Schottenheimer has more wins than any active coach in the NFL.
The San Diego Chargers won nine games in 2005, marking Schottenheimer's 13th winning season in 19 full years as an NFL head coach. Among the nine wins were four victories over teams that would qualify for the playoffs in 2005. Most notable were a 41-17 win over the defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots and a 26-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Both wins came on the road. The victory over the Patriots put an end to New Englands NFL-record 21-game home winning streak, and the win over the Colts ended Indianapolis perfect 13-0 start as well as their 12-game home winning streak. Schottenheimer is now tied with Chuck Noll for the third-most winning seasons in NFL history.
In beating the Colts, Schottenheimer logged his 186th career victory, moving him into a tie with Chuck Knox for seventh place on the NFLs all-time wins list. The win also put an end to only the fourth 13-0 start in NFL history. With four wins in 2006, Schottenheimer will tie Dan Reeves for sixth place on the leagues all-time wins list, and with seven wins, hell move into a tie with Noll.
Schottenheimer most recently led the Chargers to one of the greatest turnarounds in NFL history. He took a team that finished last in the AFC West (4-12) in 2003 and turned it into an AFC West Champion (12-4) in 2004. It was the franchises' first division title since 1994 and the Chargers became the 22nd team in NFL history to go from worst to first since 1967.
Schottenheimer was named NFL Coach of the Year in 2004 by the Associated Press, Pro Football Weekly, the Professional Football Writers of America, SportsIllustrated.com, American Football Monthly, The Dallas Morning News, CBS SportsLine.com and the NFL Alumni Association. He also was chosen as Professional Coach of the Year by the Maxwell Football Club and AFC Coach of the Year by the NFL 101 Committee in Kansas City.
The Chargers playoff run marked the 12th time during Schottenheimer's illustrious career that he had taken his team to the postseason. It's tied for the third-most playoff appearances in NFL history with Noll and Bud Grant, both of whom are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
At the same time, Schottenheimer became the fifth NFL head coach to lead three different teams to the playoffs (Chargers, Chiefs and Browns). He joined a fraternity that includes Bill Parcells (Giants, Patriots, Jets and Cowboys), Dick Vermeil (Eagles, Rams and Chiefs) Knox (Rams, Bills and Seahawks) and Reeves (Broncos, Giants and Falcons).
Including playoffs, Schottenheimer has a combined record of 191-136-1 (.584) as an NFL head coach.
Guiding the Bolts to 12 wins in 2004 matched the second-highest single-season win total of Schottenheimers career (Cleveland, 1986). His Kansas City teams won 13 games in 1995 and 1997. Since 1984, Schottenheimer has had only two losing seasons.
Schottenheimer's head coaching career began on Oct. 22, 1984 when the Browns named him head coach to replace Sam Rutigliano after a 1-7 start. Schottenheimer had been the teams defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach under Rutigliano. The results were immediate as he led the Browns to a 4-4 record in the second half of the 84 season.
Over the next four seasons (1985-88), Schottenheimer would lead the Browns to the playoffs four times. They captured three AFC Central Division titles and played in two AFC Championship Games (1986-87). Both times, the Browns were defeated in the AFC Championship Game by Denver. After the 1986 season, he was named AFC Coach of the Year by United Press International and Football News.
Schottenheimer resigned following the 1988 season. He finished his career in Cleveland with a record of 46-31 (.597), including playoffs.
On Jan. 24, 1989, Schottenheimer was named head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, becoming the seventh head coach in Chiefs history. From 1989-1998, Schottenheimers teams would average 10 wins a season and qualify for the playoffs seven times.
The Chiefs were dominant at home under Schottenheimer, where their 62-18 (.775) record from 1989-1998 was the third-best in the NFL behind San Franciscos 67-13 (.838) and Denvers 63-17 (.788). The Chiefs and 49ers were the only teams in the NFL to reach the playoffs seven times in the 1990's. From 1989-1997, the Chiefs finished either first or second in the AFC West, a nine-year stretch matched only by the Pittsburgh Steelers (1971-79) since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.
