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Bill Cowher

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Bill Cowher
refer to caption
Cowher with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006
No. 53, 57
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1957-05-08) May 8, 1957 (age 67)
Crafton, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:Carlynton
(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
College:NC State
Undrafted:1979
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:45
Games started:4
Fumble recoveries:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Head coaching record
Regular season:149–90–1 (.623)
Postseason:12–9 (.571)
Career:161–99–1 (.619)
Record at Pro Football Reference
Pro Football Hall of Fame

William Laird Cowher (born May 8, 1957) is an American sports analyst, former professional football player and coach. Following a six-year playing career as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), he served as a head coach in the NFL for 15 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He began his coaching career as an assistant under Marty Schottenheimer for the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs, serving as the latter's defensive coordinator from 1989 to 1991. In 1992, Cowher was named head coach of the Steelers, whom he led until his retirement following the 2006 season. After retiring, he joined The NFL Today as a studio analyst.

Under Cowher, Pittsburgh won eight division titles, two AFC Championship Games, and Super Bowl XL. Cowher's Super Bowl victory marked the first championship title for the franchise in over two decades and the first not to be won by Chuck Noll, his predecessor. The Steelers appeared in the postseason 10 times with Cowher, including six consecutive appearances from his 1992 hiring to 1997, which made him the second NFL head coach to reach the playoffs during each of his first six seasons after Paul Brown. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.

Early life and college career

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Cowher in 1975

Cowher was born and raised in Crafton, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. Growing up, he lived only about 15 miles from Three Rivers Stadium.[1] He is the son of the late Laird and Dorothy Cowher. His father attended Duquesne University in Pittsburgh's south side neighborhood[2] where he was briefly a classmate with eventual Steelers owner Dan Rooney.[3] He has two brothers; Dale and Doug.[4] The Cowher family resided on Hawthorne Avenue, in Crafton, while Cowher was growing up.[5]

While attending Carlynton High School, Cowher excelled in football, basketball, and track. Despite his efforts on the field, Cowher was not offered many scholarships as a football player due to being deemed "undersized" for the linebacker position.[6]

When Cowher graduated in 1975, he committed to North Carolina State University, one of few schools that offered him a scholarship. During his time at NC State, he was a three-year starting linebacker for the Wolfpack. He currently owns the school record for most tackles in a single season with 195.[7] During his senior season, he was voted to be a team captain and was named the team's Most Valuable Player (MVP). Cowher graduated from NC State in 1979, receiving a bachelor's degree in education while he was also preparing for the 1979 NFL Draft.[8]

Cowher’s college performance was motivated by making games “personal”. He would often re-read his rejection letters from schools he would play against with NC State. His strategy of playing angry and internalizing personal connections against his opponents would later influence his aggressive coaching style. Cowher once compared himself to Freddy Krueger stating he wanted to be his opponents “worst nightmare”.[9]

Professional career

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Cowher went undrafted in the 1979 NFL draft.

He began his NFL career as a linebacker with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1979, but signed with the Cleveland Browns the following year. Cowher played three seasons from 1980 to 1982 in Cleveland, making him a member of the Kardiac Kids, before being traded back to the Eagles, where he played two more years from 1983 to 1984. His tenure in Philadelphia included tackling a young Jeff Fisher (who later became the head coach of the Tennessee Titans and St. Louis Rams) when playing against the Chicago Bears, causing Fisher to break his leg.[10] The two would later be rival head coaches and friends in the AFC Central division, and Fisher has credited his injury at the hands of Cowher with having the unintended consequence of propelling him into coaching.

Cowher primarily played special teams during his playing career; subsequently, he placed emphasis on special teams during his coaching career. Cowher credits being a "bubble player" during his playing career with influencing his coaching career, feeling that such players work the hardest for a roster spot (and sometimes still get cut, hence the term "bubble player"), and thus make better head coaches than those with successful playing careers.[citation needed]

Coaching career

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Assistant jobs

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Cowher began his coaching career in 1985 at age 28 under Marty Schottenheimer with the Cleveland Browns. Cowher, who had played under Schottenheimer in Cleveland when Schottenheimer was the team's defensive coordinator, stated that he took a coaching position despite taking a significant pay cut from what he would have made as a player with the Eagles in 1985 because he saw his fortunes as a player limited and saw more of a future as a coach.[11]

He was the Browns' special teams coach in 1985–86 and secondary coach in 1987–88 before following Schottenheimer to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1989 as defensive coordinator. He was a finalist for the Cincinnati Bengals head coaching position in 1991 following the dismissal of Sam Wyche, but was passed over in favor of Dave Shula.

