Buddy Ryan, NFL coach and defensive mastermind, dies at 82

Ryan’s vaunted “46 defence” was at the heart of the 46-10 defeat of the New England Patriots at Super Bowl XX, totalling an impressive seven sacks in the game.

“The Vikings are passing along condolences, thoughts and prayers to the family of James David “Buddy” Ryan, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 82″, the team said in a statement.

The cause of death was not immediately clear. Buddy Ryan’s twin sons, Rex and Rob, were first-time National Football League assistants on their father’s Cardinals staff. He coached the New York Jets to win the franchise’s only Super Bowl victory in 1969. He made his name as the defensive mastermind behind the 1985 Chicago Bears, the Super Bowl champions who are often considered among the greatest defensive teams in professional football history.

It was in the final seconds of Super Bowl 20 when his defensive players hoisted him to their shoulders and carried from the sideline and to the middle of the field in celebration.

Ryan coached in Philly from 1986 to 1990, and the 1988 season was the first of three straight playoff appearances. “When (former Jets coach Weeb) Ewbank hired him, he had to make a difference”.

Still, with all that being said, let’s remember Ryan for the other reasons today.

Buddy Ryan wasn’t just a character.

Ryan’s coaching tree isn’t largely celebrated, per se, but besides both Rex and Rob, Ryan also saw many players go on to become head coaches.

Ryan joined the Houston Oilers staff in 1993 as the team’s defensive coordinator but only lasted a year. His 46 defense was revolutionary at the time, and adding more blitzers than the line could handle was the key to success.

You guys will always be my heroes. “That’s like saying Marilyn Monroe is just a girl”. Cowboys kicker Luis Zendejas claimed Ryan put a $200 bounty on him, something Ryan laughed off as ridiculous.

Hampton then kicked a film projector out of defensive line coach Dale Haupt’s hands, and defensive tackle Steve McMichael flung a chair across the room, its legs impaling a chalkboard. He was also the head coach and GM of the Arizona Cardinals for two years.

His another defense enable the New York Jets to lift their only superbowl title in the history back in 1969.

Buddy Ryan stands with President Obama during the 1985 Bears’ visit to the White House in 2011.