department of Education....
in Brooklyn. He played college football at Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
and Tulsa
University of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
. He coached at the high school level in New York. This included a stint at Horace Greeley High School
Horace Greeley High School
Horace Greeley High School is a public, four-year secondary school serving students in grades 9–12 in Chappaqua, New York. It is part of the Chappaqua Central School District....
in Chappaqua, NY where he tried to change the school's nickname from "Quakers" to the more masculine sounding "Falcons". He then coached at the college level at Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
, Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
and Tennessee before landing a professional football assistant coaching job with 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 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...
in 1967. He would be an assistant with the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
, New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
over the next 11 years before being given the head coaching job for the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1978
1978 NFL season
The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference...
.
Over the next six years, Rutigliano was the coach of the famed "Kardiac Kids
Kardiac Kids
The Kardiac Kids is a reference to the 1980 Cleveland Browns, who had a penchant for having games decided in the final moments. Finishing 11-5, the Browns captured their first division title since 1971, winning a tiebreaker with the Houston Oilers...
" Browns. He led the 1980
1980 NFL season
The 1980 NFL season was the 61st regular season of the National Football League.After the league declined to approve the proposed move by the Raiders from Oakland, California to Los Angeles, the team along with the Los Angeles Coliseum sued the NFL for violating antitrust laws...
Browns to the AFC Central Division Championship. The final play of the Browns' playoff game with the Oakland 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...
would be the most memorable moment in Rutigliano's coaching career. Down 14–12 and within field goal range, Rutigliano decided to run one more play rather than kick a game-winning field goal. The play, called "Red Right 88
Red Right 88
Red Right 88 was the designation of a Cleveland Browns passing play that was called during the January 4, 1981 American Football Conference divisional playoff game against the Oakland Raiders; in the years since, the term has been used to refer to the game itself and its ending.Trailing 14-12 with...
", resulted in a game-ending interception. Despite the early playoff exit, Rutigliano received NFL 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 for the 1980 season.
Rutigliano was fired in 1984
1984 NFL season
The 1984 NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts relocated from Baltimore, Maryland to Indianapolis, Indiana....
after starting the season 1–7. He was replaced by Marty Schottenheimer
Marty Schottenheimer
Martin Edward "Marty" Schottenheimer is the current head coach of the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. Over his career, he has served as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, and San Diego Chargers. He has the most wins of any NFL coach...
. In his six and a half seasons with the Browns, Rutigliano compiled a 47–50 record.
After being let go by the Browns, Rutigliano would serve as an analyst for NBC Sports
NFL on NBC
NFL on NBC is the brand given to NBC Sports coverage of National Football League games until 1998, when NBC lost the NFL American Football Conference rights to CBS...
and ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
for three years. In 1988, he was given the head coaching job at Liberty University
Liberty University
Liberty University is a private Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty's annual enrollment is around 72,000 students, 12,000 of whom are residential students and 60,000+ studying through Liberty University Online...
, a post he would hold for eleven years until retiring in 1999.
Rutigliano would go on to be an assistant coach under Jack Bicknell
Jack Bicknell
-Professional:-External links:...
with the Barcelona Dragons
Barcelona Dragons
The Barcelona Dragons were a team originally in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. Their home field in Barcelona was the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuic, the 1992 Olympic Stadium, and later the Mini Estadi. The Dragons were successful on the field, making it...
and Scottish Claymores
Scottish Claymores
The Scottish Claymores were an American football team from Scotland. The franchise played in the World League of American Football between 1995 and 2004, initially playing all home games at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh and latterly sharing home games with Hampden Park, Glasgow...
, both of NFL Europe.
Beginning in 2005, "Coach Sam" (as he is known as in Cleveland) became a Browns analyst for WKYC channel 3 in Cleveland (NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
), and also for SportsTime Ohio
SportsTime Ohio
SportsTime Ohio is a regional sports network in Cleveland and northern Ohio, launched in 2006. It was created to air Cleveland Indians games, and is owned by the family which owns the team. It is also the cable television home of the Cleveland Browns...
when it began operations in 2006. In 2011, he moved to WEWS-TV
WEWS-TV
WEWS-TV, virtual channel 5 , is a television station in Cleveland, Ohio. WEWS has been owned by the E. W. Scripps Company since its inception, and is an affiliate of the ABC television network...
5 (ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
) to become a Browns analyst.