Pittsburgh Steelers

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Cowher in 1996

He became the 15th head coach in Steelers history when he succeeded Chuck Noll on January 21, 1992 – but only the team's second head coach since the NFL merger in 1970, beating out fellow Pittsburgh native and Pitt alumnus (and eventual Pitt head coach) Dave Wannstedt (Wannstedt instead became the coach of the Chicago Bears the following season).[12] Cowher continued a trend for the Steelers hiring coaches in their 30s that dates back to Joe Bach who began coaching the Steelers in 1935 when they were still named the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Under Cowher, the Steelers showed an immediate improvement from the disappointing 7–9 season the year before, going 11–5 and earning home-field advantage in the AFC after the Steelers had missed the playoffs six times out of the previous seven years. His first season as a head coach came to an end in the AFC Divisional round on January 9, 1993, against the Buffalo Bills in which the Steelers would lose 24–3.[13]

Cowher challenges a play

The following season ended with a record of 9-7 for the Steelers. Under Cowher, the team scored a total of 308 points and allowed just 281 points against them.[14] Though the Steelers fell 24–27 in the AFC Wildcard round to the Kansas City Chiefs, it became the first time in a decade the Steelers had back-to-back playoff appearances.[15]

In the 1995 regular season, Cowher got the team to record 11 wins and five losses, once again sending them to the playoffs and earned them a first round bye.[16] The Steelers were able to defeat the Buffalo Bills, who were coming off of four straight Super Bowl appearances, 40-24 and recorded a 20–16 victory against the Indianapolis Colts. Their win against the Colts made the Steelers AFC Champions for the first time since the 1979 season. At age 38, he became the youngest coach to lead his team to a Super Bowl, which the Steelers lost 17–27 to the Dallas Cowboys. Cowher is only the second coach in NFL history to lead his team to the playoffs in each of his first six seasons as head coach, joining Pro Football Hall of Fame member Paul Brown.

The 2003 season would prove challenging for Cowher and the Steelers when the team was only able to win six of their 16 regular season games, missing the playoffs. Due to their poor record, it allowed for Cowher's team to draft Ben Roethlisberger with the 11th overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.[17] Cowher and the team would rebound from their previous season with a record of 15–1, earning a first round bye in the playoffs yet again. The Steelers would make another AFC Championship appearance, losing 27–41 to eventual Super Bowl champions the New England Patriots.[18]

Cowher with the Steelers at the White House following their Super Bowl XL victory

In 2005, the Steelers were able to clinch a spot in the playoffs with an 11–5 record as the sixth seeded team in the AFC.[19] The Steelers led an upset playoff run, including a 21–18 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, the top seeded team in the AFC.[20] Cowher would win his second AFC Championship on January 22, 2006, when the Steelers defeated the Denver Broncos 34–17.[21] On February 5, 2006, Cowher's Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XL by defeating the Seattle Seahawks 21–10, giving Cowher his first Super Bowl ring and making the Steelers the first sixth seed to win a Super Bowl in NFL history. Including the Super Bowl, Cowher's teams over the years had compiled a record of 108–1–1 in games in which they built a lead of at least 11 points.[22]

Cowher in 2006

On January 5, 2007, Cowher resigned after 15 years of being the Steelers head coach. Cowher's record as a head coach was 161–99–1, including the playoffs. He was succeeded by Mike Tomlin. In Cowher's 15 seasons, the Steelers captured eight division titles, earned 10 postseason playoff berths (including six straight in his first six seasons), played in 21 playoff games, advanced to six AFC Championship games and made two Super Bowl appearances. He is one of only six coaches in NFL history to claim at least seven division titles. At the conclusion of the 2005 season, the Steelers had the best record of any team in the NFL since Cowher was hired as head coach.

