| | DALLAS -- When Tom Landry was fired as coach of the Dallas
Cowboys, many said there would never be anyone like him
again. Eleven years later, that seems truer than ever.
Landry's death Saturday night brought new reflection on his
legacy. After dusting off the old stories and statistics, his
accomplishments are even more impressive today.
It's difficult to imagine one person doing so much, so well for so long.
Landry was a winner.
His 270 victories are third most in NFL history. His teams
reached five Super Bowls, winning two. They had a winning record
for 20 straight seasons.
It's also worth noting that two of his Super Bowl losses were to
the Pittsburgh Steelers during their Steel Curtain dynasty. The
other was on a field goal in the final seconds.
Landry was an innovator.
He revolutionized defenses by creating the 4-3 formation in
1956, then in 1961 came up with the multiple offense to counter it.
Both remain standards in all levels of football.
He continued tinkering with ideas and formations. He came up
with things like the "Flex" defense and the chorus line routine
that had the offensive line set, stand and reset.
He also borrowed from the business world. He took such notions
as quality control and definition of goals and adapted them to
football. Those, too, remain staples from high school through the
NFL.
Landry knew how to persevere.
He lasted 29 seasons in the same job, an achievement in any
field. In the NFL, it's astounding.
His first team went 0-11-1, the NFL's worst record in 18 years.
He didn't have a winning record until the seventh year. Then
critics said he couldn't win the big one. The Cowboys became Super
Bowl champions in their sixth playoff season -- and again in their
11th.
To put his tenure in perspective, consider that the dean of
current NFL coach is Pittsburgh's Bill Cowher, who is going into
his ninth season. Another good measuring stick is Tom Coughlin, the
first and so far only coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who would
have to remain in place through 2023 to match Landry.
Landry was a born leader.
He spent two years as a bomber pilot in World War II flying
combat missions in a B-17, the same plane in which his older brother died.
While still a player with the New York Giants, Landry added the
duties of defensive assistant, a job that translates to defensive
coordinator today.
His stoic sideline demeanor was a facade. Landry was an intense
competitor, but he taught himself to control his emotions because
he knew he needed a clear head to make snap decisions. He also was
a deeply caring person who forced himself not to get close to his
players for fear it would interfere with personnel decisions.
Even the fedora -- symbolic of him as the blue star is of the
Cowboys -- was calculated. It started as a way to stay warm. Then it
stayed because it looked good and fit Landry's plan to project a
businesslike attitude.
Although conservative in manner, Landry managed to handle his
share of wayward players _ from hard-drinking free spirit Don
Meredith to troubled Duane Thomas to cocaine abuser Thomas
"Hollywood" Henderson. That's worth remembering when wondering
whether Landry could coach today.
Landry was a superb judge of talent.
He's joined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame by five of the
players he drafted, from 1961 pick Bob Lilly to 1977 pick Tony
Dorsett. The 1975 Cowboys, the first wild-card team to reach the
Super Bowl, included 12 rookies.
He also had a knack for surrounding himself with talented
assistant coaches. Dozens of aides went on to coach elsewhere in
the NFL, including Dan Reeves and Mike Ditka, both of whom played
for Landry and eventually coached teams into Super Bowls.
Landry was a model citizen.
He didn't smoke or drink or curse. He became a born-again
Christian in 1959 and spent the next 40 years working with
religious organizations, including the Fellowship of Christian
Athletes and Billy Graham's crusades.
Times have changed so much that it's probably not possible to
have another figure like Landry.
Ever since Dick Vermeil made burnout a football term in 1982,
there seems to be another victim of that professional hazard every
year. And with coaches getting seven-figure contracts, there's not
much need to stick around as long.
Landry also was blessed to come along when pro football was
still a game more than a business.
Imagine an owner today giving a coach a 10-year extension
instead of a pink slip after going 13-38-3 four years into a
five-year deal. That's what Clint Murchison did for Landry.
He knew what Tom Landry meant. Not only to the Cowboys, but all of football. | |
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