THE LINE MAN

Bugel, who turned Washington’s Hogs into champions, dies at 80

Former Washington assistant coach Joe Bugel, regarded as one of the top offensive line coaches in NFL history, has died. He was 80.

Bugel died on Sunday, according to a statement from the team, which did not disclose a cause of death.

Bugel was the architect of “The Hogs,” the dominant offensive lines that helped lead the team to three Super Bowls under Hall of Fame head coach Joe Gibbs.

Bugel was the team's offensive coordinator and offensive line coach from 1981-82 and became the assistant head coach in 1983, a role he had until 1989 before becoming the head coach of the Phoenix Cardinals.

He returned for a second stint with the team as assistant head coach-offense from 2004-09.

“Joe had an incredible passion for the game of football. He came to work every day with such great excitement and his players had tremendous respect for him. The strength of our coaching staff on both sides of the ball was a key reason we had so much success,” Gibbs said in a statement.