Dick Nolan (American football)
No. 25, 23 | |
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Position: | Safety |
Personal information | |
Born: | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | March 26, 1932
Died: | November 11, 2007 Grapevine, Texas, U.S. | (aged 75)
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
Weight: | 185 lb (84 kg) |
Career information | |
High school: | White Plains (NY) |
College: | Maryland |
NFL Draft: | 1954 / Round: 4 / Pick: 41 |
Career history | |
As a player: | |
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As a coach: | |
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Head coaching record | |
Regular season: | 69–82–5 (.458) |
Postseason: | 2–3 (.400) |
Career: | 71–85–5 (.457) |
Player stats at PFR | |
Coaching stats at PFR |
Richard Charles Nolan (March 26, 1932 – November 11, 2007) was an American football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL), and served as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints.
Early years[]
In his youth, Nolan was the starting quarterback at White Plains High School. He accepted a scholarship from the University of Maryland, where he was converted to running back and safety. He received honorable-mention All-American honors as a senior.[1] He was a key contributor to the school's 1953 championship team.
Professional career[]
In the NFL, he played for a total of nine seasons (1954–62) in the defensive halfback, safety, and defensive back positions.[2] He was selected in the fourth round (41st overall) of the 1954 NFL Draft by the New York Giants.[3] On May 10, 1958, he was traded to the Chicago Cardinals.[4] He returned to the Giants in 1959.
On April 27, 1962, he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in a three-team deal, with the Green Bay Packers acquiring kicking specialist Allen Green and the Giants obtaining a draft pick from the Packers.[5] He reunited with former teammate Tom Landry, who used Nolan as a "player-coach". When Nolan was injured halfway through his first season, he became the Cowboys' defensive coordinator.[6]
Coaching career[]
Nolan was on the Cowboys' staff for six years, the last year being the season in which the Cowboys played in the Ice Bowl. Afterwards, he was head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for eight seasons from 1968 through 1975, noted for developing the defense and taking the team to three straight NFC West division titles (1970–72), twice missing the Super Bowl by only one game (1970–71). Additionally, he was head coach for the New Orleans Saints from 1978–80 going 15–29. He was the first Saints head coach to win six, seven, and eight games in a single season, going 7–9 in 1978 and 8–8 in 1979.[7] Nolan was fired by the Saints in 1980 after an 0–12 start. His last game was on November 24 of that season, a 27–7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football. The Saints finished the 1980 season 1–15, as interim coach Dick Stanfel won only one of his four games, a 21–20 victory over the New York Jets in week 15.
His alma mater, the University of Maryland, College Park, interviewed Nolan for the head coach vacancy created when Jerry Claiborne left for Kentucky, but ultimately, chose Bobby Ross, instead.[8]
Nolan holds the dubious distinction of being the head coach of the Arena Football League's San Antonio Force in 1992, the only team in Arena history to be shut out, 50-0 by the Orlando Predators on June 13, 1992
Nolan was well known for wearing business suits while coaching, as did many other coaches during his era. The NFL has since disallowed this practice in most circumstances due to the league signing exclusive apparel deals with sportswear companies (specifically Reebok). The league made an exception after Nolan's death in 2007, allowing Nolan's son Mike[9] and Jack Del Rio, coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, to wear suits in the elder Nolan's honor.[10]
Head coaching record[]
Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
SF | 1968 | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 3rd in NFL Coastal | - | - | - | |
SF | 1969 | 4 | 8 | 2 | .333 | 4th in NFL Coastal | - | - | - | |
SF | 1970 | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 1st in NFC West | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Dallas Cowboys in NFC Championship Game |
SF | 1971 | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 1st in NFC West | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Dallas Cowboys in NFC Championship Game |
SF | 1972 | 8 | 5 | 1 | .607 | 1st in NFC West | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Dallas Cowboys in NFC Divisional Game |
SF | 1973 | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 3rd in NFC West | - | - | - | |
SF | 1974 | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2nd in NFC West | - | - | - | |
SF | 1975 | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 2nd in NFC West | - | - | - | |
SF Total | 54 | 53 | 5 | .504 | 2 | 3 | .400 | |||
NO | 1978 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3rd in NFC West | - | - | - | |
NO | 1979 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2nd in NFC West | - | - | - | |
NO | 1980 | 0 | 12 | 0 | .000 | Fired mid-season | - | - | - | |
NO Total | 15 | 29 | 0 | .341 | - | - | - | |||
Total | 69 | 82 | 5 | .458 | 2 | 3 | .400 |
References[]
- ^ Kroichick, Ron (November 12, 2007). "Coach established 49ers as a winner". SFGATE.
- ^ "Former NFL Player and 49ers Head Coach Dick Nolan Passes Away". Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved March 27, 2008.
- ^ "Dick Nolan Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ "Grid Giants, Cards Trade Four Players". Retrieved December 7, 2015.
- ^ "Three-Way Trade Set". Retrieved December 7, 2015.
- ^ Dick Nolan 1932–2007, Sports Illustrated, November 19, 2007.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints – Sports Ecyclopedia".
- ^ Nolan among prospects for Maryland vacancy, The Free-Lance Star, December 29, 1981.
- ^ Torregrossa, Richard (September 7, 2007). "Mike Nolan scores one for the suit". SFGate. Retrieved September 7, 2007.
- ^ "404 Not Found | firstcoastnews.com". www.firstcoastnews.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
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External links[]
- NFL.com player page
- Dick Nolan at Find a Grave
- 1932 births
- 2007 deaths
- American football safeties
- Chicago Cardinals players
- Dallas Cowboys coaches
- Dallas Cowboys players
- Denver Broncos coaches
- Houston Oilers coaches
- Maryland Terrapins football players
- New Orleans Saints coaches
- New Orleans Saints head coaches
- New York Giants players
- San Francisco 49ers head coaches
- Arena Football League coaches
- National Football League defensive coordinators
- Sportspeople from Pittsburgh
- Sportspeople from Westchester County, New York
- People from White Plains, New York
- Players of American football from New York (state)
- Deaths from Alzheimer's disease
- Neurological disease deaths in Texas
- Deaths from prostate cancer
- Deaths from cancer in Texas
- White Plains High School alumni
- Players of American football from Pittsburgh