1. James David "Buddy" Ryan was an American football coach in the National Football League and American Football League.
28 Facts About Buddy Ryan
1. 2.
Buddy Ryan served as the defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears from 1978 to 1985, and of the Houston Oilers in 1993.
3.
Buddy Ryan began his professional coaching career as the defensive line coach for the New York Jets of the AFL for the team's Super Bowl III victory.
4.
Buddy Ryan became the defensive line coach for the Minnesota Vikings, overseeing the Purple People Eaters.
5.
Buddy Ryan then became the defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears, who won Super Bowl XX.
6.
Buddy Ryan then coached the Eagles, served as defensive coordinator of the Oilers, and coached the Cardinals.
8.
Buddy Ryan was born on February 17,1931, and raised in a "small, agricultural-based community" outside of Frederick, Oklahoma.
9.
Buddy Ryan served as a sergeant in the United States Army during the Korean War.
10.
Buddy Ryan began his coaching career at Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Texas, in 1957 as an assistant coach under Dub Wooten.
11.
When Wooten became head coach at Marshall High School in 1959, Buddy Ryan was promoted to head coach at Gainesville where he was the athletic director.
12.
In 1961, after completing service in the military, Buddy Ryan was determined to continue coaching football when he returned, and not at the high school ranks.
13.
In 1965, Buddy Ryan took a job at Pacific, before finishing his college coaching career the following season with Vanderbilt.
14.
In 1976 and 1977, Buddy Ryan served as defensive line coach for the Minnesota Vikings.
15.
That offseason, Buddy Ryan was hired by the Philadelphia Eagles as their head coach.
16.
Buddy Ryan released running back Earnest Jackson, who had rushed for more than 1,000 yards in both of the previous two seasons, and limited the playing time of veteran quarterback Ron Jaworski.
17.
Buddy Ryan coached players such as Randall Cunningham, Reggie White, and Andre Waters and drafted Pro Bowlers Seth Joyner, Clyde Simmons, Jerome Brown, Eric Allen, Cris Carter, Fred Barnett, and Keith Jackson.
18.
Buddy Ryan became the defensive coordinator for the Houston Oilers in 1993, and his defensive team helped propel the Oilers to an 11-game winning streak at the end of the 1993 NFL season.
19.
On January 2,1994, in the Oilers' final regular season game against the New York Jets, Buddy Ryan was involved in a sideline altercation with the offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride during the nationally telecast game.
20.
Buddy Ryan was an assistant on three different teams to make the Super Bowl.
21.
Buddy Ryan built his reputation as a defensive specialist and was largely credited with implementing and perfecting the 46 defense.
22.
Rex Buddy Ryan was head coach of the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets, and Rob Buddy Ryan was an assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for a number of teams.
23.
Buddy Ryan was previously married to Doris Buddy Ryan, and had three sons: James David Jr.
24.
Buddy Ryan met his second wife, Joanie Buddy Ryan, in 1968 when the two lived in the same apartment building in the Bayside neighborhood of Queens, while he was an assistant coach with the New York Jets.
25.
Buddy Ryan died in September 2013 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.
26.
Buddy Ryan died on June 28,2016, on his ranch in Shelbyville, Kentucky, at the age of 85, after a lengthy illness.
27.
Buddy Ryan was buried at Lawrenceburg Cemetery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, where he had a farm.
28.
Buddy Ryan had battled cancer and suffered a major stroke in recent years.