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Position: | End | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born: | Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | March 12, 1921|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died: | July 28, 1974 53) Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, U.S. | (aged|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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High school: | Cleveland (OH) Rhodes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
College: | Ohio State | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NFL draft: | 1943 / round: 13 / pick: 116 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Donald William McCafferty (March 12, 1921 – July 28, 1974) was an American football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). In his first year as head coach of the Baltimore Colts, McCafferty led the team to a victory in Super Bowl V, becoming the first rookie head coach to win a Super Bowl. [1] McCafferty played college football at Ohio State. Contents
College careerMcCafferty played college football for Ohio State University under coach Paul Brown, where he was a key member of the offensive line. Due to World War II, he was one of a select group of players to play twice in the annual College All-Star Game held in Chicago. McCafferty joined the U.S. Army in 1943, cutting short his college football career. While stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, McCafferty played on the station's football team. [2] Professional careerDespite being in the military, McCafferty was drafted by the New York Giants in the 13th round of the 1943 NFL draft. [3] MCafferty joined the Giants in 1946 at the conclusion of his military service and was shifted from tackle to wide receiver, then known as an end. In his one season with the Giants, McCafferty made three receptions for 38 yards and one touchdown. [4] McCafferty re-signed with the Giants prior to the 1947 NFL season but was sent to their minor league team, the Jersey City Giants, of the American Football League. He played with Jersey City for one year. [5] Coaching careerAfter working in the Cleveland, Ohio, recreation department the following year, McCafferty was hired as an assistant coach at Kent State University in 1948. He spent eleven seasons with the Golden Flashes until accepting an assistant coaching position with the Baltimore Colts in 1959 under head coach Weeb Ewbank. During his first season at the professional level, McCafferty was a member of the Colts' 1959 NFL championship team, their second straight championship. Ewbank was fired after the 1962 season and McCafferty remained with the team as offensive backs coach under new head coach Don Shula. McCafferty's easy-going personality helped serve as a buffer against the demanding Shula's quest for perfection, a contrast that played a major part in the team's three NFL playoff appearances during the next seven years. Colts' Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas once said about McCafferty, "He doesn't shout and scream. He's able to look at football objectively without getting carried away emotionally." He was referred to in the press and by the Colts players as "Easy Rider." [6] [7] When Shula left after seven seasons in February 1970 for the Miami Dolphins, McCafferty was promoted to head coach on April 6, 1970. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] In his first season as head coach, McCafferty led the Colts to an 11–2–1 record and their second Super Bowl appearance in three years. In the turnover-filled Super Bowl V against the Dallas Cowboys, the Colts won 16–13 on a last-second field goal by rookie Jim O'Brien. [13] [14] The Colts once again reached the playoffs in 1971, but were shut out 21–0 in the AFC Championship game by Shula's Dolphins in the Orange Bowl. [15] Ownership changed in 1972, and after only one win in the team's first five games, the last a 21–0 home shutout loss to Dallas, general manager Joe Thomas ordered the 39-year-old Unitas benched as the team's quarterback; when McCafferty refused, he was fired. [6] McCafferty signed a three-year contract as head coach of the Detroit Lions three months later on January 26, 1973. He succeeded Joe Schmidt who had resigned two weeks prior. [16] The Lions finished 6–7–1 in McCafferty's only season in 1973. [17] DeathOn July 28, 1974, while spending some time at his home in West Bloomfield, Michigan, McCafferty suffered a heart attack while mowing his lawn. After being transported to a Pontiac hospital, he died at age 53. [18] [19] [20] He was buried three days later, following services at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Timonium, Maryland. Head coaching record