On January 11, 2020, Cowher was told live on a CBS pregame show that he was being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of its centennial class by its president David Baker.[23]

Coaching philosophy and legacy

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Much like his mentor Marty Schottenheimer, Cowher believed in a strong defense with an emphasis on special teams performance, complimented by a strong running game on offense. Unlike the conservative Schottenheimer, however, Cowher was known to take more risks, including going for it on 4th down, such as his first game as a head coach against the Houston Oilers when he had punter Mark Royals throw a fake punt to Warren Williams and putting the Steelers near the goal line.[24]

Unlike the stoic Noll, Cowher was known to be more fiery and emotional, specifically with his jaw line when he was angry and being known as "The Chin".[25] This was exemplified in a 1995 game against the Minnesota Vikings when the referees mistakenly penalized the Steelers for 12 men on the field following a missed field goal. The Vikings made the subsequent rekick despite Cowher's protests that they had the regulated 11 players on the field, and stuffed an "all-22" photo as proof into referee Gordon McCarter's pocket, leading to a $7,500 fine by the NFL for Cowher putting his hands on an official.[26] Cowher is also known for being a vocal supporter of the coaching profession in general and was upset that the Indianapolis Colts hired former center Jeff Saturday as interim head coach in 2022 despite having no coaching experience above the high school level and the team having several assistants already on the staff with previous head coaching experience.[27]

Cowher was also known for drafting lineman with first round picks, which drew criticism from Steelers fan at times. During his tenure the team had mixed results with this strategy, drafting future Hall of Famer Alan Faneca in 1998 but also drafting Jamain Stephens two years before, who would go on to be one of the team's biggest first-round busts. Cowher's reputation of drafting offensive lineman with first round picks was such that Dan Rooney had to override Cowher's planned selection of Shawn Andrews with their first round pick in 2004 when Ben Roethlisberger was available.[28]

While Cowher is revered in Pittsburgh, his reputation with black quarterbacks has been often critical. Cowher had a love-hate relationship with Kordell Stewart and tried to convert him into a wide receiver, to the point that when Stewart struggled at quarterback in 1998 he made Stewart attend wide receiver meetings, though he would return to quarterback the following season.[29] Cowher also immediately converted former college quarterbacks Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle El into wide receivers (though Ward had stopped playing quarterback his junior year at Georgia), to the point that local sportscaster John Steigerwald (one of the few defenders of Stewart) would often say that anytime the Steelers drafted a black quarterback, they would immediately be converted into a receiver.[30] Fellow sportswriter Ron Cook would later come to Stewart's defense,[31] and Steigerwald himself speculated that Stewart's benching for Tommy Maddox in 2002 was due to Maddox being white.[32] Indeed, following Stewart, the Steelers would only employ four minorities at quarterback during the remainder of Cowher's tenure (Pete Gonzalez, Anthony Wright, Tee Martin, and Charlie Batch), all backups with only Batch ever starting games under Cowher and Gonzalez only seeing regular season playing time in garbage time, while Wright and Martin never saw the field.

After coaching

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Dan Marino and Bill Cowher during a CBS Pre-game Show in 2010

On February 15, 2007, he signed on to The NFL Today on CBS as a studio analyst, joining Dan Marino, Shannon Sharpe, and Boomer Esiason.

In 2007, Cowher appeared in the ABC reality television series Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race, featuring a dozen celebrities in a stock car racing competition. Cowher matched up against Gabrielle Reece and William Shatner.

On March 4, 2008, Cowher responded to rumors concerning his coaching future by stating, "I'm not going anywhere."[33] The rumors started after the Cowhers placed their Raleigh, North Carolina home on the market, but their intention was to build a new house two miles away.

Putting an end to numerous unfounded rumors of his return to coaching in the NFL in 2009, Cowher stated on The NFL Today that he did not plan to coach again in the immediate future.[34]

In July 2010, Cowher was the keynote speaker for National Agents Alliance at their Leadership Conference. He talked about work ethic, leadership and how that transfers into the work force. He said it's not about what you accomplish, it's about who you touch along the way.[35]

Cowher had a part in the movie The Dark Knight Rises (2012), which was filmed at Heinz Field, the home of the Steelers, on Pittsburgh's North Side. He played the head coach of the Gotham Rogues.[36]

On August 11, 2023, NC State announced that Cowher would be inducted into its Ring of Honor with the ceremony taking place before the Wolfpack's Sept. 29 game versus Louisville.[37]

Coaching tree

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The Steeler' Super Bowl XL ring, showing all five Lombardi trophies won by the Steelers up to that point

