Former Bears coach Dick Jauron, Coach of the Year in 2001, dies at 74
Jauron coached the Bears from 1999 to ’03 as part of a three-decade coaching career after eight seasons as a starting safety for the Lions and Bengals
Dick Jauron, who led the Bears to a 13-3 record and was named AP Coach of the Year in 2001, died at 74.
Jauron’s daughter Kacy wrote on Facebook on Saturday that he died after being diagnosed with cancer this week.
“We are so incredibly devastated to share the news that my dad has passed away,” wrote Kacy Jauron, who runs the Jauron Family Foundation. “The past week has been one awful nightmare after another… The pain that I and everyone else who loved him is feeling right now is completely immeasurable.
“The very best son, brother, friend, teammate, husband, father, coach, HUMAN that we were all so lucky to love.”
Jauron was named the 12th head coach in Bears history in 1999 after a clunky search. Dave McGinnis had been announced as the team’s head coach before he’d even agreed to take it. The Bears even changed the answering machine message on the head coach’s phone to say McGinnis was in charge.
When they couldn’t work out a deal, the Bears pivoted to Jauron, who had been the defensive coordinator for the Jaguars. He had one winning season out of five. General manager Jerry Angelo, who did not hire Jauron, fired him after going 7-9 in 2003 and replaced him with Lovie Smith.
Jauron finished his Bears career with a 35-45 record, but left the team with talent. The Bears’ 2003 draft class included future Pro Football Hall of Famer Charles Tillman and seven-time Pro Bowl player Lance Briggs.
He was hired as the Lions’ defensive coordinator and served as their interim head coach for part of the 2005 season before the Bills named him their head coach in 2006. He didn’t post a winning season in three-and-a-half years there, finishing with a 24-33 record.
Jauron was born in Peoria but attended Swampscott High School in Massachusetts. He was a first-team All-American running back at Yale and played safety for eight years with the Lions and Bengals, reaching the Pro Bowl once.
