Hall Of Fame Coach Hank Stram Dies At 82

[ILS1]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Hank Stram, a legend in Kansas City sports history, died Monday in New Orleans following a lengthy illness. He was 82.

Dale Stram said his father died from complications in his long fight with diabetes.

Stram led the Kansas City Chiefs to their only two Super Bowl appearances. The Chiefs lost to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I, then defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV.

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1987.

Stram is the Chiefs' all-time winningest coach.

Stram was already frail by the time he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. He was pushed to the front of the stage in a wheelchair, wearing his newest blazer as 115 of the NFL's greatest names welcomed him.

The then-80-year-old Stram, too weak to stand or walk on his own, then watched his prerecorded induction speech that showed a fiery, charismatic and innovative coach.

"Look at all the red eyes," said former Kansas City running back Ed Podolak at the 2003 induction ceremony, one of dozens of former Chiefs players who came to Canton to take part in Stram's enshrinement. "I cried like a baby, and so did everyone else."

During a 17-year pro coaching career that began in 1960 with the Dallas Texans, Stram led the Chiefs to three AFL titles and the Super Bowl upset over the Vikings in 1970. He coached the New Orleans Saints in 1976-77.

Stram was the first coach to wear a microphone during a Super Bowl and his sideline antics, captured by NFL Films, helped bring the league into the video age.

Stram's career regular-season record was 131-97-10, with a 5-3 playoff record.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.



Hank Stram Dies At 82 (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2100419)

[HighSchool Fan]

Hank was a awesome coach, very comical at times. this story tells the problem with the nfl. one of the greatest coaches of all time and it takes him 25 years to get in the Hall of Fame. what a joke that is.

[Old Tiger]

RIP Hank....I really liked his suit he wore while on the sidelines

[PhiI C]

One of the most fun years of pro football I had was in 1962 when he coached the Dallas Texans (he next year they moved to Kansas City because Dallas supported the Cowboys) in the old AFL and they won the western conference and played the Houston Oilers who had won the championship in 1960 and 1961 with QB George Blanda. The Texans won the first half 17 to 0 but it was the reverse the second half. The game went into sudden death overtime and Abner Haynes from Dallas won the coin flip and chose to kick and of course Houston choose the win in one of the bigges coin flip goofs ever. The Texans held on defense the first quarter of the overtime and in he second quater the Texans kicked a field goal to win 20 to 17! This was the longest overtime game at the time especially since it was only he second time. Rest in Peace Coach.

[BHBrave08]

What a loss.:crying:

[bevo]

I remember the classic call that Coach Stram called for a touchdown in the Superbowl IV victory when he called a play to his running back Garrett, which was announced as the famous "22 toss cross power trap".


Thanks for the memories Coach...rest in peace.

[espn1]

Thank God for Archives.