Whatever you could have thought about football, be it skill, talent or knowledge. Dick Jauron checked all the boxes and more from his time on the gridiron. Whether it was related to plays as a player or his play-calling as a coach, Jauron had everything a footballer could ever dream of. But on Saturday, something happened that sent shockwaves to the whole NFL community. Dick Jauron took his last breath, leaving us decades of memories to feel proud of.

His short-lived battle with cancer came to a devastating blow on Saturday morning as his daughter Kacy shared her emotional thoughts on Facebook. “We are so incredibly devastated to share the news that my dad has passed away. The past week has been one awful nightmare after another. The pain that I and everyone else who loved him is feeling right now is completely immeasurable. The very best son, brother, friend, teammate, husband, father, coach, HUMAN that we were all so lucky to love.” 

With that being said, Jauron will mostly be remembered for his time on the sidelines. And what he achieved as a head coach in the NFL. At the turn of the millennium, in 2021, Dick Jauron was named the NFL’s coach of the year. His only successful season in Windy City saw him finish with a record of 13-3, winning the NFC Central in the process. However, unfortunately, the Bears couldn’t go deep into the postseason, eventually tasting defeat 33-19 at the hands of the Eagles in their divisional round face-off.

And that was the only time Jauron was able to punch a postseason ticket as a head coach. His time with the Bears came to an end in 2003 when he was sacked and replaced by Lovie Smith after going 7-9. But that wasn’t the end of Jauron’s run as a head coach in the league. After a few years, Jauron was handed the opportunity to coach the Bills.

However, he couldn’t really impress in his three-and-half years in Buffalo. Finishing with a 24-33 record while failing to deliver even a single winning season. By the time Jauron retired as a coach from the NFL, he finished with an overall record of 60-82 as a head coach. Not really bad for someone who was equally sublime as a player on the gridiron.

Remembering Dick Jauron’s time as a player on both sides of the gridiron

What makes Dick Jauron’s legacy ever-lasting is he won’t just be remembered for his time as a coach in the NFL. He was way more than just a coach for 28 seasons. Jauron’s journey as a footballer started at Swampscott High. Like most of you might remember Jauron as a safety, considering his time in Detroit and Cincinnati. However, would you believe Jauron used to play as a running back in college? His time at Yale saw him rush for 2,947 rushing yards in just three seasons. Jauron even held a record of 16 consecutive 100-yard rushing games, a record that wasn’t broken until 2006.

Those personal milestones and 3-time First Team All-Ivy League accolades led to Jauron’s induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015. Well, his running capabilities truly shined in a different way when Jauron was named to the Pro Bowl in 1974. His one and only Pro Bowl came on the back of him leading the NFC in punt-return average. We bid adieu to someone who gelled as a footballer no matter in what role he served. Dick Jauron will remain at the top of what players these days dreams aspire to.