Former Buffalo Bills head coach Dick Jauron, who passed away at 74, had a notable career as both an NFL player and coach. A standout athlete at Yale in the 1970s, Jauron was drafted by both the Detroit Lions in the NFL and the St. Louis Cardinals in baseball, but chose football as his long-term career. He played five seasons as a defensive back for Detroit and three more with Cincinnati before retiring in 1980.
Jauron transitioned into coaching, starting as a defensive backs coach for the Bills in 1985. He later coached defensive backs in Green Bay and became close with Reid, who was an assistant coach at the time. In 1995, Jauron became the defensive coordinator for the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars, and his success there led to a head coaching role with the Chicago Bears. Jauron had a mixed tenure with the Bears, with a 2001 NFC North title but only one winning season in five years.
Fired in 2003, he became the defensive coordinator for Detroit, briefly serving as interim head coach in 2005. He spent four seasons as head coach of the Bills, but never had a winning record. Jauron finished his head coaching career with a 60-82 record and one playoff appearance over a span of 10 seasons. His passing occurred just two days after the Bears announced the death of Virginia Halas McCaskey, the 102-year-old longtime owner of the team.