Player addiction recovery program
Throughout the 1970s, substance abuseSubstance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
, particularly of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, was a rampant problem among unmarried NFL players. During Rutigliano's tenure with the Browns, the NFL mandated the hiring of a psychiatric professional specializing in substance abuse, and Rutigliano was the first NFL coach to comply with the policy. Dr. Gregory Collins of the Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic
The Cleveland Clinic is a multispecialty academic medical center located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The Cleveland Clinic is currently regarded as one of the top 4 hospitals in the United States as rated by U.S. News & World Report...
was hired as the Browns' addiction recovery physician. Wanting to take the policy further to assist those players who would not come forward with their addiction problems, with the support of team owner Art Modell
Art Modell
Arthur B. Modell is an American businessman, entrepreneur and former National Football League team owner. He owned the Cleveland Browns franchise from 1961–1995 and the Baltimore Ravens franchise from 1996–2004. Modell is the grandson of the late Morris Modell who founded the northeast...
, Rutigliano founded an anonymous support group known as the "Inner Circle", which was attended by approximately a dozen Browns players. The support group was assisted by the efforts of Calvin Hill
Calvin Hill
Calvin G. Hill is a retired American football running back who had a 12-year NFL career from 1969 to 1981. He played for the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns...
and Paul Warfield
Paul Warfield
Paul Dryden Warfield is a former professional American football wide receiver in the 1960s and 1970s known for his speed, fluid moves, grace, jumping ability and hands.- Football career :...
. Only Charles White
Charles White (American football)
Charles White is a former professional American football running back. He had a distinguished college career and later played in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns and the Los Angeles Rams.-College football:...
, who chose to go into a rehab center in Los Angeles, lost his anonymity among the group's members.
Rutigliano considered the Inner Circle his greatest accomplishment as an NFL coach, and on November 14, 2007, Rutigliano was given the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence was founded in 1944 by the first female member of Alcoholics Anonymous , Marty Mann . It has a nationwide network of 95 affiliates around the United States...
's Bronze Key Award by the NCADD's Northeast Ohio affiliate, Recovery Resources. In his speech presenting the award to Rutigliano, Dr. Collins, now Section Head of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation's Drug and Alcohol Recovery Center and 2006 Bronze Key Award winner, lobbied to have Rutigliano inducted 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...
for his work with the Inner Circle.
NFL
| Team | |Regular Season | CLE 1978 Cleveland Browns season The 1978 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 29th season with the National Football League.-NFL Draft:The following were selected in the 1978 NFL Draft.-Schedule:-Roster:-References:... |
1978 1978 NFL season The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference... |
8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3rd in AFC Central | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | – | ||||||||
| CLE 1979 Cleveland Browns season The 1979 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 30th season with the National Football League.-NFL Draft:The following were selected in the 1979 NFL Draft.-Schedule:-Standings:-Roster:-References:* *... |
1979 1979 NFL season The 1979 NFL season was the 60th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XIV when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams... |
9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3rd in AFC Central | – | – | – | – |
| CLE 1980 Cleveland Browns season The 1980 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 31st season with the National Football League.For more details on the season, see Kardiac Kids and Red Right 88.-NFL Draft:The following were selected in the 1980 NFL Draft.-Memorable moments:... |
1980 1980 NFL season The 1980 NFL season was the 61st regular season of the National Football League.After the league declined to approve the proposed move by the Raiders from Oakland, California to Los Angeles, the team along with the Los Angeles Coliseum sued the NFL for violating antitrust laws... |
11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 1st in AFC Central | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Oakland 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... in AFC Divisional Game. |
| CLE 1981 Cleveland Browns season The 1981 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 32nd season with the National Football League.-NFL Draft:The following were selected in the 1981 NFL Draft.-Schedule:-Standings:-Roster:-References:... |
1981 1981 NFL season The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.-Major rule changes:... |
5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 4th in AFC Central | – | – | – | – |
| CLE 1982 Cleveland Browns season The 1982 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 33rd season with the National Football League.The Browns were among 8 teams that qualified for the playoffs during this strike shorted season, and became one of only three teams to ever qualify for the playoffs despite having a losing record... |
1982 1982 NFL season The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule... |
4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 3rd in AFC Central | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to L.A. Raiders in AFC Wild-Card Game. |
| CLE 1983 Cleveland Browns season The 1983 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 34th season with the National Football League.-NFL Draft:The following were selected in the 1983 NFL Draft.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:* *... |
1983 1983 NFL season The 1983 NFL season was the 64th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVIII when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins.-Major rule changes:... |
9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2nd in AFC Central | – | – | – | – |
| CLE 1984 Cleveland Browns season The 1984 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 35th season with the National Football League. At the season's mid-way point, head coach Sam Rutigliano was fired and replaced by Marty Schottenheimer.-Schedule:-Standings:... |
1984 1984 NFL season The 1984 NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts relocated from Baltimore, Maryland to Indianapolis, Indiana.... |
1 | 7 | 0 | .125 | 3rd in AFC Central | – | – | – | – |
| CLE Total | 47 | 50 | 0 | .485 | 0 | 2 | .000 | |||
| Total | 47 | 50 | 0 | .485 | 0 | 2 | .000 | |||