The legacy of Marty Schottenheimer

February 8th, 2021. This was the date that the NFL world lost one of it’s all time great coaches. Marty Schottenheimer spent 20 years as a head coach in the NFL, but spent even more time as a player, assistant coach and a coordinator. Marty was one of the few coaches in the NFL that can say they have more than 200 career victories. Sadly, he is also the only of these coaches eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame that has not yet been enshrined. Schottenheimer had head coaching tenures on the Browns, Chiefs, Washington, Chargers and also on the UFL’s Virginia destroyers. He finished his career with a record of 200-126-1. He had a regular season winning percentage of .613, but a playoff winning percentage of .278. He is known mainly for his coaching style dubbed “Martyball” for his focus on the run game and only passing the ball when it can further the effectiveness of the run game. From his career winning percentage, you can see that this was successful in the regular season but it didn’t pack the same punch when the team made the playoffs.

Schottenheimer was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014 and has been suffering since. Unfortunately, this incredible coach lost his life this Monday, peacefully, surrounded with family and friends. Though the man is gone, his legacy lives on. This legacy can be seen through his coaching tree, consisting of names such as Bill Cowher, Tony Dungy, Mike McCarthy, Herm Edwards, and recent Super Bowl champion, Bruce Arians. We here at National Football Rant send out our prayers and condolences to the friends and family of this great coach, and may his legacy live on forever.