Forrest Gregg facts for kids

Forrest Gregg (born October 18, 1933 – died April 12, 2019) was a famous American football player and coach. He played as an offensive tackle for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was part of six NFL championship teams. Five of these wins were with the Green Bay Packers. His last championship was with the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl VI.

After his playing career, Gregg became a head coach. He coached three NFL teams: the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and Green Bay Packers. He also coached two teams in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and a college team, the SMU Mustangs. In 1981, he led the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl, but they lost to the San Francisco 49ers.

Forrest Gregg's Early Life and College Years

Forrest Gregg was born on October 18, 1933, in Birthright, Texas. He went to Sulphur Springs High School. After high school, he played college football at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. At SMU, Gregg played on both the offensive and defensive lines. He was recognized as an All-Southwest Conference player in his last two years.

Forrest Gregg's Amazing Playing Career

Forrest Gregg was a very important player for the Green Bay Packers. He played under legendary coach Vince Lombardi. During this time, the Packers won five NFL championships and the first two Super Bowls. Gregg mainly played as a right tackle, but he could also play as a guard. He was known as an "iron man" because he played in 188 games in a row. This was a league record at the time, lasting from 1956 to 1971. He was named an All-NFL player for eight years straight, from 1960 to 1967. He was also chosen for the Pro Bowl nine times.

Gregg finished his playing career with the Dallas Cowboys. His former Packers teammate, Herb Adderley, also joined the Cowboys. Together, they helped the Cowboys win Super Bowl VI in January 1972. This made them some of the few players in football history to win six NFL titles. Gregg wore number 75 for 15 seasons with the Packers. But in Dallas, number 75 belonged to another player, so Gregg wore number 79 for his final season in 1971.

Many people say that coach Vince Lombardi called Forrest Gregg the "finest player I ever coached!" However, the official Packers historian has not found proof of Lombardi saying this. In 1999, Gregg was ranked 28th on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. This showed how highly he was regarded among football legends.

Forrest Gregg's Coaching Journey

After his playing days, Forrest Gregg became a coach. He started as an assistant coach for the San Diego Chargers in 1973. The next year, he joined the Cleveland Browns as an assistant.

Coaching the Cleveland Browns

In 1975, Gregg became the head coach for the Cleveland Browns. He coached the team for three seasons, until 1977.

Leading the Cincinnati Bengals

After a break in 1978, Gregg coached the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League in 1979. In 1980, he became the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. He coached them for four seasons. His best season was in 1981. He led the Bengals to a 12–4 record in the regular season. They won the AFC championship game, which was called the "Freezer Bowl." This win sent them to Super Bowl XVI. However, they lost to the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 26–21.

Returning to Coach the Green Bay Packers

In 1983, Gregg's old teammate, Bart Starr, was fired as the Packers' head coach. Gregg was allowed to leave his Bengals contract to coach the Green Bay Packers. He coached the Packers for four seasons, from 1984 to 1987. His overall record as an NFL coach was 75 wins, 85 losses, and one tie. He also won two playoff games with the Bengals.

Coaching His College Team, SMU

In 1988, Gregg left the Packers to coach his old college team, SMU. The SMU football program was in trouble. It had faced serious penalties from the NCAA for breaking rules. This meant they had to rebuild their team from scratch. Gregg knew it would be a huge challenge.

When Gregg arrived, the team was very small and young. Many players had left. Gregg himself was taller and heavier than most of the 70 players on the team. They even had to ask wide receivers to gain weight and become offensive linemen. It was a very tough situation for the team.

In 1989, the SMU Mustangs won only 2 games and lost 9. One of their losses was a very big one against Houston, 95–21. Even with these tough times, Gregg remembered his time at SMU fondly. He said the players showed great courage. He felt it was one of the most enjoyable experiences in his football life.

After the 1989 season, Gregg became SMU's athletic director. He coached for one more season in 1990, where the team won 1 game and lost 10. After that, he focused on being the athletic director until 1994.

Coaching in the CFL Again

Gregg returned to the CFL in 1994 and 1995. He coached the Shreveport Pirates. This was during a time when the CFL tried to expand into the United States. His total record in the CFL was 13 wins and 39 losses. In 2005, he also worked as the vice president of football operations for the Ottawa Renegades for two years.

Forrest Gregg's Personal Life

Forrest Gregg married Barbara Dedek in 1960. In the 1970s, he had several surgeries for skin cancer.

He later retired to Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 2011, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Doctors believed this was caused by concussions he got from playing football for over two decades.

Forrest Gregg passed away on April 12, 2019, at the age of 85. He died due to problems from Parkinson's disease. He was survived by his wife, Barbara, his son, Forrest Jr., and his daughter, Karen Gregg Spehar.

Coaching Records

College Coaching Record

NFL Coaching Record

CFL Coaching Record