Schottenheimer had a strong hold on the AFC West during his 10 seasons as the head coach in Kansas City, as evidenced by his 55-28 (.663) record within the division. His success included an outstanding mark of 18-3 (.857) against the Raiders.
His Kansas City teams were known for their aggressive defense. From 1989-1998, the Chiefs had an NFL-best +99 turnover ratio and led the league in that category during the 1990, 1992 and 1995 seasons. The Chiefs ranked in the NFL's top-five in this category seven out of 10 seasons and set an NFL record by recording a +10 turnover ratio in six consecutive seasons from 1990-95.
In 1990, Schottenheimer coached the Chiefs to a record of 11-5 and into the playoffs. It was their most wins in a season since 1969 and their first playoff berth since 1986.
In 1993, he led the Chiefs to another 11-5 mark and the franchise's first-ever appearance in the AFC Championship Game.
In 1995 and 1997, he led the Chiefs to AFC-best records of 13-3, but both times they lost in the Divisional Playoff round. Following the 1995 season he was named AFC Coach of the Year by Football News and following the 1997 season, Football Digest named him NFL Coach of the Year and USA Today named him AFC Coach of the Year.
On Jan. 11, 1999, Schottenheimer retired from coaching, leaving Kansas City with a record of 101-58-1 (.634). He spent the next two years (1999-2000) with ESPN before re-joining the coaching ranks in 2001 when he was named head coach of the Washington Redskins. He spent just one season in Washington as the Redskins finished 8-8.
Schottenheimer's athletic career began at Ft. Cherry High School in McDonald, Pennsylvania, where he was an honors student and a standout on the football and basketball teams. He was an All-Western Pennsylvania linebacker and a center on the school's state championship basketball team.
Schottenheimer earned a scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh and became an All-America linebacker. In 1965, he was selected to play in the College All-Star Game at Chicago's Soldier Field. The All-Stars lost to the Cleveland Browns, 24-16. In the game, Schottenheimer played alongside future NFL greats Dick Butkus, Fred Biletnikoff, Roger Staubach, Bob Hayes and Bill Curry. Schottenheimer was later named to the University's All-Time Team.
After earning his degree in English from Pittsburgh, Schottenheimer was selected in the fourth round of the 1965 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts and the seventh round of the 1965 AFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. He signed with the Bills and played in Buffalo from 1965-68. During his rookie season in 1965, the Bills defeated the Chargers, 23-0, to win the AFL Championship.
In 1969, he joined the Boston Patriots and played in Boston for two seasons. In 1971, the Patriots traded Schottenheimer to the Pittsburgh Steelers. After training camp ended in 1971, the Steelers dealt the young linebacker to the Colts, and he decided to retire shortly thereafter.
For the next four years (1971-74), Schottenheimer sold real estate in Miami and Denver.
Schottenheimer returned to the playing field in 1974, signing with the Portland Storm of the World Football League. A shoulder injury ended his playing career, but he remained with the team as an assistant coach, working with the teams linebackers.
In 1975, he landed his first NFL coaching job as the linebackers coach for the New York Giants. He held that position for two seasons until he was named defensive coordinator in 1977.
In 1978, Schottenheimer was hired as the linebackers coach for the Detroit Lions. In 1980, he was hired by the Browns as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach.
Schottenheimer was born Sept. 23, 1943 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Pat, have two children, Kristen and Brian, and four grandchildren, Brandon, Catherine, Sutton and Savannah. Brian is a former University of Florida quarterback who was on his father's coaching staff with the Chiefs (1998), Redskins (2001) and Chargers (2002-05). In 2006, he was hired as the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets. Marty's brother Kurt is the secondary coach for the Green Bay Packers. Kurt was on Marty's coaching staff in Cleveland (1986-88), Kansas City (1989-1998) and Washington (2001).
Schottenheimer is an avid golfer and a licensed pilot. He has flown with the Navy's Blue Angels and the Air Force's Thunderbirds.
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