Assistant coaches under Cowher that became head coaches in the NFL or NCAA:

Players under Cowher that became head coaches in the NFL:

Personal life

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Cowher's North Ridge Country Club home in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Cowher's late wife, Kaye (née Young), also a North Carolina State University graduate, played professional basketball for the New York Stars of the (now defunct) Women's Professional Basketball League with her twin sister, Faye. Kaye was featured in the book Mad Seasons: The Story of the First Women's Professional Basketball League, 1978–1981, by Karra Porter (University of Nebraska Press, 2006). Kaye Cowher died of skin cancer at age 54 on July 23, 2010.[38] The couple had three daughters: Meagan, Lauren, and Lindsay. Meagan and Lauren played basketball at Princeton University. Lindsay played basketball at Wofford College before transferring to Elon University. In 2007, the Cowher family moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, from the Pittsburgh suburb of Fox Chapel. Meagan married former NHL forward Kevin Westgarth in 2011.[39] Lindsay married former NBA forward Ryan Kelly of the Atlanta Hawks on August 2, 2014.[40]

Cowher married Veronica Stigeler in 2014.[41] In 2018 Cowher put his Raleigh house in North Ridge Country Club up for sale after announcing he would be moving to New York full-time.[42]

Cowher co-authored an autobiography, Heart and Steel, in 2021.[43]

Endorsements

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Cowher was on the cover of EA Sports' 2006 video game NFL Head Coach. He appears in TV advertising for Time Warner Cable.[44] In the video game Madden NFL 19, he voiced himself in the mini-game Longshot 2: Homecoming. In the mini-game, he makes his return to coaching as the head coach of the Houston Texans.

Head coaching record

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Team Year Regular season Postseason
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
PIT 1992 11 5 0 .688 1st in AFC Central 0 1 .000 Lost to Buffalo Bills in AFC Divisional Game
PIT 1993 9 7 0 .563 2nd in AFC Central 0 1 .000 Lost to Kansas City Chiefs in AFC Wild Card Game
PIT 1994 12 4 0 .750 1st in AFC Central 1 1 .500 Lost to San Diego Chargers in AFC Championship Game
PIT 1995 11 5 0 .688 1st in AFC Central 2 1 .667 Lost to Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXX
PIT 1996 10 6 0 .625 1st in AFC Central 1 1 .500 Lost to New England Patriots in AFC Divisional Game
PIT 1997 11 5 0 .688 1st in AFC Central 1 1 .500 Lost to Denver Broncos in AFC Championship Game
PIT 1998 7 9 0 .438 3rd in AFC Central – – – –
PIT 1999 6 10 0 .375 4th in AFC Central – – – –
PIT 2000 9 7 0 .563 3rd in AFC Central – – – –
PIT 2001 13 3 0 .812 1st in AFC Central 1 1 .500 Lost to New England Patriots in AFC Championship Game
PIT 2002 10 5 1 .656 1st in AFC North 1 1 .500 Lost to Tennessee Titans in AFC Divisional Game
PIT 2003 6 10 0 .375 3rd in AFC North – – – –
PIT 2004 15 1 0 .938 1st in AFC North 1 1 .500 Lost to New England Patriots in AFC Championship Game
PIT 2005 11 5 0 .688 2nd in AFC North 4 0 1.000 Super Bowl XL champions
PIT 2006 8 8 0 .500 3rd in AFC North – – – –
PIT Total 149 90 1 .623 12 9 .571
Total[45] 149 90 1 .623 12 9 .571

