Chuck Knox facts for kids

Charles Robert Knox (born April 27, 1932 – died May 12, 2018) was a famous American football coach. He coached teams at high school, college, and professional levels. He was the head coach for three National Football League (NFL) teams. These were the Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Seattle Seahawks.

Knox was named AP NFL Coach of the Year three times. He is also a special member of the Seahawks Ring of Honor.

Chuck Knox's Early Life

Chuck Knox was born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. This town is near Pittsburgh. He often used to say that common sense things were "eighth-grade Sewickley."

His father was a steel worker from Ireland. His mother was from Scotland. Knox grew up to be a strong football player. He played as a tackle at Juniata College. He played on both offense and defense. In 1953, he was a co-captain for the school's first undefeated team. He also ran track and finished college in 1954.

Chuck Knox's Coaching Start

After college, Knox became an assistant coach at Juniata. The next year, he was an assistant coach at Tyrone High School. In 1956, he became the head coach at Ellwood City High School for three years.

Knox then moved to college coaching. He was an assistant coach at Wake Forest University for two seasons starting in 1959. In 1961, he joined the staff at the University of Kentucky. There, he learned important ideas about being organized and disciplined. He also learned to focus on basic football skills.

In 1963, Knox joined the New York Jets as an offensive line coach. He helped build a strong offensive line. This line protected quarterback Joe Namath. They later won Super Bowl III. However, Knox left the Jets in 1967. This meant he missed out on getting a Super Bowl ring.

Next, Knox moved to the Detroit Lions in 1967. He spent six seasons there. He helped create very strong offensive lines. He also developed new ways to block for passes. These methods are still used today. Knox was also a progressive coach. He played Bill Cottrell, an African American, at center. This was unusual at the time. African American players even called him "Dolomite."

Chuck Knox's Head Coaching Career

In 1973, Chuck Knox became the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams. He was sometimes called "Ground Chuck." This was because his teams focused a lot on running the ball.

Success with the Los Angeles Rams

In his first year, Knox led the Rams to a 12–2 record. They won the NFC West title. Knox was named NFC Coach of the Year. But the team lost in the playoffs. This started a tough trend of playoff losses for Knox.

Quarterback John Hadl was named the 1973 NFC Most Valuable Player under Knox. This showed that passing was also a big part of his offense. In 1974, Knox traded Hadl for many draft picks. He then started James Harris. Harris was the NFL's first African American regular quarterback.

The Rams won five straight NFC West championships with Knox. But they always struggled in the playoffs. They lost three NFC Championship games in a row from 1974 to 1976. In 1977, they lost a rainy playoff game to the Minnesota Vikings. Knox left the Rams after this game. In five seasons, the Rams had a great regular season record of 54-15-1. But their playoff record was 3–5.

A football signed by the 1977 Los Angeles Rams, including Coach Knox, Tom Mack, Joe Namath, Pat Haden, and Vince Ferragamo, gifted to President Ford.

Coaching the Buffalo Bills

In 1978, Knox became the head coach of the Buffalo Bills. The Bills had not been doing well. In his first year, the Bills went 5–11. Just two years later, the Bills won the AFC East title. They had an 11–5 record. But they lost in the playoffs to the San Diego Chargers.

The next year, his team won a playoff game against the Jets. But they then lost to the Cincinnati Bengals. After the 1982 season, Knox left the Bills. He then became the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

Leading the Seattle Seahawks

In his first year with the Seahawks in 1983, Knox led the team to its first playoff spot. They beat the Denver Broncos and then upset the Miami Dolphins. However, their playoff run ended when they lost to the Los Angeles Raiders.

The Seahawks stayed competitive in the following years. In 1988, they won Seattle's first AFC West Division Title. But they did not reach another conference championship game while Knox was there.

After nine years with Seattle, Knox left in 1991. He was the first NFL head coach to win division titles with three different teams.

Return to the Rams

In 1992, Knox returned to coach the Rams again. He hoped to bring back their past success. During this time, Jerome Bettis became a star player. However, Knox's teams finished last in their division for all three seasons. He was fired in 1995.

Knox retired with a total of 186 wins, 147 losses, and 1 tie. At the time, he was sixth all-time in wins for an NFL coach.

Chuck Knox's Legacy and Honors

In 2005, Knox gave $1 million to his old college, Juniata. This money helps support a history program. Juniata also renamed its football stadium in his honor in 1998. Quaker Valley High School in his hometown also named its football stadium after him.

Knox was very generous with his donations. He told reporters that he gave a lot of his retirement money. He said, "sure it is (a lot of money)... that's what it was going to take to do it."

A close-up of those who've hoisted the 12th Man Flag including Chuck Knox.

On September 25, 2005, Chuck Knox was added to the Seattle Seahawks Ring of Honor. This happened at Qwest Field in Seattle. He is often considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 2015, he was named to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class.

Personal Life and Death

Chuck Knox had a special relationship with his granddaughter, Lee Ann. An article in the Los Angeles Times in 2016 talked about this. It showed a different, softer side of the tough coach.

On May 12, 2018, Chuck Knox passed away at age 86. He had been battling Lewy Body Dementia for a long time. He was survived by his wife, Shirley, of 66 years. He also had four children and six grandchildren.