Related Research Articles![]() Wilbur Charles "Weeb" Ewbank was an American professional football coach. He led the Baltimore Colts to consecutive NFL championships in 1958 and 1959 and the New York Jets to victory in Super Bowl III in January 1969. He is the only coach to win a championship in both the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL). ![]() Donald Francis Shula was an American professional football player, coach and executive who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1963 to 1995. He played seven seasons as a defensive back in the NFL. For most of his career, Shula was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. The 1972 NFL season was the 53rd regular season of the National Football League. The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to finish a championship season undefeated and untied when they beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII. The Dolphins not only led the NFL in points scored, while their defense led the league in fewest points allowed, the roster also featured two running backs who gained 1,000 rushing yards in the same season. The 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the first after the consummation of the AFL–NFL merger. The merged league realigned into two conferences: all ten of the American Football League (AFL) teams joined the Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers to form the American Football Conference (AFC); the other thirteen NFL clubs formed the National Football Conference (NFC). ![]() The 1958 NFL Championship Game was the 26th NFL championship game, played on December 28 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It was the first NFL playoff game to be decided in sudden death overtime. The Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants 23–17 in what soon became widely known as "the Greatest Game Ever Played". Its legendary status in the pantheon of historic NFL games was again confirmed by a nationwide poll of 66 media members in 2019, who voted it the best game in the league's first 100 years. ![]() Dale Carroll Rosenbloom was an American businessman. He was the owner of two National Football League (NFL) franchises: he was the first owner of the Baltimore Colts and later switched teams, taking ownership of the Los Angeles Rams in 1972. Charles H. Winner was an American football player and coach. ![]() Marvin Lawrence Fleming is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), seven with the Green Bay Packers and five with the Miami Dolphins. He was a member of five NFL championship teams. ![]() Jim 'Butch' Duncan, was a professional American football defensive back. He played for the Baltimore Colts and New Orleans Saints between 1969 and 1972. He started in Super Bowl V for the Colts. He was found to have committed suicide with a policeman's revolver in 1972. ![]() John Thomas "Sandy" Sandusky, Jr. was an American football player and coach. He played seven seasons as an offensive and defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1950s for the Cleveland Browns and the Green Bay Packers before starting a 36-year career as an assistant coach. He was head coach of the Baltimore Colts for part of the 1972 season. The 1972 Baltimore Colts season was the 20th season for the team in the National Football League. They finished with 5 wins and 9 losses, third in the AFC East. ![]() The 1971 Baltimore Colts season was the 19th season for the team in the National Football League. Led by second-year head coach Don McCafferty, the Colts appeared to be on the verge of winning the AFC East again after beating the Miami Dolphins 14–3 in the penultimate game of the regular season. However, the Colts lost the final game of the season at home to the New England Patriots, dropping them to 10–4 and the wild card berth. They lost to the Dolphins in the AFC Championship game. The Baltimore defense gave up a total of 140 points for 14 regular season games, an average of ten points a game. In their four defeats, they lost by a combined total of 15 points. ![]() The 1970 Baltimore Colts season was the 18th season of the second Colts franchise in the National Football League (NFL). Led by first-year head coach Don McCafferty, the Colts finished the 1970 season with a regular season record of 11 wins, 2 losses, and 1 tie to win the first AFC East title. The Colts completed the postseason in Miami with a victory over the Cowboys in Super Bowl V, their first Super Bowl title and fourth NFL championship. The 1969 Baltimore Colts season was the 17th season for the team in the National Football League. The Colts finished the National Football League's 1969 season with a record of 8 wins, 5 losses and 1 tie. Led by seventh-year head coach Don Shula, Baltimore finished second in the Western Conference's Coastal division, well behind the Los Angeles Rams (11–3). The 1968 Baltimore Colts season was the 16th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). Led by sixth-year head coach Don Shula, they finished the regular season with a record of 13 wins and 1 loss, and won the Western Conference's Coastal division. Upton P. Bell is an American former National Football League (NFL) executive, talk show host, and sports commentator. He is the son of former NFL commissioner Bert Bell and Broadway theatre actress Frances Upton. ![]() Joseph Henry Thomas was a National Football League (NFL) general manager and also served as the head coach of the Baltimore Colts for part of the 1974 season. The 1970 Miami Dolphins season was the team's fifth, and first in the National Football League (NFL). It was the team's first winning season, first playoff appearance, and first of 26 seasons under head coach Don Shula. The team improved on their 3–10–1 record from 1969, and finished the regular season at 10–4, second in the newly aligned AFC East to only the Baltimore Colts, the eventual Super Bowl champion. During this season, the Dolphins defeated the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders for the first time in franchise history. ![]() The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It was the second incarnation of the Baltimore Colts, the first having played for three years in the All-America Football Conference and one in the National Football League (NFL). This Baltimore Colts played their home games at Memorial Stadium. References
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