See also

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References

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  1. ^ https://www.newsstitchedmedia.com/post/bill-cowher-the-hall-of-fame-scowl
  2. ^ Guggenheimer, Paul (May 5, 2023). "Bill Cowher talks leadership, Steelers draft, Pickett at Duquesne graduation as he receives honorary degree". TribLIVE.com.
  3. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNOkc67Jqlg 18 minutes 40 seconds
  4. ^ "LAIRD COWHER Obituary (2010) - Legacy Remembers". Legacy.com.
  5. ^ Jenkins, Lee (January 23, 2005). "Cowher Feels a Void in Pittsburgh" – via NYTimes.com.
  6. ^ Baxley, Rodd. "How NC State football 'forged' Hall of Fame NFL coach Bill Cowher". The Fayetteville Observer.
  7. ^ "Athletics To Honor 2 NC State Legends". September 27, 2023.
  8. ^ "Pennsylvania Center for the Book". pabook.libraries.psu.edu.
  9. ^ Channel Seven (May 8, 2023). Big Ben & Coach Cowher talk 2004 draft, SB XL, getting Jerome Bettis to return and more! Ep. 27. Event occurs at 20:56. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  10. ^ Silver, Michael (October 7, 1996). "Making A Statement". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  11. ^ "- YouTube". YouTube.
  12. ^ King, Peter (January 13, 1992). "Thanks, But No Thanks: As others scrambled for coaching jobs, Bill Parcells rejected two whopping offers". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  13. ^ "Divisional Round - Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 9th, 1993". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  14. ^ "1993 Pittsburgh Steelers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  15. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers Playoff History". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  16. ^ "1995 Pittsburgh Steelers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  17. ^ "2003 Pittsburgh Steelers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  18. ^ "2004 Pittsburgh Steelers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  19. ^ "2005 NFL Playoff Standings". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  20. ^ "2005 Indianapolis Colts Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  21. ^ "AFC Championship - Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos - January 22nd, 2006". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  22. ^ Collier, Gene (February 6, 2006). "Taylor's interception clips Seahawk's wings". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 29, 2010.[permanent dead link]
  23. ^ The NFL Today. CBS. January 11, 2020.
  24. ^ https://steelerstakeaways.com/exclusive-with-former-steelers-punter-mark-royals-1992-1994/
  25. ^ https://www.pghcitypaper.com/columns/bill-cowher-keeps-his-chin-up-1334120
  26. ^ https://steelersdepot.com/2023/05/a-great-teaching-moment-for-me-bill-cowher-recalls-infamous-polaroid-incident-with-official/
  27. ^ Lemoncelli, Jenna (November 16, 2022). "Pat McAfee calls out Bill Cowher over Colts, Jeff Saturday remarks". NYPost.com. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  28. ^ Brown, Scott (April 24, 2014). "Big Ben pick returned Steelers to glory". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  29. ^ Stewart, Kordell (February 4, 2021). ""You Know What I Heard About Kordell Stewart???"". The Players' Tribune. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  30. ^ https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2010/11/21/From-former-sports-anchor-John-Steigerwald-a-tell-all-worth-telling/stories/201011210187
  31. ^ Cook, Ron (February 5, 2021). "Ron Cook: Kordell Stewart deserved better during his time with Steelers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  32. ^ Just Watch The Game
  33. ^ Bouchette, Ed (March 5, 2008). "Cowhers will move, but not to Penn State". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on March 8, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2008.
  34. ^ "Cowher Doesn't Plan on Coaching in 2009". TSN. January 4, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  35. ^ "Bill Cowher talks to National Agents Alliance Agents about opportunity and hard work". YouTube. August 23, 2010. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021.
  36. ^ Aaron on (August 7, 2011). "Aaron's Experience As An Extra On 'The Dark Knight Rises' *SPOILERS INCLUDED* - The Spill Movie Community". My.spill.com. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  37. ^ "Bill Cowher to be Inducted Into the NC State Ring of Honor". NC State University Athletics. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  38. ^ "Kaye Cowher, wife of former Steelers coach, dies at age 54". WRALsportsfan.com. Associated Press. July 24, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  39. ^ "Bill Cowher's daughter to wed NHL enforcer". Sports.nationalpost.com. July 13, 2011. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  40. ^ "Lindsay Cowher gets engaged to Ryan Kelly from Duke". WTAE.com. May 24, 2013. Archived from the original on January 1, 2014.
  41. ^ Prunty, Brendan (November 5, 2015). "Bill Cowher's New Normal". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  42. ^ Bennett, Abbie (June 24, 2018). "NCSU grad, former Steelers coach Bill Cowher selling Raleigh house for $2 million". The News & Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  43. ^ Cowher, Bill; Holley, Michael (2021). Heart and Steel. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781982175818.
  44. ^ Tara DeGeorges (April 12, 2013). "Enjoy Sports Better: Bill Cowher is TWC's Head Coach". www.twcableuntangled.com. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  45. ^ "Bill Cowher Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks –". Pro-football-reference.com. May 8, 1957. Retrieved August 3, 2012.

Further reading

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