19 Facts About John Rauch

John Rauch, known by his nickname "Johnny Rauch", was an American football player and coach.

John Rauch was head coach of the Oakland Raiders in the team's loss to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II in early 1968.

John Rauch was the second overall pick in the 1949 NFL draft, taken by the Detroit Lions, but then sent to the transplanted New York Bulldogs in exchange for the rights to SMU's Doak Walker.

In 1952, John Rauch began his coaching career with the first of two seasons at the University of Florida.

In 1963, John Rauch moved to the professional level with the AFL's Oakland Raiders.

On January 16,1969, John Rauch dealt with the problem by resigning from his championship team to become head coach of the struggling Buffalo Bills.

John Rauch then caused controversy by expecting Simpson to become more than the one-dimensional running back he was at the University of Southern California.

John Rauch expected Simpson to become an all-around running back, necessary in Professional Football, by blocking and receiving passes out of the backfield, as Rauch had coached successfully at Oakland.

Wilson, without any consultation with John Rauch, had traded the 31-year-old McDole to the Washington Redskins.

John Rauch said "if you do that, you can have my resignation".

John Rauch served in that capacity until the entire staff was fired on December 18,1972.

Less than three weeks later, John Rauch was hired as head coach of the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts, leading the team to a playoff berth in his first year.

Later in the same year, John Rauch became aware of problems with the football program at a local school, Admiral Farragut Academy in St Petersburg, Florida.

John Rauch contacted the school and offered to help find a coach for the then-struggling program.

When his search proved fruitless, John Rauch felt an obligation to the school, and accepted the position as head coach for one season, on September 10,1977; during that time, a successor was found.

John Rauch served as director of the short-lived Canadian-American Bowl, a postseason all-star game.

John Rauch served as a part-time writer for the St Petersburg Independent, a local newspaper that had him cover his old team, the Raiders, when they reached Super Bowl XV.

In 2003, John Rauch was honored for his stellar career in the college ranks when he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

John Rauch died in 2008 at age 80 in his sleep, possibly due to a heart problem, at his home in Oldsmar, Florida.