| |||
| Born | November 20, 1928 in Akron, Ohio | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Died | January 9, 2019 (aged 90) in Orlando, Florida | ||
| Career information | |||
| Professional teams | |||
|
Kenmore High School, Akron, OH (assistant) 1951 Hower High School, Akron, OH (assistant) 1952 Hower HS (OH) 1953–1955 Wooster College (assistant) 1956 Kent State (assistant) 1957–1958 Navy (assistant) 1959–1963 Connecticut 1964–1965 St. Louis Cardinals (OB) 1966–1967 Cincinnati Bengals 1968 (OB) Navy 1969–1972 Detroit Lions (assistant) 1973 Detroit Lions (head coach) 1974–1976 | |||
| Career stats | |||
| High school coaching record | 10–14–1 (high school) | ||
| NCAA/collegiate coaching record | 17–43–1 (college) | ||
| NFL coaching record | 15–17 (NFL) | ||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
Richard Edward "Rick" Forzano (born November 20, 1928 - died January 9, 2019)[1] was a former American football coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels, most prominently as head coach of the National Football League's Detroit Lions from 1974 to 1976.
Coaching career[]
High school[]
After seeing his football playing career ended by a high school detached retina injury, Forzano turned to coaching and earned his first two opportunities at two Akron, OH high schools. A 1951 stint at Kenmore High School was followed one year later by a season at Hower High School. In 1953, he was promoted to head coach at Hower, where he stayed three seasons and compiled a 10–14–1 record.
Collegiate/NFL[]
In 1956, he moved on for one year as an assistant at the College of Wooster before spending two seasons in the same capacity at Kent State University.[2] In 1959, he began a five-year stretch as an assistant with the United States Naval Academy, helping recruit quarterback Roger Staubach, who went on to win the Heisman Trophy in 1963.[3]
That success led to his first college head coaching position at the University of Connecticut,[4] where he was 7–10–1 in two years.
In 1966, Forzano moved up as an NFL coach with the first of two seasons as the St. Louis Cardinals' offensive backfield coach.[5][6]
Returning to Ohio in 1968, he served one year in that same role as a Cincinnati Bengals assistant under Paul Brown.[3][7] On January 15, 1969, he then took the head coaching position at the U.S. Naval Academy.[3]
After putting together a 10–33 record with three defeats against rival Army, Forzano resigned on February 1, 1973. The decision came when he accepted an offer to become an assistant coach position with the Detroit Lions under Don McCafferty,[8] who had worked with him at Kent State in the late 1950s.[2] When McCafferty died suddenly of a heart attack on July 28, 1974, Forzano was named to replace him.[9]
Forzano was known as a strict disciplinarian.[10][11] However, Forzano was unable to led the team to a winning record and resigned on October 4, 1976 after the team lost three of its first four games. Forzano finished his Lions' tenure with a 15–17 record[10] and never returned to coaching, focusing on his own company, Rick Forzano Associates. The company, based in Detroit, served as a manufacturer's representative. In addition to those duties, he also served as a commentator for Big Ten Conference football games.
Head coaching record[]
College[]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Huskies (Yankee Conference) (1964–1965) | |||||||||
| 1964 | Connecticut | 4–4–1 | 2–1–1 | ||||||
| 1965 | Connecticut | 3–6 | 2–2 | ||||||
| Connecticut: | 7–10–1 | 4–3–1 | |||||||
| Navy Midshipmen (NCAA University Division Independent) (1969–1972) | |||||||||
| 1969 | Navy | 1–9 | |||||||
| 1970 | Navy | 2–9 | |||||||
| 1971 | Navy | 3–8 | |||||||
| 1972 | Navy | 4–7 | |||||||
| Navy: | 10–33 | ||||||||
| Total: | 17–43–1 | ||||||||
References[]
- ↑ Rick Forzano. Pro Football Reference. Retrieved on 2011-04-15.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Navy Coach Resigns To Join Lions", The News and Courier, 1973-02-02. Retrieved on 2011-04-15.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Ex-Navy Aide Forzano Returns As Coach", St. Petersburg Times, 1969-01-16. Retrieved on 2011-04-15.
- ↑ "Rick Forzano to Install Navy Offense at UConn", The Day, 1964-01-04. Retrieved on 2011-04-15.
- ↑ "UConn Shopping For Grid Coach", Meriden Journal, 1966-03-05. Retrieved on 2011-04-15.
- ↑ "Navy Selects Rick Forzano", Herald-Journal, 1969-01-13. Retrieved on 2011-04-15.
- ↑ Franke, Russ. "Coach DePasqua Had Choice: Sink At Navy Or Swim At Pitt", The Pittsburgh Press, 1969-10-08. Retrieved on 2011-04-15.
- ↑ "Forzano Leaves Navy For Job With Lions", Lakeland Ledger, 1973-02-01. Retrieved on 2011-04-15.
- ↑ "Rick Forzano Named To Guide Detroit Lions", Daytona Beach Morning Journal, 1974-07-30. Retrieved on 2011-04-15.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Shook, Richard L.. "Rick Forzano out as Lions' coach", Beaver County Times, 1976-10-05. Retrieved on 2011-04-15.
- ↑ "Forzano Not 'Easy Rider'", Ocala Star-Banner, 1974-07-30. Retrieved on 2011-04-15.
External links[]