Former Gator player, coach Lindy Infante dies

Smith hired Infante as offensive coordinator in 1976 and he remained for one season before leaving for the NFL’s New York Giants, where he served as wide receivers coach. He was sacked after the 1997 when the Colts fell to 3-13.

Infante was the NFL’s coach of the year in 1989 after leading the Green Bay Packers to a 10-6 record, breaking their string of 11 consecutive losing seasons. In 1996, he coached the Indianapolis Colts to the playoffs during his first season there.

He coached the Packers from 1988-91, compiling a 24-40 mark before being replaced by Mike Holmgren.

“They kept saying to me, ‘We just wanted to tell you that [Lindy] was special, ‘ ” Stephanie said in a phone interview.

Safety LeRoy Butler, a mainstay of the Packers defenses in the 1990s, expressed his condolences on Twitter.

Infante got the job in Green Bay after Michigan State coach George Perles initially accepted, then backed out.

The Colts gave him another opportunity, first as an offensive coordinator before taking over as head coach in 1996. He was known as a shrewd play-caller while with the Browns, with Bernie Kosar at quarterback.

Infante and his wife lived in Crescent Beach, Fla., outside Jacksonville, for about the last 20 years.

Spurrier, who owns a Crescent Beach home near Infante, acknowledged Infante was “a very good coach in his day” and remembers the ex-Florida halfback scoring a touchdown in 1960 to help defeat Georgia Tech 18-17.