The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Schottenheimer was a winner
In every way, former Browns coach taught others how to live life
Alzheimer’s disease, that cruel thief that never sleeps, that never stops stealing once it picks the lock to a victim’s mind, has taken Marty Schottenheimer.
The former Browns coach started his battle with Alzheimer’s seven years ago, and still it was not only sad but somehow seemed sudden on Feb. 3 when news that Schottenheimer’s wife, Pat, made the heart-heavy decision to move Marty into a hospice facility near their home in North Carolina.
“As a family we are surrounding him with love and are soaking up the prayers and support from all those he impacted through his incredible life,” Pat said for the family in a statement. “In the way he taught us all, we are putting one foot in front of the other … one play at a time.”
Schottenheimer, 77, passed away on Feb. 8.
“I have a long-standing personal and professional relationship with Coach Schottenheimer and have always treasured my time with him,” former Browns tight end Ozzie Newsome, now an executive with the Baltimore Ravens, said in a statement.
“Early in my career, Marty was our defensive coordinator and had a challenging job trying to handle the likes of Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield, but did it with grit and grace.
“When he became our head coach, he preached toughness and discipline on both sides of the ball. Though he was an oldschool, tough coach, he was also adaptable, as he hired Lindy Infante to run the offense, which helped us to become a complete team. Marty got us to the brink of the Super Bowl, and unfortunately, we as players did not deliver, which is something that we all regret because of our affection for him. I want to extend my heartfelt condolences to the entire Schottenheimer family.”
No coach I interviewed in 45 years covering professional sports cared about his players more than Schottenheimer did.
Schottenheimer stood by Earnest Byner when some among the Browns fan base turned on him for the fumble in the 1988 AFC championship game in Denver. He remained close to Byner long after the player retired.
Marty developed a special bond with Johnny Davis, a hard-working, selfless fullback who played the final six seasons of his 10-year career with the Browns. I don’t remember the circumstances because it happened 33 years ago, but Schottenheimer had to cut Davis on the Wednesday after the first game in 1987. Schottenheimer was so distraught he canceled practice that day.
“He loved his players,” Ernie Accorsi, the Browns general manager from 1985 to 1992, said in a phone interview from his home in Hershey, Pa. “He was a great golfer. I’ve never seen a big, strong, physical football player putt the way he putted. That’s almost significant toward his personality because putting like that takes feel and sensitivity and touch.
“Most of those guys can hit the ball eight miles, but he wasn’t just a good putter. He was a great putter. He was just a great person.”
The tears Schottenheimer shed were genuine. I can only imagine the countless lives he would have touched had he chosen to coach high school football, which is not at all to imply he was over his head coaching in the NFL.
“He was very genuine,” said former safety Felix Wright, who played for the Browns from 1985 to 1990. “When you came off the field he would always tell you what you did right or what you did wrong. Sometimes it could be annoying, but when you look back on it, he was just letting you know how much he appreciated you.
“Before every game, when he would give us his pregame speech, he would say, ‘There’s a gleam, men.’ When I first came here I was trying to figure out what that gleam was. It was the Super Bowl trophy. He always kept our attention on our main goal and that was to get to that big game and have the opportunity to win that Super Bowl championship.
“I feel bad we never won one. Three times we were a game away. I really believe if we got there we would have won one for him.”
Schottenheimer replaced Sam Rutigiano midway through 1984 and coached the Browns through 1988. He coached in Kansas City for 10 years, one in Washington and five in San Diego and finished with a remarkable record of 200126-1, making him the eighth-winningest coach in NFL history. He was the last Browns coach with a career winning record (46-31) until Kevin Stefanski went 12-6 in 2020.
Yet with all his regular season success, Schottenheimer’s teams were just 5-13 in the playoffs. He took the Browns to the AFC championship game in the 1986 and 1987 seasons, where they lost to the Denver Broncos both times. The Broncos eliminated the Browns in the 1989 AFC championship when Bud Carson was head coach.
“The Denver Broncos were one of those teams that just had our number,” Wright said. “I think we had equal or better personnel than they did. We just couldn’t get by them.
“There’s a little luck involved. John Elway was a special kind of quarterback. He’s in the Hall of Fame for a reason. He was our nemesis at the time.”
Sometimes, but not always, Schottenheimer’s teams over-achieved in the regular season. Bernie Kosar (nine), Mike Pagel (four), Don Strock (two) and Gary Danielson all started at quarterback for the Browns in 1988 because of injuries to the others, but the Browns somehow finished 10-6 and made the playoffs as a wild-card team before losing a first-round playoff game to the Houston Oilers, 24-23.
It was the last Browns game Schottenheimer coached. He walked away because former Browns owner Art Modell ordered Schottenheimer to make coaching changes, including finding an offensive coordinator (Schottenheimer called plays in 1988) and reassigning Marty’s brother, Kurt Schottenheimer, from the role of defensive coordinator.
The stunningly abrupt exit after four winning seasons and those playoff losses are not what I will remember most when I think about Schottenheimer.
I will remember one day during training camp at Lakeland Community College in 1985 when practice ended and Marty leaned over to kiss his 12-year-old son, Brian, good-bye for the day, right in front of his entire team.
I had a car stolen in 1982 or ‘83. My golf clubs with head covers from the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland were in the trunk. Schottenheimer played St. Andrews a few years later and gifted me with a replacement set of headcovers.
The memory I will always cherish is this:
My wife and I lived in an apartment in Euclid early in our marriage. Our first son, Ryan, was born in 1985 when we were still there. Then, the Browns lacked speed at wide receiver.
In those days, answering machines used microcassette tapes. The message I recorded was: “Hello. You have reached the home of Jeff, Carol and Ryan Schudel — the burner the Browns will still be looking for in 22 years.”
I called Schottenheimer about something one day, but, unable to reach him, asked him to return my call. He called when we were out and left this message:
“Jeff, it’s Marty Schottenheimer returning your call. You can call me back tonight or tomorrow morning. And someday you can tell Ryan I will have a contract ready for him in 22 years.”
I wish I still had that tape.