JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Longtime NFL player and coach Dick Jauron died Saturday at the age of 74.
Jauron was the first-ever defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He coached alongside Tom Coughlin in those inaugural years, before going on to lead the Chicago Bears to the playoffs.
His daughter Kacy confirmed Jauron’s death over social media, saying it came after a short battle with cancer.
“What we thought was some early signs of memory issues turned quickly into cancer in his brain, specifically a tumor that was causing some very out of character behavior,” said Kacy. “They quickly did a scan of his body and unfortunately they found cancer in his lungs, liver, and bones.
His daughter described him as “the very best son, brother, friend, teammate, husband, father, coach, HUMAN that we were all so lucky to love.”
His death came one day before Philadelphia — where Jauron briefly served as an assistant to current Chiefs coach Andy Reid — played Kansas City in the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
Jauron began his career as a multi-sport athlete in the early 1970s, and was drafted by both the Detroit Lions in the NFL draft and the St. Louis Cardinals in the Major League Baseball amateur draft. He ultimately made football his lifelong pursuit, beginning with five seasons as a defensive back in Detroit and three more with Cincinnati before his retirement in 1980.
The Jacksonville Jaguars and former Head Coach Tom Coughlin released the following statement Saturday:
“Dick Jauron will always hold a special place in Jaguars history as the defensive coordinator of our inaugural team in 1995.
“A dignified speaker and communicator, Dick established a lasting defensive standard for our franchise and asked only one thing of his players: that they match his attention and dedication to the task at hand, which was winning. His acumen for defensive excellence inevitably led to head coaching stops in Chicago and Buffalo. More than any of that, however, Dick was a deeply devoted family man. My family and the entire Jaguars organization shares our deepest condolences with Dick’ wonderful family. May he rest in peace.”
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